The CDC Betrayed Millions of Parents…and Their Kids.

Science just got supplanted by money.

The updated CDC guidance is a complete betrayal to the millions of parents who have sacrificed so much during the pandemic, and now the have had the rug swept out from under them.

For those parents lucky enough to have their children in school, they could rest easy knowing that masks work.

While targeted at those who are fully vaccinated, the updated guidance by the CDC will trigger a mass wave of unmasking by everyone, vaccinated or not, creating a dangerous environment during the summer.

A Year of Child (and Parent) Sacrifice

Let’s take a look at just how much families have suffered over the past year.

• Parents (mostly moms) left their jobs in droves, in turn damaging their long-term careers, to stay home with kids who were learning remotely.
• The marriage divide widened, worsening financial and family prospects for the lower class.
• Mental health issues have skyrocketed among both parents and children.
• Childhood food insecurity has doubled.
• Suicides are up among kids, especially teens.
• Child abuse is increasing, but going unreported.
• Physical activity dropped precipitously among kids, especially tweens.

On top of all this, millions of kids have had no schooling whatsoever.

For approximately 3 million of the most educationally marginalized students in the country, March might have been the last time they experienced any formal education — virtual or in-person.

The physical, financial, emotional, and mental tolls from this pandemic will be felt for a generation. This burden was put on parents in the name of protecting their kids.

And it mostly worked.

Aside from the holiday peak, which was completely avoidable in theory but wholly expected in practice, spread of COVID was mostly tamped down and the curve was flattened.

What the New Guidance Means

From the CDC,

…fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.

The thinking is that once adults are vaccinated, they can experience a bit of freedom as a reward for all their hard work.

Great! Except for one small thing: human nature. In case you haven’t noticed, there are two distinct camps in America right now.

• On one side, you have people who will strictly abide by the rules, protecting themselves and others until herd immunity is reached.
• On the other side, you have people who don’t care about themselves or other people, either through lack of compassion or disbelief in reality, and will refuse to do anything to protect anyone.

The problem with the new guidance and relaxation of the rules is that the second group will take it as a green light to resume life as normal, regardless of vaccination status, endangering kids and adults alike.

So why didn’t the CDC wait until herd immunity to allow unmasked activities?

Money.

What Changed?

In short, the economy changed, specifically the job market. But let’s look at what happened before that.

• March 11: President Biden signs the American Rescue Plan, with a price tag of $1.9 trillion.
• March 31: President Biden announces the American Jobs Plan (aka, the infrastructure plan) the the tune of $2.7 trillion ($400 billion more than originally reported).
• April 2: The March jobs report showed over 900,000 jobs being added to the economy, and the White House was quick to take advantage the growing recovery and unveil even more spending.
• April 28: President Biden announces the American Families Plan, which would spend another $1.8 trillion.

Everyone was set to take credit for the economic engine that was expected to be revving up all spring and summer, but that didn’t quite happen.

• May 7: The April jobs report came out, and it was a complete disaster, with only 266,000 new jobs.

Uh oh.

All of a sudden, the “grand recovery” looked like just another Tuesday, albeit in a pandemic. That didn’t jive with what was coming out of the White House.

But that was okay. It was just one report in one month, right?

• May 11: The March JOLTS report came out, showing a record high of 8.1 million job openings.

Oh damn.

There are plenty of jobs, but no workers. What’s going on? We need workers to work so we can tax their income and pay for all our new spending!

What’s a government to do?

Well, they did exactly what a government can do. They created an environment that would push people back to work, health consequences be damned.

It’s true that adults (aka, the workforce) were being vaccinated at a good rate, with 60% receiving at least one dose, but they only make up 78% of the total population.

60% of 78% equals 47% of the population, much less than the minimum of 70% needed for herd immunity.

It’s also true that kids 12 and older are eligible, so that will push the percentage up in time, but that time is not right now.

My guess is that the CDC was politically pressured into relaxing their guidelines in order to urge the workforce to return and starting earning taxable income.

The current workforce (adults) is more than half protected, and no one cares about the future workforce (kids) because they’ll all be dead by then.

The Takeaway

I’ve mentioned this before, but the need for critical thinking has never been higher.

Protect yourself, and protect your family.

That goes for health, finances, and everything in between.

I understand that this pandemic has been one big ball of uncertainty for everyone, including scientists and researchers.

Whenever new and possibly conflicting information came up, I always defended it by telling everyone that the pandemic is an example of science working in real time, and it absolutely sucks. But the information will come.

Now, I’m not so sure.

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This article is for informational purposes only, it should not be considered Financial or Legal Advice. Not all information will be accurate. Consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions.