Coronavirus pandemic: Highlighting the good and the bad of the emergency response

The novel coronavirus is impacting every facet of life in Greater Cincinnati and around the nation, whether its going to the grocery store, your favorite restaurant or even your place of worship. Americans have been forced to hunker down in their homes and practice social distancing by a virus that has infected thousands. In the midst of the outbreak, we've seen our state and local government leaders make some tough decisions to protect citizens; meanwhile people and organizations across the region have risen to the occasion with acts of generosity and kindness to help those in need. Here is a special COVID-19 edition of our editorial board’s thumbs up and thumbs down, highlighting the good and the bad coming out of the pandemic response.

Thumbs up

• A hearty thanks goes out to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton, Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, police, fire and other city workers who have remained on the job, hospital workers and everyone assigned to keep us safe and our city services functioning without delay or disruption. Thank you, for making the tough calls and exhibiting calm leadership in this chaotic time. Thanks for listening to the experts and encouraging us to do the same. Thanks for putting your health and safety at risk, so the rest of us don't have to. You are the epitome of what it means to be a public servant.
• Bravo to the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation for giving 14 neighborhood business district tenants a break on their rent in April due to the economic impact of the coronavirus. Taking this burden off of these small businesses that are in a financial pinch because of the governor's directive to close in order to thwart the spread of the virus will go a long way.

• Hats off to the thousands of teachers at every level who worked overtime to prepare and deliver curriculum packets for students for the rest of the year. It's no simple task to switch up the pedagogy for that many people so fast. Once again, our public educators prove why they are so valuable to our kids and our community.
• Kudos to a pair of young people in Clintonville, Ohio, who staged a concert on the porch of their 78-year-old neighbor who was self-quarantining. Taran Tien, 9, and his sister Calliope, 6, put on their best suit and party dress and performed an assortment of music on their cellos for Helena Schlam. These two youngsters provided a ray of sunshine amidst the gloomy headlines surrounding the virus.
• Thumbs up to the people posting on social media the information and phone numbers for the restaurants offering carry out/delivery, and to the business owners who are adjusting their shifts in ways that will create more distance for their employees as they arrive/exit work.

Thumbs down

• Gov. DeWine has made some hard choices as the coronavirus continues to spread rapidly throughout the state. Arguably none more difficult than his decision to postpone Tuesday's primary election until June 2. Everything DeWine has done to this point has been in the interest of public safety and saving lives. And while he likely did the right thing delaying the election, his plan wasn't well executed. Elections are sacred in America, and attempting to suspend the primary 12 hours before voters were scheduled to go to the polls only created chaos and confusion. DeWine has had a lot on his plate to be sure, but he should have been more prepared for this eventuality, even possibly allowing all voters to cast their ballots by mail. 

• Queen City Lounge, at 2196 Queen City Ave. in South Fairmount, was boarded up Tuesday for violating COVID-19 gathering restrictions. The business owners held a private banquet, despite Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's order banning gatherings of more than 50 people. These are tough times for small businesses with all of the clients and money that is being lost due to the governor's orders, but people have to come before profits. The owners of Queen City Lounge not only put these clients at risk of exposure to the virus, but their employees and the police who had to respond there as well. Police said the lounge has been "problematic" in the past and cited the operators under Ohio Revised Code.
• Americans need leadership when confronting crises like the novel coronavirus, not the kind of nonsense Northern Kentucky U.S. congressman Thomas Massie spouted last week on his social media platforms. Massie blasted novel coronavirus precautions taken by governments to slow the spread of the virus and was one of 17 Republicans who did not vote for the Coronavirus Relief Bill. "When this is over, the greatest harm to society will have been the public’s unquestioning acceptance of the unchecked authority of governments to force private behavior and disrupt economies," he wrote.  Massie is right. The coronavirus has been disruptive to our lives and our economy. But mounting deaths, fear and panic wrought by the unchecked virus would be even more disruptive.

Opinion Editor Kevin S. Aldridge writes this on behalf of the editorial board which includes, President Eddie Tyner, Vice President/News and Editor Beryl Love, Senior News Director for Content Michael Perry, Consumer Marketing Director Denette McCloskey and Editorial Board members Byron McCauley, Christine Marallen, Gil Spencer and Bonnie Jean Feldkamp.