Rethinking the Coronavirus Shutdown

I didn't see a post about this editorial in the WSJ. The editorial states that the lock down is too stringent. That we should be more concerned with the economy than saving lives, even as the death count rises. That the financial cost to the country outweigh the savings of life. They suggest a different strategy, a loosening of the steps in place even as Trump's Surgeon General tells today us MORE people will get sick and die in the coming weeks. Here is a link to the editorial.

https://www.the-red-line.com/2020/03/20/rethinking-the-coronavirus-shutdown

 

Trump already signaling he’s more concerned with the economic impact than people’s lives.

 

Everything is trump trump trump...

At some point the human cost of a bad economy will outweigh the cost of the virus itself.

If the virus doesn't get you, the rampant crime or other factors will.

 

honestly, were not even really on lockdown.

 

The question is which are you more concerned with?

I am in the demographic most affected by the virus: male, over seventy with impaired long function. And yet I am concerned with the economic impact of shutting down the economy to save my life. I have children and grandchildren who will have to live with the impacts far longer than I in any case.

So what do you think?

 

to clarify, were using the words, but people are driving, shopping, and at best loosely adhering to the 6 foot rule.

 

I am too

 

There is no reason we can’t “game plan” and implement a strategy once we have significant data to do so.

You don’t fly blind in this situation.

Our slow start and lack of coordination isn’t helping us get to that data.

 

He's rightfully concerned about both.

The country needs to return to work. Private and public entities could mitigate the risks by requiring all employees to be tested prior to coming back to work. If they test negative, they are good to go; if they test positive, they need to self quarantine for as long as it takes to test negative. Much of this is already happening on its own, without government intervention.

By default, most of the nation is already negative, and for the few who test positive, 99% of them will recover in a matter of weeks, so there's no real reason to shut everything down indefinitely.

 

With the tests that still aren’t available? Certainly not enough for every person who works. Then there’s no accounting for customers in businesses.