Civil Conversation Challenge for Teenagers, Forum 2: Covid-19 and Our National Response – The New York Times

From Sept. 22 to Sept. 28, our Student Opinion column will be devoted to the issues well be discussing in our Civil Conversation Challenge, but, as always, any teenager is invited to respond. We hope youll not only post your own thoughts, but also reply to the comments of others.

Should masks be worn by all Americans? Should schools reopen with in-person classes? Have state and local governments been too quick or too slow to lift restrictions on public activity? Should we rush to make and distribute a coronavirus vaccine, even if it means skipping or shortening trials?

These are just some of the questions we hope you will explore in this Student Opinion forum, part of our Civil Conversation Challenge.

Some background on the issue:

As of Sept. 23, there have been over 6.8 million cases of coronavirus and over 200,000 deaths in the United States. The country represents only 4 percent of the worlds population yet accounts for roughly 20 percent of all confirmed deaths.

The economic effect on the United States has been devastating as well. Over 40 million people have lost their jobs since March 2020 and the countrys G.D.P. fell 9.5 percent from April to June the biggest contraction in U.S. history.

But these numbers only scratch the surface. The virus has upended our lives in ways that would have been unimaginable one year ago from how we work and play, to how we go to school, see our families and friends, cook, greet each other and exercise.

President Trump, who declared himself a wartime president, has talked about his travel ban on China in late January, declaration of national emergency in mid-March, and push for vaccines and treatments as major achievements. He has declared his handling of the pandemic as phenomenal, and stated We have done a job, the likes of which nobody has ever done.

However, critics charge that Mr. Trump misled the public by downplaying the virus, comparing it to the flu and saying that it would go away. He resisted masks, sidelined experts, held large rallies, denounced lockdowns and failed to get tests and protective equipment ready.

And now, only weeks away from the presidential election, the choice between Democrats and Republicans has become, in many ways, a referendum on President Trumps handling of the pandemic.

Do you think President Trump has provided effective leadership during the pandemic? How might a Biden administration handle the crisis differently? What would a second term for President Trump mean for our ongoing fight against the pandemic? Do you think Republicans or Democrats have better ideas on how to combat the coronavirus and revitalize the economy?

Where to learn more:

To keep this list manageable, were focusing on the candidates positions and New York Times resources, but we encourage you to consult a variety of reliable sources to learn about this topic.

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Possible questions to address:

Why does this topic interest you? How have your experiences shaped your opinions? What questions or concerns does this topic raise for you?

How has the pandemic affected you, your family or your community? In what ways has it disrupted or changed your education? How has it changed who you are and how you view the world?

Do you think our leaders have served us well during this crisis? How would you rate President Trumps response? Congresss? How well have your state and local leaders responded? What policies and actions have been effective, in your opinion? Which ones have been ineffective, or even harmful? Why?

How should the government support the economy, workers and families during the pandemic? The pandemic has devastated the American economy. Some sectors, like restaurants, travel and live entertainment, have been hit hard and millions have lost their jobs. Others, like online shopping and home renovations, have been booming. The federal government has provided some relief for suffering businesses and people who have lost their jobs, including direct payments to taxpayers, increased unemployment benefits and loans to small businesses. Many argue that more relief is needed, though Democrats and Republicans are struggling to agree on what kind and how much. In addition, many public health experts argue that the best way to stabilize the economy and get people back to work is to get the pandemic under control, which the United States has failed to do on the whole. What measures do you think are most important to support the economy? To support workers and families?

How do you think existing inequalities in our society have shaped the pandemics physical, social and economic toll? An Op-Ed from April argues:

The pandemic may have reminded Americans that they were all still bound together. But it also began demonstrating, day by day, how dangerously far apart they were.

Sick people, lacking paid leave, couldnt afford to stop working. Others who lost their jobs lost their health insurance, too. White-collar workers on lockdown discovered they were counting on people without health care to endanger themselves by delivering food. Poor children began falling behind in school because their parents couldnt afford internet access. African-Americans in states like Louisiana began dying in numbers out of all proportion to their share of the population.

What weaknesses in our society have been exposed by the pandemic? And what can we do to address those inequalities to strengthen our society?

What should education look like as we navigate this pandemic? The New York Times Magazine asks, Will this be a lost year for Americas children? The pandemic has disrupted traditional schooling for millions of children, with cities and suburbs across the country switching to remote-only or hybrid models of instruction. How can leaders on local, state and federal levels better support the nations most vulnerable students: homeless students, those who do not have access to computers, laptops or the internet and students with special needs? What role should the president play to support students, teachers, parents and schools during the pandemic?

What should be our countrys approach to masks? In our increasingly polarized country, even mask wearing has become a deeply politicized issue. Most public health experts believe that wearing masks in public helps to slow the transmission of the coronavirus. Mr. Biden has said every American should wear a mask while outside for at least the near term and that all governors should mandate mask wearing. President Trump, on the other hand, has ridiculed mask wearing at times and mocked Mr. Biden for his mask wearing at a campaign rally. Is this political divide about wearing masks, that has sometimes even turned violent, inevitable? How should we balance individual freedom and liberty and the needs of the larger community?

How should we balance safety and urgency in developing a coronavirus vaccine? Researchers across the world are racing to produce a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. Currently, 37 vaccines are being tested in clinical trials on humans, and at least 91 vaccines are in the preclinical phase. Mr. Trump has made optimistic assertions that a vaccine could be ready before the Nov. 3 election, but many scientists, regulators and public health experts are concerned that the rush to distribute a vaccine before it has been fully tested for safety and efficacy is potentially dangerous. Mr. Biden has accused the president of trying to rush out a vaccine for electoral gain. Are you concerned that politics and the United States election might affect the vaccine approval process? Should drug manufacturers push ahead to make and distribute a coronavirus vaccine, even if it means skipping or shortening trials?

What does the future look like? How should we prepare? What steps should our government leaders take? In the Opinion essay What the Fall and Winter of the Pandemic Will Look Like, Jeneen Interlandi, a member of the Times editorial board, writes:

Its safe to assume that case counts will rise in the coming months, as colder weather forces more people indoors (in the North, at least) and as more students and teachers return to in-person schooling. Colleges are already grappling with outbreaks, and infected students are already returning home to seed a further spread in their own communities.

Are you optimistic about the next phase of the pandemic? Will countries like the United States see the virus slow in the months ahead? Or is a new surge on the way? Do you think new restrictions and lockdowns are coming? Can businesses, workers and the nation survive another round of shutdowns and closures?

Students 13 and older in the United States and the United Kingdom, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

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Civil Conversation Challenge for Teenagers, Forum 2: Covid-19 and Our National Response - The New York Times