Most of the real experts have urged “go hard, go early”. The US president seems to have a different slogan in mind: “go some of the way, then go soft”.
Trump’s flaccid approach — as a way of saving the US economy — should leave Americans (and citizens the world over) alert and very, very alarmed.
If social distancing measures in the USA are relaxed early because “Our country was not built to be shut down”, Italy could soon look like a warm-up act.
I’m a GP, not an epidemiologist, but all the evidence suggests that social distancing is currently our most effective tool to “flatten the curve”.
I’m in quarantine myself, having just returned from the UK. It’s a pain, particularly as I’m completely well, but I believe it’s the right policy.
Multiple measures seem to work better than any one alone, extreme measures (China, Singapore) best of all. Waiting a bit too long (Italy?) risks losing control.
If Trump has any doubts, he should pop over to Oz and talk to the boffins at the University of Western Australia. Their recent research powerfully underscores the value of social distancing.
Actually, with border restrictions, he wouldn’t be allowed in. There’s the proof that extreme measures keep the nasties out.
Another reason to go hard.
Nick Carr is a Melbourne-based GP, author and broadcaster.
I think that Donald Trump is hopelessly financially conflicted, not just ignorant and incompetent. His Trump and Trump-branded hotels and resorts won’t be doing too well in the current environment. Perhaps he’s effectively bankrupt yet again?
Trump thinks beating Iran means having more deaths rather than fewer.
I saw Trump reluctantly reading a prepared speech about the Corona virus the other night, this is after he realised he couldn’t bullshit his way out of responding to the crisis. When he read out the part about it being a war he had a moment of enthusiasm and looked up and repeated that this is a war and then went back to reluctantly reading the speech parrot fashion with his head down.
The reason why Trump is happy to compare the Corona virus to a War is not because he is wants to defend against the virus like you would an enemy in war but because in war many people die and people are sacrificed, there is collateral damage. And it’s clear he is willing to sacrifice a million lives in a cruel and foolish attempt keep corporate America running.
I thought the worst that Trump was going to do was start another war in the gulf- but no, he’s going to thrown in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of US citizens as a warm up-
I tried to post this twice and both times it got sucked into the moderation black hole. This is a cut down version.
The reason why Trump is happy to compare the Corona virus to a War is not because he is wants to defend against the virus like you would an enemy in war but because in war many people die and people are sacrificed, there is collateral damage. And it’s clear he is willing to sacrifice a million lives in a cruel and foolish attempt keep corporate America running.
If anyone still needs evidence that the US is run by a moron…then surely this is it!