Shutterbug1697 wrote:
A short term "crippling" (your word, not mine) of the economy to slow the spread of the Covid-questions Virus, to determine who has been infected and to isolate those individuals to prevent further splendid of the virus is definitely needed.
Without widespread testing and contact tracing no state or country will be able to flatten the curve and be able to bring back their economy with any kind of safety for their residents!
If you don't cherish your loved ones, you're more than welcome to move amongst the infected and find out what your survival chances are without medical intervention, but I value my life a whole lot more than you seem to!
Watch what happens in a few weeks in those states that trump egged on to open back up, and the Governors were stupid enough to do so without following the Covid-19 Virus Task Force guidelines for testing and meeting the targets set out in those guidelines!
Florida
Georgia
North Carolina
They're tourist destination states, where their economies rely heavily on tourist dollars.
A short term "crippling" (your word, not... (
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It's seems, and I don't intend an insult here, that you may be invested in a false implication being implied in media coverage. "Flatten the curve" is, on its own, NOT going to, and was never intended to, stop even 1 infection. The intent was to delay the rate, not the total, to prevent an over-run of hospital capacity and to buy some time to boost capacity, develop and administer testing, and hopefully allow for better treatment options or even a vaccine. "Flatten the curve" on its own can only have measurable effect on infection rate, not total.
Additionally, whether the deaths to total 50k 500k or 5M, we can rest assured that the health people will declare 'victory' due to the lock-down, priming the world, of course, to use these measures more often and more stringently.
As for valuing my life, I'm a math guy, a teacher earning far less than 100k, even after 30 years. I do most of my analysis on totals and values. If I died today, my life insurance and retirement fund would net FAR more money available to fund my child and future grandchildren than I can possibly share if I live to be 100, but have to fund my own needs and costs. I've lived and loved better than I deserve. I've taught and influenced a few thousand students, and raised a wonderful daughter. Sure, not having a 'grandfather figure' might be a loss for the aforementioned future grandchildren, but if the economy tanks long term, they might never exist, robbing my child of joy in her life in addition to financial security. So, I see my opinions as valuing my daughter's future over my own.....
As for States re-opening and possible motivations, I'll grant that tourism-heavy economies are motivated by the money involved, and I'll also say that re-opening, should it spike the infection rate in any locale is not the fault of the States, but of the people who fail to maintain hygiene and distance once they are co-mingling. In a year, the whole world will be doing what Sweden has been doing all along, and I'm on record, often, saying Sweden is doing this right. Math and the history of every other viral outbreak suggest that Sweden's numbers, good and bad, will be on a par with everyone else, and they will not have ended 15% of small business or created record debt and unemployment to do it.
Even some folks in media, a media religiously devoted to touting the value of the lock-down are admitting they themselves are not following the guidelines, even with a confirmed case.... That suggests the media folks know they are 'pumping' this one for all its worth, likely with November on their minds.
[ “After days of trying to stay physically apart from my husband, it just became impossible. He hated to see me suffer and he couldn't not take care of me. He began to hold me in those darker moments and let me cry, whispering: ‘Everything's going to be all right,’” she writes.]
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/brooke-baldwin-coronavirus-essay-cnn-180334476.html