2020 has been a year of records. To name a few, the new decade has seen record voter turnout in one of the most contentious elections in American history, as President-elect Joe Biden won the presidency with upwards of 74 million votes — the most ever cast for a presidential candidate. However, America has also witnessed the establishment of one of its darkest records, with more than 240,000 Americans dead due to COVID-19. Oct. 30 alone produced 100,000 new COVID-19 cases: a number that not only shatters the number of recorded cases in any country, but spirits as well.

As the numbers continue to worsen, it appears that America is not only heading into dire straits but stumbling towards them, as experts warn that the pandemic is bound to produce new levels of devastation throughout the nation. With grisly projections, now would be an optimal time for America to assess where it stands as a nation and how it can progress forward through the terror wrought by the pandemic before more American lives are lost. 

All signs point to the possibility of another lockdown, which seems to be the most logical step America could take to obstruct the virus’s rampage across the nation. Such an idea may not be ideal for the millions of American small business owners who have not even set foot on the road to economic recovery from the first lockdown, but if 2020 could be described in one word, “ideal” would be the last thought in the minds of many of us. Americans have found themselves staring down the dark corridors of uncertainty at the sordidly surreal — yet frighteningly realistic — prospect that they may have empty chairs at their tables for the approaching Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season.

However, we do not just need another lockdown; we need a concrete plan. The nation experienced unfathomable levels of financial pain when the country was in full lockdown as Americans lay awake at the uncertainty of feeding themselves and their families and the fear of eviction became too real. Americans were hurting physically and emotionally as reports of domestic violence skyrocketed during quarantine. Moreover, the pandemic has taken a toll on the emotional states of countless Americans as family members were lost and many were unable to comfort their loved ones during their final hours. 

Indeed the era of COVID-19 marks one of unwanted substantial sacrifice, but it must also yield an American compromise. A lockdown can undoubtedly squelch the rising infection rates, but in doing so, the nation runs the risk of forswearing an already faltering economy that is struggling to gain footing. A lockdown can be realistic, so long as it is aimed at protecting both American lives and the economy. To elaborate, if another lockdown is implemented it should build upon the mistakes of the first by working to minimize the damage it would deal to the already tattered economy. Indeed an economy is nothing without the meaningful contributions made by Americans, but whether it relates to health or finances, Americans do not need to find themselves in life or death circumstances — especially during a global pandemic.

COVID-19’s recent uptick can be attributed to the upcoming holiday season, with many Americans unable to envision spending the holidays without their loved ones. The increase can also be attributed to the election season as droves of Americans have attended campaign rallies for both Biden and Trump. However, President Trump’s rallies have been labeled as superspreaders because they often discourage mask-wearing and group large numbers of Americans together with little room to socially distance. Biden’s drive-in rallies, on the other hand, have strived to follow appropriate protocols to mitigate infections. However, the most obvious cause for the surge in infections may be the shifting seasons of fall into the winter as colder weather drives more people to stay inside, thus increasing the likelihood of transmitting the virus. Although a lockdown sounds like the best idea, it still will not be the complete solution to ultimately stopping the virus.

Another lockdown would be a good start, but a miserable end to a year already shrouded in misery. Instead of simply instituting another lockdown, American leaders should enact policies which slowly reduce the in-person components of schools using blended learning, at least until the end of the winter season, to minimize the risk of students becoming infected with the virus in the harsh cold. Additionally, elected officials should learn from the pain felt by Americans financially and use that as motivation to enact meaningful policies that result in less Americans fearing for their financial welfare. During the first lockdown, we had to make a choice of whether to bleed American lives or American dollars. The first lockdown meant that we lost less lives, but it also left a mortally wounded economy. America is bound to bleed during this pandemic, but we could bleed less if there is policy enacted that targets saving lives as a priority while simultaneously focusing on minimizing economic losses. America may still lose, but the road to recovery and economic gain becomes much clearer than it is now.

Through meaningful policy focused on saving American lives and bracing an economy teetering on the brink of failure, we as a nation can begin to enter 2021 with a renewed sense of life. COVID-19 may be breaking records, but it does not need to break the American spirit. 

Noah Osborne, FCRH ’23, is a journalism major from Harlem, N.Y.