Locking down the country would reduce infections and allow time for massive testing. There will be staggering human and economic costs if we delay.
I am an MIT-trained physicist and complexity scientist who studies pandemics. I have warned about global pandemics due to increasing travel for 15 years. I recommended community based monitoring of symptoms to stop Ebola in West Africa in 2014, and it worked. The fastest and even the only way to contain COVID-19 in the United States is a five-week national lockdown.
Closing schools, bars and movie theaters are good measures, but not enough. Our relaxed approach to social distancing is insufficient to stop the exponential growth of COVID-19. Until Americans consistently adopt strong social distancing recommendations — a lockdown — the disease will continue to spread exponentially.
During a five-week national lockdown, federal, state and local authorities would ensure that all Americans stay home except to obtain food and other essentials, access medical care, or do work essential to the functioning of society. Travel would cease: We would close our borders and airports and prohibit all unnecessary travel across state and county (or town) lines within the United States. The U.S. government would have to provide aid to citizens separated from their sources of income and ensure care for vulnerable members of society.
More
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
It’s when times get tough that people show their true colors. I’ll never return there now.
ReplyDeleteit will come either today or tomorrow. To many people are disregarding the suggestions and recommendations.
ReplyDeleteSure. Just create more fear and destroy the economy that much more. Those that have underlying health issues or the elderly beware. Those that are healthy be smart. 7 more days of the self quarantine and then let’s get on with life.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Like that is going to happen. I have read about Utopia, but never been able to find it... Most of us old folks getting minimum social security are on our own, just trying to survive..
ReplyDeleteWhen You Become The President of the United States or the leader of a third world country you can make that decision..thank you for you opinion...
ReplyDeleteRidiculous China and Russia are laughing all the way to the bank
ReplyDeleterussia and china are not profiting from this, if anything their economy will suffer far more than ours when Americans begin to look for the "Made in U.S.A." label to protect themselves and their jobs
DeleteThe thing to understand is this Virus is not a cloud or a storm looming in the air. It has a very short airborne half life and depends on a living host. Some host's immune system will kill it others it will kill so it's opportunist by nature just as we are. It Daisy chains it's way along and hopefully does not adaptively mutate as it does so. We knew very little in 1918 and had very little sophisticated understanding or medical response for a very similar virus and we are a 102 years smarter now and ramp down it's spreading. Basically we starve it out.
ReplyDeleteThen why in other countries do they have line and lines of big rig trucks spraying air sanitizer into the air?
DeleteWhat is an air sanitizer
DeleteThe Law of Unintended Consequences rules that drastic measure out.
ReplyDeleteMy frustration is that this is short sighted. The argument behind a total lock down is that it saves lives. True but it is not more noble to save those at the expense of economic ruin of millions.
ReplyDeleteHow many deaths will result from a shut down, suicides, loss of employment, loss of shelter, loss of food. The costs of this will never be known.
10:01 AM, I appreciate your concerns. However, are we that fragile that we cannot stand a short compliance? What is going to happen when the "BIG ONE" happens. Have faith, let's pull together and get through this.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so much easier on everyone if people went to buy food and house hold goods would not over buy and leave some for others. That is where the fears begins for many. Trucks are still rolling bringing goods to the stores, there will be enough if shared in a civilized manner
DeleteReally - What makes this individual feel it is okay to tell America what and how to live. I bet this individual is doing just fine with the student loans our kids are coughing up to pay their enormous salary with tenure (not a chance of being fired).
ReplyDelete9:26
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information!
Great job.
For instance, I did not know the virus was air born.
My guess is many of us did not know this information.
Thank you
Democrats Say they need a Five week Lock-Down so they can
ReplyDeleteDEFEAT TRUMP !!! They Love all the turmoil going on !!!
Especially after taking all their money out of the stock market before the crash.
ReplyDeleteGetting You used to what it will be like if China Or Russia were
ReplyDeleteto take over !!!!
You don't get to do what spoiled Rotton Americans have been
used to doing !!! You Do as they Say !!!! Like it or Not !!!
Now, how do you like the Far left Democrats ???
Actually the far left Democrats are more like FDR.
DeleteTHIS was done by the help of Democrats and Rino's like Larry Hogan to destroy Trump.
ReplyDeletetrump created the virus to ruin his own election chances and help soros!!!! Benghazi!!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow about just breaking up the gangs of youths playing basketball at the local parks, for starters. The teens (and their parents) just don't care.
ReplyDelete