A new round of lockdowns would be far less enforceable than the first

This is the state of affairs all across America nearly three months after quarantines, lockdowns, and stay-at-home orders were first imposed to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of COVID-19 cases is rising in many places, prompting fears that reopening plans could be halted or reversed. But public officials—from the ones running the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio—have largely squandered the public trust that would be necessary to impose another round of shutdowns.

People are understandably frustrated that for months they were forbidden from attendings weddings or funerals for loved ones because officials said gatherings of more than 10 or 25 people were a public health threat—only to see many of those same officials cheer massive protests that have spread through cities in recent weeks.

Thousands of people gathered outside of the Brooklyn Museum for a Black Trans Lives Matter rally on Sunday, but a few dozen kids can’t go to a playground on Monday?