NYT’s David Leonhardt Urges Return to Normalcy: After Getting Vaccinated, We Can’t Let Covid ‘Reorder Our Lives’

New York Times writer David Leonhardt called for a return to normality as he took on the media’s shifting coverage on masks and the coronavirus.

Leonhardt joined CNN’s Brian Stelter on Sunday to talk about the media’s “clear change in tone,” now that more outlets are questioning the Biden administration’s caution and the CDC’s guidelines as people are getting vaccinated. In response to all the mixed messaging on masks, Leonhardt was asked to elaborate on his recent writings against “irrational Covid fears” and the decreasing amount of situations where masks are a necessity.

During the conversation, Leonhardt criticized Fox News’ Tucker Carlson for recent comments urging people to call the cops if they see children wearing a mask outdoors. Leonhardt argued that anti-mask “hostility” has been more damaging to the public response than overcautiousness throughout the pandemic, but he stuck to his core point that “it is also really important for us to start returning to normal.”

Normal doesn’t mean waiting until there is no Covid risk. It means thinking about the fact that if you’re vaccinated or you’re outdoors, Covid presents the sort of risk that we accept all of the time in life. It is struck-by-lightning or attacked-by-shark level risk. It’s not the kind of thing that should reorder our lives. And I think it is important for all of us to start thinking about it in that way. We’re not going to get to zero risk. And if we stay kind of buttoned up inside of our homes forever, we are going to be doing much more damage to ourselves than if we start to get out a little bit.

Watch above, via CNN.

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