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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNot only did the partisan divide remain wide, but the number of adults practicing \u201csocial distancing\u201d dropped from 75% in early April to 58%. This drop in so called self-reported \u201csocial distancing\u201d occurred in states both with and without stay-at-home orders. Elsewhere I argue that \u201csocial distancing<\/a>\u201d is a most unfortunate label for physical distancing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Republicans have been advocating for opening up businesses early, but it is not a mere intellectual debate. Some held large protests while brandishing firearms; others appeared in public without masks and without observing 6-feet distances. Some business that re-opened in early May reported customers acting disrespectful<\/a> to others, ignoring the store\u2019s distancing rules. In another incident<\/a>, an armed militia stood outside a barbershop to keep authorities from closing down the newly reopened shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Retail operations in particular are concerned about compliance\nto social norms because without adequate compliance, other customers will not\nreturn. Social norms rely on social trust. If retail operations cannot depend\nupon customers to be respectful, they will not only lose additional customers\nbut employees as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Sad Impact of Pandemic Partisanship <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n American society was highly partisan before the pandemic, so it is not surprising that partisan signs remain. For a few weeks in March and April, partisanship took a back seat and signs of cooperation suggested societal solidarity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n We are only months away from the Presidential election, so we do not expect either side to let us forget the contest. However, we can only hope that partisans will not forget that politics cannot resolve the pandemic alone. Without relying heavily on scientists and health system experts, our society can only fail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, lives hang in the balance if there is a partisan failure to reach consensus on distancing and related precautions. Economists at Stanford and Harvard, using distancing data from smartphones as well as local data on COVID cases and deaths, completed a sophisticated model of the first few months of the pandemic. Their report, \u201cPolarization and Public Health: Partisan Differences in Social Distancing during the Coronavirus Pandemic<\/a>,\u201d found that (1) Republicans engage in less social distancing, and (2) if this partisanship difference continues, the US will end up with more COVIC-19 transmission at a higher economic cost. Assuming the researchers\u2019 analytical model is accurate, the Republican ridicule of social distancing is such an ironic tragedy. Not only will lives be lost but what is done under the banner of promoting economic benefit, is actually producing greater economic hardship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n