Different countries are mulling whether or not to open up their economies. The US is one such country and there is a raging debate whether or not the country should reopen. There have been protests demanding the reopening of the country and even President Trump seems to support it. Dr. Anthony Fauci issues a ubiquitous statement that opening the economy too soon is worse. It will lead to more economic damage than the one being caused by the lockdown. Dr. Anthony Fauci is one of the top infectious disease experts in the US government. There have already been about 80,000 COVID-19 deaths in the US.
The Reason
The entire world is struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries are struggling to balance the safety of their people and economic recovery. Staying in lockdown for a longer period is better for the people but it will destroy the economy. Lifting the lockdown is better for the economy but the COVID-19 infection may spread. Dr. Fauci has warned that reopening too soon may lead to an outbreak that might be uncontrollable. This is especially relevant keeping in mind the high number of COVID-19 deaths in the US. This statement came in the wake of two dozen states lifting their lockdowns.
Dr. Fauci is positive that eventually vaccines will come up and help beat back COVID-19. But he is not sure that it will be in time for schools to reopen in the fall. The testing that they have done as of now is good but not enough to reopen the economy. The US should be conducting 900,000 tests a day before considering the opening of the country as per Harvard. It is possible that the US will be conducting 1.3 million tests a day by September. Testing in itself is no absolute guarantee either of safety either.
A 14-day downward trend in positive cases is needed before a state considers reopening. Dr. Fauci has established that even in the best of scenarios, the number of cases will rise once the lockdown is lifted. However, the US needs to be in a position to combat this rise when it comes up. This can only be done by expanding healthcare capacities and community cooperation.
The Conflict
Health experts including Dr. Fauci have repeatedly said that a hasty reopening will be a bad move. It will set the country back and ruin the progress made in combating COVID-19. An untimely reopening will lead to a huge spike in cases and COVID-19 Deaths. President Trump, however, is at odds with this idea. He supports the opening of the country in order to attain economic recovery. He repeatedly issues statements that end up fuelling anti-lockdown protests. His re-election depends a lot on how the economy performs and hence economic recovery is a priority for him. Unemployment rates have gone up insignificantly and this is adding to the economic burden.
Final Thoughts
Economies the world over are suffering the onslaught of COVID-19. Lockdowns have resulted in a severe drop in earnings and job losses. However, a rising number of COVID-19 deaths due to the lifting of lockdown will have a greater negative social and economic impact. Thus, a slow and graded exit with all precautions is the only way forward and that to must be timed right.
