One third of us are going to work. These people are in danger of bringing the virus home with them, and of getting sick themselves. These people are afraid for their lives. Some feel they have no choice. Some are making a brave and noble choice.

One third of us are staying home and working. These are the lucky ones in many ways. But isolation is a serious kind of suffering. These people are fighting to stay sane, to stay relatively cheerful, to take care of themselves and keep from taking the stress out on their families.

One third are staying home, not working, not getting paid. The financial stress is terrible and getting worse. Communities of color, poor people, and immigrants are getting hit worst of all. Many laid-off workers never imagined they would be looking for food pantries.

Right now, few people are in good situations, and the few who are tend to be white and rich. The rest of us need more help, and more kinds of help, than Trump is willing to give. The sad fact is that no amount of our suffering will move him. He doesn’t care how many of us die. The only things he cares about are his own wealth and his own power.

If Trump has his way, businesses will reopen far too soon, and the US will experience a second wave of the pandemic. We have to hope governors have enough sense to stand up for the lives of people in their states. We have to hope people have enough sense to stay home, as hard as that is. And we have to hope that our fellow Americans will be generous and kind, as well as patient. In the absence of sane federal leadership, we must depend on one another.