The U.S. Is in a Pandemic Freefall. Why Isn’t There a Federal Lockdown?

Message from experts is ‘you’re on your own’

A health care worker talks to a person waiting in their car at a coronavirus testing site at Ascarate Park on October 31, 2020 in El Paso, Texas. Photo: Cengiz Yar/Stringer/Getty Images

The United States is in a state of pandemic freefall, and we’ve already used up our parachute.

Coronavirus cases are surging uncontrollably with rates higher than they’ve ever been. Nearly every day last week broke the previous day’s record…