I offer this not to encourage anyone to take a cavalier attitude about the virus. That is the worst thing that could happen. I continue to be appalled at the widespread panic over this thing, but it’s clear now that “social distancing” is the strategy we’re going to employ to beat it, so I sort of past the point of complaining about it.

Rather, I want people who are feeling despair over the future to know there’s a reason for hope – and it comes from the land where this whole thing started.

We told you earlier in the week that there are encouraging signs from China. Businesses that had closed are opening back up, and the number of new cases has declined dramatically. Now there’s more good news that things are getting back to normal in China:

China built 14 new hospitals, including two in Wuhan, early last month in just weeks to provide thousands of beds for the sick as the virus spread rapidly. The country has recorded 80,824 cases of coronavirus and 3,189 deaths since the start of the outbreak at the end of last year.

But strict quarantine measures appear to have drastically reduced the number of new cases, and the country has eased up on the measures in its hardest hit region. On Saturday health chiefs said there had been 13 new deaths and just 11 new cases, including people who recently arrived from other affected countries. More than 65,000 people have recovered from the disease in China.

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Granted, “back to normal” in China means life under communist oppression. But even with an overwhelmed public health system restrictions on public information, China appears to have turned the corner with the virus on the downswing.

The bad news, I suppose, is that it took the very kinds of enforced isolation we’re now experiencing here to make it happen. The cloud to this silver lining could be that it puffs up the chests of authoritarian types who think everything works better if public officials give us orders about how to behave on a day-to-day basis.

Almost no one went to church yesterday because governors had issued orders banning large-scale gatherings. If that helped to prevent the spreading of disease, that isolated fact is welcome. But once liberal politicians figure out they have the power to order people to stay home from church, I’m not sure I like the thought of how they might use that power going forward.

This will surely not be the last pandemic, and if we’re going to do this – or worse – every time, I’m not sure how much I like the prospects for life in American society on a long-term basis. But politicians who gave these orders once and got away with it will only be more emboldened to see how far they can take it the next time.

Do you feel confident the spread of coronavirus will slow down soon? Yes No Completing this poll entitles you to The Western Journal news updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use You're logged in to Facebook. Click here to log out. 96% (27 Votes) 4% (1 Votes)

But at least we know there is now some precedent for the spread of the virus slowing down, and only after a few weeks at that. This is very encouraging news, and it offers hope that maybe we’ll soon be going to church, going to ballgames and gathering together in public again.

A life without those things is not one I’m looking forward to.