Dear America:

You're probably seeing some images from other places in the world, like that pool party in Wuhan, or diners in Taipei and Singapore, or folks just chilling in Hong Kong or South Korea. There's a reason for that.

(a short thread)

I realize it must be jarring to see pool parties in China. Or full rugby matches in New Zealand. Or baseball with crowds.

But like, all of that is an earned reward. Folks in Asia put in the work & knocked back the virus.

America hasn't done the same.

Now, you're also seeing, and will continue to see, headlines about places reimposing harsh restrictions, like New Zealand and Australia did.

They are not remotely comparable. The numbers that are sparking concerns range from single digits to a couple dozen or couple hundred.

Literally every re-lockdown in Asia over Covid-19 2nd waves has come with numbers the USA would be celebrating in the streets over.

Every single one.

As the world starts to reopen though, one thing I'm noticing is that the USA isn't on many governments' early travel list, unless that country is entirely dependent on American travel.

Why?

Because the U.S. as a whole hasn't taken the virus as seriously. The numbers prove it.

So as America looks to reopen, as OpenTable reservations inch upward, as people fret over how to return to school or whether they'll miss out on football, know this:

The U.S. is trying to reopen at levels that, in almost every other developed country, would trigger shutdowns.