A new "don't ask don't tell" policy?

A long distance friend and I were comparing notes about living in lockdown today and realized that we share a difference from many of our acquaintances. She lived in lower Manhattan and I lived in San Francisco in the early 1980s. We've lived through the early phase of a terrible epidemic all around us before -- a new affliction whose origin and transmission was barely understood; a potent stew of information and misinformation that roused fears and irrational hopes ; and too many deaths. That was AIDS/HIV for a subset of the U.S. population.

And our institutions failed that crisis badly for years. We've seen that before too.

So when I run across a crazy story along these lines, it fits in an existing mental file:

Coronavirus survivors banned from joining the military A past COVID-19 diagnosis is a no-go for processing, according to a recently released MEPCOM memo circulating on Twitter.

“During the medical history interview or examination, a history of COVID-19, confirmed by either a laboratory test or a clinician diagnosis, is permanently disqualifying ...” the memo reads.

Military Times

One day later, a confusing update seemed to step back from setting a blanket policy. Only recruits who had been hospitalized (no clear definition) with a COVID-19 diagnosis were to be excluded.

Adam Weinstein observes that this bit of biased fancy footwork is guaranteed to produce further harm to people looking for a job in the military.

the military is providing volunteers with a powerful incentive not to get tested for exposure to the coronavirus. According to the guidance, if an enlistee shows up at MEPS with Covid-19 symptoms, “but without confirmation by either a laboratory test or a clinician diagnosis,” they “will be allowed to return to the MEPS to continue processing” after a 14-day quarantine. ...

Just before its coronavirus-ban memo came to light, in fact, the military proudly unveiled its first Space Force recruiting commercial. “Some people look to the stars and ask: ‘What if?’” the ad’s narrator says. “Our job is to have an answer.” For now, if you’ve tested positive for the novel coronavirus, the answer is “No.”

I'm no fan of anyone joining the military, but given that young people are entering the workforce in a time of unparalleled unemployment, the notion that the military would set up an entrance hurdle which has no basis but prejudice seems grossly unfair. And stupid. And self-defeating. Anyone who has seen how poorly the U.S. government has treated its own in this emergency is likely to think twice about signing on for more. They might even know what happened to Navy Captain Crozier and his infected aircraft carrier crew.