Good news. What else don’t we know yet?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have issued updated coronavirus guidelines that now downplay the chances of contracting the virus from surfaces, potentially offering relief to millions of Americans who have been concerned they might catch the disease from purchased groceries or delivered packages.

On its website, the CDC says that coronavirus is “thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.” Yet “the virus does not spread easily in other ways.”

“It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes,” the CDC also states on its site. “This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about this virus.”

As Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds noted, “This suggests that a lot of what we’re doing to control the spread is misdirected.”

But we’ve been told by SCIENCE!

. . . with clearly a way with words:

“I WOULD VOTE FOR JOE BIDEN IF HE BOILED BABIES AND ATE THEM.” How far will some on the left go to express their support of the Democratic nominee for president? That quote is from The Nation’s Katha Pollitt, who wants to rescue the country from President Trump and “unchecked rule by kleptocrats, fascists, religious fanatics, gun nuts, and know-nothings.” Finally, a moderate voice speaks out…

Pointed comment supplied by the reliably low-key and reliable Byron York.

Starkly put:

“Simply put, there is no pandemic exception to the U.S. Constitution and its Bill of Rights,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband in a three-page letter sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom May 19.

DOJ to Calif. governor: Forget about it.

Seems to have revolutionary adaptability, this no-exception decision. Can it be the start of something?

At almost the end of his ringing anything-but-endorsement of governor and mayor, David Marcus also calls for revolution, adding this:

Our politicians serve by our consent; we don’t run our businesses or live our lives by their consent. The suggestion to the contrary is an ­affront to Americanism.

I’ll say. The Constitution and Bill of Rights are full of what govt cannot do, isn’t it? That’s the definite of limited govt.

Movement on the shutdown front.

CNA Staff, May 20, 2020 / 05:05 pm MT (CNA).- The bishops of Minnesota have permitted parishes to resume public Masses, and to defy a statewide order prohibiting religious gatherings exceeding 10 people.

“An order that sweeps so broadly that it prohibits, for example, a gathering of 11 people in a Cathedral with a seating capacity of several thousand defies reason,” the bishops of Minnesota’s six dioceses said in a May 20 statement.

“Therefore, we have chosen to move forward in the absence of any specific timeline laid out by Governor Walz and his Administration. We cannot allow an indefinite suspension of the public celebration of the Mass,” the bishops added.

Bold and reasonable. Not timid.

Was wondering about involvement (in Illinois but applies elsewhere) in pressuring overzealous governors about the opening of churches.

Then along comes Minnesota. Ecumenically, at that.

“Give me your dumbest, your least law-abiding, your most rule-ignoring,” she says.

And as soon as they wise up, respect law, and follow rules, then

It’s a good thing, for starters.

Herd immunity, or community immunity, is when a large part of the population of an area is immune to a specific disease. If enough people are resistant to the cause of a disease, such as a virus or bacteria, it has nowhere to go.

While not every single individual may be immune, the group as a whole has protection. This is because there are fewer high-risk people overall. The infection rates drop, and the disease peters out.

Herd immunity protects at-risk populations. These include babies and those whose immune systems are weak and can’t get resistance on their own.

Two ways to get it. One by exposure, getting infected and getting over it:

You can develop resistance naturally. When your body is exposed to a virus or bacteria, it makes antibodies to fight off the infection. When you recover, your body keeps these antibodies. Your body will defend against another infection. This is what stopped the Zika virus outbreak in Brazil. Two years after the outbreak began, 63% of the population had had exposure to the virus. Researchers think the community reached the right level for herd immunity.

Or by fooling your body with a shot:

Vaccines can also build resistance. They make your body think a virus or bacteria has infected it. You don’t get sick, but your immune system still makes protective antibodies. The next time your body meets that bacteria or virus, it’s ready to fight it off. This is what stopped polio in the United States.

Hair of the dog that bit you, except it didn’t, hence the helpful deception.

Way at the end of this helpful explanation is a distinctly cautionary note:

With no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 yet, a large number of people would need to catch the virus, get sick, and recover before we can have herd immunity.

Meanwhile . . . (to be continued)