The White House is currently pressuring states to open schools, for good reasons. 

Under 20's are invulnerable to Covid-19, but staying at home also aggravates abuse, deprivation and social problems. 

In South Africa, another global hotspot for the pandemic, schools are reopening, and private schools have resumed. 

There were cases arising from that, but that was more to do with workers in schools not learners. 

Attempts were made to block returns to school, but courts ruled in favor of all schools resuming. Only time will tell if that was right. 

Its worth noting, however, that the world is slowly becoming more discriminating in its fight against the virus. 

Australia recently applied a discriminatory tactic to New South Wales, isolating that state and leaving all other states open, a bit like letting schools open while clamping down on hotspots. 

Undoubtedly this has been a devastating contagion. France admitted yesterday that they cannot afford another lock-down. Most western states are into negative GDP territory and rising unemployment.  

So, an all-out, full lockdown approach is simply unsustainable, but a discriminatory approach has merits. 

The new approach reminds me of how WW2 was won. 

Initially there was a naive rush to send British Expeditionary Forces to defy Germany's advance, the way lock-outs, social distancing and other initiatives tried to block the Covid-19 blitz-krieg. 

Then, after Churchill became PM, the Allies picked their fights and started to eat the elephant, mouthful by mouthful, fighting where they could gain ground and wearing down the enemy. 

Germany was highly organised, resilient and unstoppable. The same can be said of Covid-19. But the war was won, albeit over a period of 6 hard years. I do believe Covid-19 can be won too. 

Yes, a vaccine will help, but that's analogous to say finding the keys to the enigma machine that enabled the Allies to unlock German secrets and preempt their movements. Vaccines do the same. 

The war saw many setbacks and the enemy surged back when guards were down or vigilance failed, as happened to nations that dropped their defenses against the virus. 

But the war was also won and the enemy was broken. 

Eventually the Allies did prevail when all their cumulative efforts overwhelmed Germany, and Japan. 

I take comfort from that. If we keep our heads down and persist, work with the authorities not against them, we will prevail and may be better for it. 

But not if we become part of the problem. As happened in war-time Britain, what every soul does, counts. It really does. 

But fighting each other or making the government another front, is how wars are lost, for enemies typically win with divide and conquer strategies. 

But the war was also won by managing information. 
 
Sadly, as was true of global terrorism, news was the medium of exposure that spread that and it is happening again. Fake news and the rampant spread of misinformation favors the virus. 

Any smart enemy would see something like Facebook as a powerful tool for breaking down society, fomenting panic and confusion, and lowering collective defenses against attack. 

And while naive conspiratorialists think they are helping, they are fueling the fire and making it worse. 

The only way to win, in the family, church, business or society, is to reinforce our mutual defenses and stand together in community. 

Its the least we can do to contribute to this war. Pray together, form "resistance networks" (to borrow a war time analogy), keep informed, be positive, apply fighting talk, stick it to the enemy.

There is nothing more defiant to any enemy than a people motivated and united against their common threat.  
 
(c) Peter Missing @ me2u2all.blogspot.com