HANNAH COX: Only one thing can steer us out of the coronavirus crisis.

Clear communication from leadership is never more important than during times of uncertainty. But from the very beginning of the coronavirus crisis, our politicians have systematically failed in this realm — and now, it’s coming to a breaking point.

Agencies that should be reliable sources of information such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent people mixed messages on key issues such as the effectiveness of masks and other protective wear. Too, our political leaders have profoundly failed when it comes to the lack of coronavirus testing capacity, not to mention the general confusion over how and when to obtain a test. Meanwhile, medical matters aren’t looking much clearer, with ongoing confusion over antibodies and herd immunity.

In short, the lack of clarity and information has left us all paralyzed during this pandemic. Most people want to do the right thing for themselves and for their communities, but the lack of leadership and clear guidance has left even the most well-intentioned people grasping at straws. Our leaders have yet to provide an adequate road map out of this mess, and without one, people will begin to rebel.

Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis memorably said, “If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.” Many of our governors have fallen far short of this simple goal by implementing authoritarian, petty policies that have little to nothing to do with protecting their constituents from the coronavirus and much more to do with exercising or expanding their own power. Now, they’re failing again by neglecting to provide direction on our next steps. . . . In the beginning, the “flatten the curve” message was successful because it was clear both in its goals and in its requests of citizens. It was necessary to take extreme steps to give our healthcare workers a fighting chance of combating this disease and to prevent mass deaths, and most of us readily complied. But this goal has largely been achieved. . . . People will not respect these shutdowns for much longer because they no longer make sense. We need clear communication from our leaders on how we are going to get back to some semblance of normal life with safety protocols that are easy to follow and clear in their goals.

Yes, one thing I like about the Knoxville/Knox County reopening plan is that it’s very clear about goals and metrics. And that’s rare.