“Although the true number of unemployed people is a matter of debate, the data show that as many as 27.5 percent of Americans lost their job or had their hours scaled back as a result of the shutdowns. That’s more than 30 million Americans, at a minimum, who were hit hard economically. We simply cannot sustain that level of economic catastrophe much longer…

“Rises in the coronavirus infection and hospitalization rates have to be put into context. We must minimize the potential loss of life, but public health measures must also be weighed against the cost of millions of ruined lives. Keeping the economy closed and the lockdowns tight would be fatal to America itself. To do this would be the public health equivalent of the famous quote from a dispatch during the Vietnam War: ‘It was necessary to destroy the village in order to save it.’”
Henry Olsen, Washington Post

“Maximum lockdowns were never a realistic long-term option… The end of our patience was never going to coincide with the end of the pandemic. Yes, warmer weather will probably help some, along with more Americans spending more time outdoors. In some parts of the country, lots of people are still wearing masks; in other parts of the country, not so much. Ending idiotic policies about returning still-contagious patients to nursing homes will help reduce the death rate considerably…

“But… the virus is still out there. The fact that people would rather play out an American version of China’s Cultural Revolution, complete with public ‘struggle sessions,’ or go over footage of a cop shoving a senior citizen in Buffalo like it’s the Zapruder film, or remove the television show Cops from the airwaves — because having camera crews ride along with police officers is somehow enabling police brutality — does not change any facts about the virus and its spread.”
Jim Geraghty, National Review

“The coronavirus has not disappeared, and the rules governing our response to it are still being applied to businesses, schools, churches, and other organizations. In Maryland, for example, outdoor religious services have been banned completely by Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich… And my church in northern Virginia has decided to hold off on in-person services, outdoors or indoors, because the regulations are too vague and too difficult to navigate. Where were these regulations during Saturday’s protest?…

“Government officials cannot selectively restrict constitutional rights. Either the law applies to everyone, or it doesn’t apply at all. In other words, if protesters have the right to gather, churches should have that right as well. Any other application of the law is hypocritical and unconstitutional.”
Kaylee McGhee, Washington Examiner

“With coronavirus, government has been aggressive to excessive. When business owners have attempted to reopen ahead of government timelines, many have faced harsh responses. Government actions and reactions have been aimed at normal activities by otherwise law-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, government has been permissive to passive (at least initially) with protests. Here, government action has not been taken against people gathering en masse in violation of health orders, even when some of those protests turned to violent riots…

“The danger Democrats increasingly face is that Middle America and moderate voters will see these increasingly stark juxtapositions… Democrats need protests to end now — yesterday actually. The longer they last, the worse Democrats look, and the greater the likelihood that Middle America and moderate voters make a connection from current chaos, to coronavirus, to leftward campaign content — and break with Democrats.”
J.T. Young, The Federalist