I hate sand. When I’m dragged to the beach, I usually wear jeans and tennis shoes. On the big island, my feet were once burning so badly I had to seek relief by launching myself (with tears streaming down my reddened cheeks) onto a towel, between two suntanning honeymooners. Years ago, I spent the better part of fifty minutes telling my shrink that, since I am married to a Samoan and have two half-Samoan kids, I needed to develop tools to become more flexible on this issue. His response: “I can relate, I hate sand too.” That didn’t help much, so, yes I remain a bit biased on this issue. But the crowded scenes from my state’s beaches last weekend—where California Man seemed to be seriously infringing on Florida Man’s brand—were troubling. Governor Gavin Newsom, who I assume has a healthy relationship with sand, felt similarly. “This virus doesn’t go home because it’s a beautiful, sunny day around our coasts.” (This is another way the virus and I are unalike.)

+ The beach crowds were troubling, but they’re not hard to understand. If going to the beach is not OK, then why are some California beaches open and others closed? Why are states with rising case numbers moving to open up when places like San Francisco, where the curve has been flattened, extending shelter-in-place orders until at least the end of May? Why, when we see articles questioning whether schools, concerts, sports, and other gatherings will be back before 2021, is the President urging governors to seriously consider getting schools opened before summer break? These are discrete examples, but they point to a broader confusion. This virus doesn’t go home because it’s a beautiful, sunny day. It also doesn’t go home because we can’t come up with a coherent, universal strategy. (Our only point of national agreement seems to be that Lysol is better used on the outside of our bodies.)

+ One key indicator: The people who know the most are still voicing the strongest concerns. The Atlantic’s Yascha Mounk has been all over this story: No Testing, No Treatment, No Herd Immunity, No Easy Way Out. We need to start preparing for a darker reality. (As a middle-aged, neurotic, hypochondriac, this could the one time I truly feel prepared…)

+ New model shows how deadly lifting Georgia’s lockdown may be.

+ In some cases, Governors are telling people to come on out, and businesses are saying, “Yeah, maybe not.” Georgia, Tennessee, And Alaska Want Restaurants To Reopen — McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, And Dunkin’ Are Saying Not So Fast.

+ Maybe history provides clues: San Francisco had the 1918 flu under control. And then it lifted the restrictions.

+ ProPublica interviewed experts and frontline officials from Italy, Germany, Spain, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. These are the 7 things we must do before we open up America. (One big thing some countries are doing that we’re not: putting sick people into isolation instead of sending them home.)

+ AP: The US reopening is coming, but ‘normal’ is still a ways off.

+ Speaking of normal, lest anyone think Florida Man is in danger of losing his rep: Pastor Rich Vera, who runs a church in Florida, says he believes that faith can stop the coronavirus. He also can’t effectively heal people without placing his hands on them. (I wonder if he can help with my sand issue…)