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The editorial board is made up of a group of opinion reporters whose opinions are drawn from professional knowledge, research, debate, and certain long-term values. It is separate from the newsroom.

The pandemic has been nearly two years, and it is clear that the coronavirus will not disappear anytime soon. Surge will occur, variants of concern will emerge, and mitigation strategies need to be developed. However, because trust in the government and other agencies to manage the virus has been shaken to non-existent, there are still too many Americans who are skeptical and fearful of every new uncertainty.

It’s time to ask ourselves, as another winter of the new coronavirus begins, do we have to continue to live like this: anxious about the unknown, worried about large indoor gatherings, nervous about every bit of the virus news, and frustrated with fellow Americans , And sometimes even contempt that they have a very different sense of acceptable risk.

Because progress has been made this year. Vaccines to prevent serious illness and death are becoming more popular in the United States and are beginning to enter the most vulnerable areas of the world; antiviral drugs are passing through pipelines; and, despite the recent increase in cases, schools and businesses are still open.

The Americans should pause for a while and let this progress sink into it. This virus will continue to surprise us, and even if scientists manage to predict the worst turning point, officials may not be able to prevent these turning points from coming. But what if leaders at all levels make choices so that we don’t have to be exhausted for every curveball? Help all of us to live more normal with this virus instead of letting it control us?

This exhaustion has been for most of the past two years, as parents, teachers, frontline workers and small business owners have struggled through the storm. Is it safe to celebrate the holidays? Will the school be closed again? When will young children be finally eligible for vaccination? Why do we still ask ourselves these questions?

It is too early to say how long the current surge will last, or how Omicron variants might shape it. But even in this uncertainty, we should push decision makers to take a more pragmatic path, which will help us protect ourselves and lead a more normal life, even as the virus continues to evolve.

Make coronavirus testing as fast, simple and cheap as possible. Ubiquitous testing can help schools stay open and make gatherings safer. In the United States, more than 1,000 people still die of Covid-19 every day, and this basic tool should now be used as easily as in other countries such as South Korea or the United Kingdom. President Biden's latest plan-requiring people with private health insurance to submit reimbursement applications, and those without insurance or private insurance looking for free testing at community health centers-is far from sufficient to achieve this goal. Instead, the government should do what other countries have already done, as well as the success of the United States in vaccines: work directly with companies to obtain approval for more tests and quickly put them on the market, use advance purchase agreements to ensure a stable supply of these tests and Provide federal subsidies for clinics and pharmacies, and provide them free or very cheaply to consumers who need them.

Aims to make the 2021-2022 school year the last school year dominated by Covid. The Biden government should provide sufficient free and available tests by September — and promote sufficient numbers of students to be vaccinated.

Isolation and isolation policies also need to be upgraded. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still recommends that people isolate for 10 days after they develop symptoms or test positive, regardless of their vaccination status. Many schools still require anyone who has been in contact with an infected person to be quarantined for at least a few days. As breakthrough infections become more common, even among those who have received boosters, it makes sense for workers and students to avoid imprisonment or get tested faster.

Masking in school is a unique challenge. No one wants to force young children to wear masks for several hours a day indefinitely, but it would be foolish to give up this practice altogether. A happy way might be to provide students with masks during the surge or when new interesting mutations are detected and vaccine escape is still being measured. For the rest of the time, the evidence to date indicates that the requirement can be withdrawn. Nevada has successfully linked its school masking regulations to community transmission rates, and experts say it is worth trying to do so in other states.

Be prepared for surges. No scientist or health official can predict or even explain afterwards what forces caused the pandemic to ebb and flow around the world in this way. However, it is clear that the coronavirus cases will continue to experience a period of significant rise, and there should be wise and significantly better policies to deal with it.

Travel bans in specific countries are in vain: when a variant such as Omicron is detected in a country, it has spread to half of the world. Punishing countries that report new variants — as South Africa did to Omicron — will only prevent them from sharing this information in the future. A package of policies—such as requiring everyone who enters the United States to undergo a negative test or possibly quarantine—will be more difficult and costly to implement.

It also has better practical job opportunities. If federal officials are serious about using border controls to slow the spread of dangerous pathogens, they will need to establish clear and enforceable testing and quarantine protocols at ports of entry, not to mention adequate quarantine facilities.

Abolish the Covid Theater. The coronavirus is spread through the air, and any money spent on deep cleaning can be better used to improve building ventilation. However, too many schools and companies have not upgraded their HVAC systems, but are still relying on things that hardly work properly. For example, plastic barriers that have become common in restaurants, nail salons, and offices can actually block airflow and exacerbate the spread of the virus. Legislators and local officials should work together to change this situation. Improved ventilation will not only help stop the coronavirus, but it can also curb the spread of other airborne pathogens, including influenza and pathogens that cause the common cold.

Continue to vaccinate. Public health power was once a common feature of American life. When cholera and yellow fever are often raging in major cities in the United States, citizens accept and expect their health departments to issue orders, quarantine orders, and travel restrictions. It is vital for officials to strengthen these powers now, because scientists say that epidemics and pandemics will only become more common in the next few years. Mr. Biden's vaccine authorization is bold and effective-no matter how many legal disputes are encountered, government officials should stick to it.

At the same time, it is best for government officials and private companies to gain a firm foothold on some basic principles: public officials, large companies, medical staff, schools (staff and vaccinated students) should all be vaccinated against Covid. Authorized) and a series of indoor activities, including dining in restaurants and concerts. At any time when the transmission rate is high, the vaccination rate is low, or a new worrying variant is spreading, masks should be worn again in indoor public places.

Even if we remain vigilant against the coronavirus, we do not have to maintain a paralyzed state of high vigilance. Returning to a sound foundation of public health, continuing the advancement of medical innovation and eliminating the social anxiety surrounding the pandemic can make us all healthier.