Oh come on. There is no grand conspiracy to keep the shutdown going for two years. Everyone realizes that would destroy the economy and not a single governmen

Oh come on. There is no grand conspiracy to keep the shutdown going for two years. Everyone realizes that would destroy the economy and not a single government official wants to sit at home with their screaming children for two years straight. This is a fake controversy ginned up by the right. Here are the facts: The Virginia health commissioner said on Friday, "I personally think Phase One will be a two year affair." Phase One involves re-opening of non-essential businesses, continued physical distancing, telework, and face coverings in public.[1] A few publications on the right interpreted this the worst way possible. Washington Examiner wrote[2], "the top health official in Virginia said the state could be in lockdown for the next two years." Lockdowns are generally defined as the closing of non-essential businesses and requiring a reason for people to be outside the home. It's clear that Gov. Northam's Phase One guidelines are a loosening from the general definition of a lockdown. Federalist[3] decided to interpret this comment as schools remaining closed for two years. Indeed, Gov. Northam's presentation did not touch on schools, but that could just as likely be because a decision on schools hasn't been made yet. In any case, on Saturday, the health department clarified the comments, saying, "Dr. Oliver intended to say that the Commonwealth will likely be dealing with COVID-19 in some form until a vaccine is produced, not that Phase One itself would take two years." [1]: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/Slide-Deck-4-24-2020-.pdf https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/... [2]: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-virginia-health-official-warns-state-lockdown-could-be-two-year-affair https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/top-virginia-health-... [3]: https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/25/virginia-health-commissioner-says-schools-could-remain-closed-for-two-years/ https://thefederalist.com/2020/04/25/virginia-health-commiss...