Yes. The plan was created by CDC in conjunction with advisers from the administrtion as well as business executives. It is on whitehouse.gov. It's been there for a couple months. The problem is that Trump opposes the plan. Also, the plan requires significantly more test capability, and Trump has said that he will not be working on that.
The 'experts' don't tell anyone to close restaurants, schools, etc. The 'experts' tell you what happens during a pandemic when people do not wear masks, when they do not social distance, when they crowd indoors, etc. These are called 'facts' and should not be disputed! Society assesses this information then decides how to proceed. Regarding this pandemic, I'd say these decisions so far range from cautious to reckless. And in each location, we can now see the outcome of being cautious or reckless. Another 'fact' is 130,000+ Americans have DIED so it's obvious that society is making life-and-death decisions how to proceed...not the best time to be reckless! BTW; We have zero idea what any longer-term effects might be from Covid-19 whether people showed symptoms or were asymptomatic...
I'm glad you don't say the politicians are experts. They simply took the advice of the experts. We don't even know what killed the 130,000 people. The "reckless" part - forcing businesses to close - was more than that. It was authoritarianism.
You're against a lot of stuff! I'm pretty sure we have to have a proactive plan - a clear statement of what people and businesses need to do going forward. And before aceptance, thats going to have to be examined in light of what we know about this communicable disease so we can have a good idea of the degree to which your plan will be successful. Then, we need leadership ready to get buy-in and to being promotion.
They did it in British Columbia (5m people) without a stay-at-home order, without shutting down many businesses (Walmart, Costco, supermarkets, etc. were open), restaurants were limited to takeout, and so on. Gatherings of more than fifty people are the limit. They've been reopening all sorts of businesses that involve close personal contact--dentists, barbers, massage. Schools were open again in June. Despite the usual screwups with senior homes, food processing plants, and prisons, they've had fewer cases for the entire pandemic than Arizona (7.3m) has now every day. They test and trace like crazy. Want a virus test? Results back in a day. The failure of leadership...
I'm well aware of what you are saying here. I have not said that business all need to close. What I HAVE said is that there needs to be a consistent plan that is likely to work. The USA does not have that now and we have NEVER had that. We don't even have a federal government that accepts the notion that federal level contribution is important. We DID create a plan. The CDC, executive branch persons and business executives worked toether to form the plan that is documented on whitehouse.gov - a central executive branch communication web site. But, Trump works to defeat that plan without pointing to any other. Your testing comment hits me as important - especially if contact tracking is added. But, we do not have anywhere CLOSE to enough tests for that and Trump has stated that he will NOT work on that problem. As the RCP chart shows, Trump's happy talk worked in April. Since then, it has become clear that Trump is ignoring the COVID problem entirely, promoting actions that are clearly likely to make matters worse - as has been proven in so many of our states.
Trump has consistently ignored the advice of experts, in and out of government. Yes, we do. In fact, there's a lot of evidence COVID-19 has killed more than the official number. The way to keep the economy going is to get the virus under control and to do that we would have to temporarily close and/or modify the operation of businesses likely to spread the disease. Not forcing clubs, amusement parks, bars to close or modify their operation is "reckless." It certainly isn't "authoritarianism."
We are the second largest manufacturer in the world, so we should be able to do a better job than British Columbia. The President can use the Defense Production Act to make PPE for all frontline workers, from hospitals to store clerks. We could see to it everyone gets n100 masks, face shields or goggles, to protect themselves and cut transmission rates when we have a community outbreak. For the entire pandemic, BC (5m people) has had 3,053 cases, less than Arizona has every day at this point. I remember being rather shocked when Trump encouraged the yahoos to defy state mandates based on CDC guidelines. He went from having public support on the virus to where he is now. Without testing and tracing, we can't cut off lines of transmission, something that would allow us to have a lower R0 with a greater number of contacts. Early on, anyone in BC who showed up anywhere with even one COVID-19 symptom was given a virus test. Positives were contact traced by hundreds of tracers. Trump was at that point behind stay-at-home orders.
Thanks but I didn't ask you for a plan. I only suggested that the plan should not include economic authoritarianism.
A plan might involve as little "authoritarianism" as possible, as it has in British Columbia. But I think you're asking a lot if you think people will stand for businesses operating in ways likely to spread the virus--packed clubs, cruise ships, sporting events, and so on.
Perhaps not now but they wouldn't even have thought of it before government practiced its authoritarianism. I don't understand why you put quotes around that term. What could be more authoritarian than forcing a person to give up their business and possibly losing it? There is no excuse for it.
Yes. But, nothing is "too late". That phrase means we have nothing we can do. And, we know for sure that we have a lot that can be done. For example, Europe was in equally tall weeds and figured out a solution. We need to do that. Hey - Trump wore a mask!!
You really think people wouldn't have thought about stopping major sporting events without government doing first? You think it's okay to let a club operate at full capacity? How about a major league baseball team? Some businesses aren't viable during a pandemic.
Yes and yes. Because a baseball game is happening doesn't mean people must attend. I don't go to clubs but I'm OK for those who do. It is a choice. Government doesn't seem to believe in freedom of choice these days. Much more serious problem than the virus.
