[hn_throwaway_99]

> When we are confident we are not hours away from a nationwide medical emergency

Huh? We've basically never been "hours away" from any sort of national emergency at any time during this pandemic, and that sort of unwarranted catastrophizing is what frustrates so many people.

Heck, my city, like many, does have easily understood, rational criteria for additional recommended interventions based on hospital intake rates. My only objection is that our local authorities have ignored their own criteria frequently by raising a stage level prematurely or by keeping at a high stage weeks and months after hospitalization rates have gone down.