My Take:

Afriend once called on a student in class who barked back, “I can’t know!” It seemed laughably defeatist, and the phrase became an instant inside joke for us. During the pandemic, this phrase has gained function, growing into something of an essential worker for me. And, here we are again. A hard deadline that isn’t, that instead hardens resistance among those it aims to influence. This delay seems unavoidable, given the numbers announced. But what can the government expect from another month? Increased uptake among the hesitant? An October threat didn’t motivate the choices the government desired, why would a November threat be more effective? The government has granted itself another month to recruit and plan, but neither human nature nor a burdened healthcare system measure time in months. So, really one question dominates, as it has throughout: What will the virus do?