OPINION: Column: How a public health crisis could change how some feel about partisan differences

Mar. 10--By now, most people are aware that the COVID-19 respiratory disease is a serious concern that potentially could sicken or kill many people, especially senior citizens.

Your political ideology, however, may affect how you react to the coronavirus threat.

"Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to say the coronavirus poses an imminent threat to the United States, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this week," the Reuters news service reported Friday.

The article described how many Americans don't even realize that political polarization affects their response. Your experience may be shaped by interactions with others in real life or through social media. Thanks to "echo chambers," a lot of your associates feel the same way you do.

Perhaps you know someone who has expressed some form of the sentiment, "I don't see what the big deal is." They may say media are spreading hysteria and talk about how many people die every year from the common flu. They may make light of people hoarding toilet paper and other supplies.

It is inappropriate to joke about coronavirus. People are dying, and we don't know how bad it may get. Some people react to the unknown with fear. To them, stocking up may seem like a sensible response if their family is going to be quarantined at home for two weeks.

"It's likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur," the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday on its website.

"Widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care at the same time," the CDC said. "Schools, childcare centers, and workplaces may experience more absenteeism. Mass gatherings may be sparsely attended or postponed."

This year's South by Southwest festival was canceled in Austin, Texas, due to coronavirus concerns. Boston canceled its St. Patrick's Day parades. The Ivy League on Tuesday called off its conference basketball championship.

Chicago has seen some trade shows and conferences canceled, though as of early Tuesday afternoon the South Side Irish Parade was still set to step off at noon on Sunday.

We should all expect some disruption of our normal routines in the coming days and weeks. Some of us will experience the loss of loved ones. Many will be unable to work, either because they are ill or because their employers will have suspended operations.

In the south suburbs, that will likely mean additional hardship for many people. Paid time off is a benefit unavailable to workers in food service, hospitality and other lines of work. Losing half a month's income means some will struggle more than they already do to pay rent and other bills.

Since politics shapes how many view the crisis, those seeking a silver lining might hope for some rational discussion about the pros and cons of, say, universal health care or paid leave. Instead, so far we're seeing more of the same sort of partisan attacks, lies and divisiveness that have characterized our country of late.

A grievance commonly expressed these days is that President Donald Trump is the victim of attacks over his administration's response to the crisis. Some feel it is unfair to criticize the president over a virus that originated in China.

It is fair, however, to ask Trump why he overruled a CDC recommendation that elderly Americans be advised not to fly on commercial airlines, as the Associated Press reported. It is also fair to ask Trump about the nation's preparedness for a pandemic. What were the administration's plans to test people for COVID-19, and to prepare first responders to cope with what could be overwhelming numbers of victims?

Some alarming reports about the speedy spread of the virus have emerged from China, Italy and other countries. In Kirkland, Washington, 19 residents of the Life Care Center nursing home had died of coronavirus as of Tuesday. The New York Times quoted a spokesman as saying the nursing home "had seen some residents go from no symptoms to death in just a matter of a few hours."

"It was surprising and shocking to us that we have seen that level of escalation from symptoms to death," the Times quoted Tim Killian as saying.

Trump and his allies have repeatedly downplayed the virus. Rather than urging Americans to prepare by washing their hands, practicing social distancing, avoiding unnecessary travel and taking other precautions, he erroneously told the nation in late February the number of cases would soon be down to zero.

Trump has survived by framing everything in a political context. Reports of Russian interference in our elections, and a lot of other serious concerns, were fake news, he said. Intelligence agents, whistleblowers, judges and other credible critics were all motivated by desire to harm the president's re-election chances, he told his followers.

We have witnessed polarization and politicization of justice, law, truth and other things that were once less political. With each deeper descent into the alternate reality, Trump sycophants seemed to double down on conspiracy theories that grew increasingly absurd. It all seemed to work to their political advantage.

That is, until coronavirus. Some describe the outbreak as a "black swan" event, meaning a dramatic and rare occurrence with extreme consequences but one that was unforeseen or unpredictable.

Trump the politician is most effective when he counterpunches against a human opponent. A virus does not respond to insults, lies and attacks. That's because a public health emergency is apolitical.

In a matter of weeks, we may all share a much different perspective about the seriousness of COVID-19. Perhaps the way the illness affects families and communities will change the way some people think about partisan differences that have divided us on many issues.

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