Morale boost or a waste of resources?
If the COVID situation really is as bad as politicians claim, so bad as to continue lockdowns (or to justify only mild lifts), then why all the flyovers, ambulance parades, and the like to honor frontline workers? If things are that bad, the marginal cost of those resources is massive.
For example, in Massachusetts, 50 ambulances and an emergency medflight helicopter traveled from UMASS Worcester's Medical Center to Fenway Park, a distance of about 45 miles.
Assuming safe driving conditions, no traffic, and no stops, the journey takes about 45 minutes. Set up and break down time, not to mention the ceremony at Fenway Park, probably means these resources and their personnel were not being used to fight the pandemic for at least a day.
Figuring in the cost of the military aircraft flights, and millions and millions of dollars are being spent on these shows. That's millions of dollars not spent on testing kits, PPE, maybe bonuses for those workers being honoured, disinfectants, research on the virus, research on a cure/vaccine, etc.
If things are really so bad as to justify such pomp and circumstance, then such ceremonies appear prima facie to be a huge waste of resources (defined as resources not going to their highest-valued use). If these resources were not wasted, then it suggests, again prima facie, that the lockdowns are not as justified as some would have us believe.
Parades are done when victory is achieved, and thus the marginal cost of the resources are relatively low. It's not done in the middle of a war.
What am I missing here?