Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has announced that the state will reopen a laundry list of businesses (see video below), citing the need for these smaller businesses to begin making money again. Kemp's decision comes just days after Trump issued federal guidelines to reopen state economies and antagonists across the country have been dangerously protesting with rallies outside of state capitals, demanding an end to all shutdown orders.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas said that starting this week retailers will be allowed to sell items for curbside pickup, elective surgeries will resume and state parks will reopen. Abbott has additionally planned another phase of a reopen in Texas that is set to be announced on April 27.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has said that beaches and retail stores can reopen today, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee said he won't extend the state's stay-at-home order beyond April 30 and will reopen state parks on Friday. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts has confirmed that elective surgeries will resume in his state on May 4.
In direct contrast, many health experts warn that it's too early to be backing off lockdown measures. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S., has warned that it is too early to relax coronavirus restrictions, saying on Friday: "now is not time to back off." Additionally, the World Health Organization has cautioned that a premature lifting of lockdown restrictions by countries fighting the coronavirus could spark a “deadly resurgence." It’s also worth noting that none of these states above have seen a 14 day decline in their coronavirus infections per the federal guidelines.
It’s clear that we have dueling interests in getting the economy back up and running and making sure we contain the COVID-19 coronavirus, but which should we be focused on? Which issue should win in this stand-off — the economy or the virus?
This is a question that actually needs a 3rd option; concrete measures taken by our govt. That addresses the need for income and relief from debt. I feel this either- or thinking leaves out what many other countries have done to mitigate economic damage. They have imposed a variety of debt freezing and direct monetary payment to citizens. Why with so many models around the world, does the US and most of the media not question why this is not happening here?
As much as I miss pedicures and Botox, I am not going anywhere. You can open things back up but you can't make people go out. So restaurants can open but maybe no one will show up??
It’s the economy stu- NO it’s not. I really do not understand this push to reopen the economy while at the same time Trump refuses to help the states. Why doesn’t he help the states to reopen the economy more quickly? And what harms the big bad blue states - who have the largest economies which aid the welfare southern states - hurts everyone. It’s so stupid I can hardly stand it. AND what the hell with the feds taking the PPE etc the states have ordered? Is that malicious or ineptitude?
I am livid Amee. My inbox is flooded daily about very sick nursing colleagues in CA and around US and the world. Some of their agony were dying co-workers with small children. These are my colleagues in their late 40s, some friends ranging from 25-40, few are retirable age within 50-65. These are healthcare workers who for years better pay, but because they can do 2-3 jobs as nurses they can earn as much which put them in the middle income class: without incentives from colleges/universities reg subsidies etcs ...they work hard yet under appreciated, under compensated. Now this covid19 - what happens after this? Show them how much they are valued after these daily thank you hour is over. Will all this just for the moment? What is it for people who won’t wear masks, who wants to freely do what they want and be their narcissistic selves? The lives of healthcare workers and frontliners are nothing to them. These jerks & co-jerks leaders won’t feel it until someone close to them, family members or they themselves suffer and get beaten down by it.
Yes, I am upset, I am mad. This is my bitch moment in behalf of my colleagues. Sorry and thank you for allowing me to pour my frustrations out.
I saw this quote in an IG post by Outside Magazine about the protests demanding states reopen businesses: "One the one hand, the Constitution guarantees the right to free assembly and free speech. On the other hand, as they say, Nature bats last." Nature - the virus - will decide whether these governors' instant gratification-motivated decisions are wise or not. I'm betting on the virus. The costs of their decisions should become evident in the next two weeks or so.
FL has opened some beaches for “activity only.” It has 27,000+ cases, up 5,000 from Friday. The GA governor claimed he just learned asymptomatic people could infect others two weeks ago. Now he’s pushing to open.
Personally, as my hair grows out of control, I will not set foot into public spaces without a mask for the rest of the year at least. MN is on lockdown through May 4 and we “only” have 2,000+ cases. Because we heeded the orders early and we’re used to self-isolating in the winter! 😜
The economy isn't going to just bounce back to what it was before. And when there's a resurgence in infections and deaths due to re-opening too soon, that will hurt the economy even more. This is the time when government should support its people. It should have measures in place so people don't starve to death or lose their homes. Support people until those that aren't working right now can safely get back to work. To me, this is the part about government providing for the commonwealth of its people.
The infuriating thing is that it shouldn't be an either/or. If we had a coordinated federal response and earlier action, we would be at a place where we could reasonably re-open and have testing in place. There isn't much point in opening the economy if people are too scared to go anywhere, and if we don't have testing and mitigation in place then people should be scared to go out. However, I do think one thing that not enough people are talking about in these conversations is the mental health and preventative health impacts of prolonged lockdown. So it's not just peoples health v. the economy, we could be taking eventual time off of people's lives by keeping them in lockdown for a prolonged period. NOT arguing we reopen irresponsibly (looking at you GA) but just that it's a more nuanced discussion than if you aren't for keeping lockdown going through the summer you don't care about people dying.
The people who were attending the 're-open protests' remind me of children who just don't listen to or acknowledge news/facts that they don't like. Facts are difficult for some to digest. Accepting facts even if you don't like the message shows maturity.
I’m in Texas. I live in a Skoolie (rv) & was kicked out of 3 state parks when Abbot was trying to figure out what to do. The issue I saw at the parks were not the full timers like me who got caught on the road, but instead the weekend warriors & families wanting to get out of the house. He could have designated a couple of parks (as could all of the govs) where travelers could have gone to quarantine, but instead they shut down & kicked out. A fellow traveler & I found an inexpensive RV park that would accept us & we have been self isolating here. Not so the rest of the area. It is pretty scary that especially businesses that have intimate contact w/clients would put their employees at risk- but more importantly is the mindset of the people who think- still- that this pandemic is not real. Hoping to be able to leave in early May. I’m in a California state of mind-
So many thoughts.. they re-open and in 3 weeks have surges that exceed their healthcare systems. The staff -RNs et al. With surges and deaths- then who does the care taking? Salons open; so J's beauty has 8 workers. Opens and in 2 weeks 2 workers sick. 2 weeks later the remaining 6 workers and owner are sick, plus several customers. In 1 month J's is closed permanently due to deaths / loss of revenue. Also, when J's opens J loses any access.to supports. Their employees are now all rehired and required to work. So they have to choose not going or getting sick. Now of the 7 workers, we'll say 3 ended up In hospital, 1 in ICU. Guess who is now facing bankruptcy due to medical bills.
Lastly, while there is a good survival rate I've read several articles that indicates the date covid does is extensive, and includes pulmonary, liver -nephrotic, and neurological.
So you may survive but need dialysis, oxygen, or be slower in your though to action function for ? length of time.
I'm grateful I'm in California. I'm terrified that 1 other state residents will come here / this will push my Gov to open sooner than we should.
I agree with another comment here that it's not a clean cut either/or. Ex: the UK is under lockdown and isn't seeing the levels of unemployment the US has. They're taking steps to help individuals and subsidise wages so people keep their jobs. Expensive to start but they're taking a longer view. Also, multi-millionaires don't seem to be at the front of the line for government money like in the US. Needless to say, UK folks aren't losing health insurance either. It's a complex problem for which we need the best minds, advised by the experts. We've got...
trump first advertised 15 days of shutdown, then 30 days of shutdown-which we are halfway thru-and now he wants to open it up?? nobody i know is going to go out until there is much more testing. where are the tests?????
I compare opening up the state's to buying the first car model, computer, or sell phone as its introduced to the marketplace. You don't want to be the first purchaser until the bugs have been worked out.
Until there is a national testing program, for both the virus and it’s antibodies, Plus a robust contact and trace program in each state, any reopening, even soft, will result in more deaths.
Why rush it? I fear this will backfire. We will never know the actual count of this virus because tRump did not do a country lock down. There were 9 states that were/are business as usual. Testing is a joke. Now more openings. I understand we need money to pay bills, once again the government has let us down. He could've frozen all debt along with sending the $1200. But no, the CEOs might get all upset. Big deal, you can't buy stuff when you're dead! Open your "economy". I will not sit in a restaurant, movie theater, concert venue, sports venue til there is a vaccine.
1) Dead people don't bother the Republicans. At all.
2) Stats show that the Coronavirus is killing dramatically higher numbers of minorities. That too doesn't bother Republicans. At all.
3) In the states that are rushing to reopen, the areas where the highest numbers of people are dying are generally "blue areas" in red states. That also doesn't bother Republicans. At all.
4) Do I think that the Republican leadership is so cold-blooded that it would willingly sacrifice lives of fellow Americans so as to help its election chances in November? Yeah, I do.
I believe the situation in which we find ourselves is going exactly as planned by Trump and his handlers. People will continue to be at risk--both physically via the virus and economically via Trump & Co.'s squeeze--until we eject him from office. This is as clear an example of active treason, wannabe dictatorship, and the failure of our long-established norms as I can imagine. I hope we all survive it. Thank you for always keeping us informed and aware!
Until we are getting upwards of a million tested per day easing restrictions is going to make what the virus has done so far look like a stroll in the park. Trump is between a rock and hard place and he’ll fuck this up worse then he already has by trying to make it all about the economy. November 3rd can’t get here soon enough.
Early on it is the virus, but at some point the economy needs to take precedents. If our economy crashes it will cause a world crash and the loss of life form that will be much greater than died from the virus. Mass starvation alone would kill more and it takes an economy to help the sick and fight disease.
This is a question that actually needs a 3rd option; concrete measures taken by our govt. That addresses the need for income and relief from debt. I feel this either- or thinking leaves out what many other countries have done to mitigate economic damage. They have imposed a variety of debt freezing and direct monetary payment to citizens. Why with so many models around the world, does the US and most of the media not question why this is not happening here?
As much as I miss pedicures and Botox, I am not going anywhere. You can open things back up but you can't make people go out. So restaurants can open but maybe no one will show up??
in texas, it's ALWAYS big business b4 human life, with the GOP in charge. always has been, along with the has been politicians.
It’s the economy stu- NO it’s not. I really do not understand this push to reopen the economy while at the same time Trump refuses to help the states. Why doesn’t he help the states to reopen the economy more quickly? And what harms the big bad blue states - who have the largest economies which aid the welfare southern states - hurts everyone. It’s so stupid I can hardly stand it. AND what the hell with the feds taking the PPE etc the states have ordered? Is that malicious or ineptitude?
I am livid Amee. My inbox is flooded daily about very sick nursing colleagues in CA and around US and the world. Some of their agony were dying co-workers with small children. These are my colleagues in their late 40s, some friends ranging from 25-40, few are retirable age within 50-65. These are healthcare workers who for years better pay, but because they can do 2-3 jobs as nurses they can earn as much which put them in the middle income class: without incentives from colleges/universities reg subsidies etcs ...they work hard yet under appreciated, under compensated. Now this covid19 - what happens after this? Show them how much they are valued after these daily thank you hour is over. Will all this just for the moment? What is it for people who won’t wear masks, who wants to freely do what they want and be their narcissistic selves? The lives of healthcare workers and frontliners are nothing to them. These jerks & co-jerks leaders won’t feel it until someone close to them, family members or they themselves suffer and get beaten down by it.
Yes, I am upset, I am mad. This is my bitch moment in behalf of my colleagues. Sorry and thank you for allowing me to pour my frustrations out.
I saw this quote in an IG post by Outside Magazine about the protests demanding states reopen businesses: "One the one hand, the Constitution guarantees the right to free assembly and free speech. On the other hand, as they say, Nature bats last." Nature - the virus - will decide whether these governors' instant gratification-motivated decisions are wise or not. I'm betting on the virus. The costs of their decisions should become evident in the next two weeks or so.
They need to start placing coffins on his doorstep
Fauci said, “The virus sets the timeline.” Full Stop.
The population of GA before the census and after...?
As Fauci said, “The virus sets the timeline.”
FL has opened some beaches for “activity only.” It has 27,000+ cases, up 5,000 from Friday. The GA governor claimed he just learned asymptomatic people could infect others two weeks ago. Now he’s pushing to open.
Personally, as my hair grows out of control, I will not set foot into public spaces without a mask for the rest of the year at least. MN is on lockdown through May 4 and we “only” have 2,000+ cases. Because we heeded the orders early and we’re used to self-isolating in the winter! 😜
The economy isn't going to just bounce back to what it was before. And when there's a resurgence in infections and deaths due to re-opening too soon, that will hurt the economy even more. This is the time when government should support its people. It should have measures in place so people don't starve to death or lose their homes. Support people until those that aren't working right now can safely get back to work. To me, this is the part about government providing for the commonwealth of its people.
The infuriating thing is that it shouldn't be an either/or. If we had a coordinated federal response and earlier action, we would be at a place where we could reasonably re-open and have testing in place. There isn't much point in opening the economy if people are too scared to go anywhere, and if we don't have testing and mitigation in place then people should be scared to go out. However, I do think one thing that not enough people are talking about in these conversations is the mental health and preventative health impacts of prolonged lockdown. So it's not just peoples health v. the economy, we could be taking eventual time off of people's lives by keeping them in lockdown for a prolonged period. NOT arguing we reopen irresponsibly (looking at you GA) but just that it's a more nuanced discussion than if you aren't for keeping lockdown going through the summer you don't care about people dying.
The people who were attending the 're-open protests' remind me of children who just don't listen to or acknowledge news/facts that they don't like. Facts are difficult for some to digest. Accepting facts even if you don't like the message shows maturity.
I’m in Texas. I live in a Skoolie (rv) & was kicked out of 3 state parks when Abbot was trying to figure out what to do. The issue I saw at the parks were not the full timers like me who got caught on the road, but instead the weekend warriors & families wanting to get out of the house. He could have designated a couple of parks (as could all of the govs) where travelers could have gone to quarantine, but instead they shut down & kicked out. A fellow traveler & I found an inexpensive RV park that would accept us & we have been self isolating here. Not so the rest of the area. It is pretty scary that especially businesses that have intimate contact w/clients would put their employees at risk- but more importantly is the mindset of the people who think- still- that this pandemic is not real. Hoping to be able to leave in early May. I’m in a California state of mind-
From a rather distant vantage point in the UK, this sounds pretty dangerous
So many thoughts.. they re-open and in 3 weeks have surges that exceed their healthcare systems. The staff -RNs et al. With surges and deaths- then who does the care taking? Salons open; so J's beauty has 8 workers. Opens and in 2 weeks 2 workers sick. 2 weeks later the remaining 6 workers and owner are sick, plus several customers. In 1 month J's is closed permanently due to deaths / loss of revenue. Also, when J's opens J loses any access.to supports. Their employees are now all rehired and required to work. So they have to choose not going or getting sick. Now of the 7 workers, we'll say 3 ended up In hospital, 1 in ICU. Guess who is now facing bankruptcy due to medical bills.
Lastly, while there is a good survival rate I've read several articles that indicates the date covid does is extensive, and includes pulmonary, liver -nephrotic, and neurological.
So you may survive but need dialysis, oxygen, or be slower in your though to action function for ? length of time.
I'm grateful I'm in California. I'm terrified that 1 other state residents will come here / this will push my Gov to open sooner than we should.
I agree with another comment here that it's not a clean cut either/or. Ex: the UK is under lockdown and isn't seeing the levels of unemployment the US has. They're taking steps to help individuals and subsidise wages so people keep their jobs. Expensive to start but they're taking a longer view. Also, multi-millionaires don't seem to be at the front of the line for government money like in the US. Needless to say, UK folks aren't losing health insurance either. It's a complex problem for which we need the best minds, advised by the experts. We've got...
trump first advertised 15 days of shutdown, then 30 days of shutdown-which we are halfway thru-and now he wants to open it up?? nobody i know is going to go out until there is much more testing. where are the tests?????
I compare opening up the state's to buying the first car model, computer, or sell phone as its introduced to the marketplace. You don't want to be the first purchaser until the bugs have been worked out.
Nothing Matters If You Don't Have Your Health
Until there is a national testing program, for both the virus and it’s antibodies, Plus a robust contact and trace program in each state, any reopening, even soft, will result in more deaths.
The virus WILL WIN if mitigation is ended too soon and we don’t have the testing we need.
Why rush it? I fear this will backfire. We will never know the actual count of this virus because tRump did not do a country lock down. There were 9 states that were/are business as usual. Testing is a joke. Now more openings. I understand we need money to pay bills, once again the government has let us down. He could've frozen all debt along with sending the $1200. But no, the CEOs might get all upset. Big deal, you can't buy stuff when you're dead! Open your "economy". I will not sit in a restaurant, movie theater, concert venue, sports venue til there is a vaccine.
A few facts as I see them:
1) Dead people don't bother the Republicans. At all.
2) Stats show that the Coronavirus is killing dramatically higher numbers of minorities. That too doesn't bother Republicans. At all.
3) In the states that are rushing to reopen, the areas where the highest numbers of people are dying are generally "blue areas" in red states. That also doesn't bother Republicans. At all.
4) Do I think that the Republican leadership is so cold-blooded that it would willingly sacrifice lives of fellow Americans so as to help its election chances in November? Yeah, I do.
Science or wishful thinking?
I believe the situation in which we find ourselves is going exactly as planned by Trump and his handlers. People will continue to be at risk--both physically via the virus and economically via Trump & Co.'s squeeze--until we eject him from office. This is as clear an example of active treason, wannabe dictatorship, and the failure of our long-established norms as I can imagine. I hope we all survive it. Thank you for always keeping us informed and aware!
Until we are getting upwards of a million tested per day easing restrictions is going to make what the virus has done so far look like a stroll in the park. Trump is between a rock and hard place and he’ll fuck this up worse then he already has by trying to make it all about the economy. November 3rd can’t get here soon enough.
Early on it is the virus, but at some point the economy needs to take precedents. If our economy crashes it will cause a world crash and the loss of life form that will be much greater than died from the virus. Mass starvation alone would kill more and it takes an economy to help the sick and fight disease.