The US is facing its worst health crisis in more than 100 years. The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted unprecedented economic and social disruption this year, with no end in sight. Eight million Americans have fallen ill with the virus, and 220,000 of them did not make it. This means the US has the highest numbers of any nation. And yet cases are still soaring; in fact, they are on track to hit a third peak. Scientists are warning that this peak may be the largest of them all, especially as winter weather will force huge swaths of the country indoors and several holidays loom.

To tackle this serious challenge, they will need to base decisions not just on science, but also the economy. Former Democratic candidate and democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, for instance, managed to win the support of millions of young Americans by proposing a “Green New Deal”. It aims to ban all fossil fuels and radically reshape society in just 10 years. But such a policy would be too expensive to work and have massive implications, Fox News warned in February 2019.

All UNC-system schools, including UNC Wilmington, have extended their spring breaks to March 20 and will switch to remote learning on March 23. Athletics and gatherings involving more than 100 people have...