Discu GOVT

Since the start of coronavirus in late 2019 in China, the cases of COVID-19 have kept rising in America and around the world, making the World Health Organization declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. The federal and state governments have been working tooth and nail to control the spread of the virus. Some of the strategies that have been put in place include social distancing measures, face covering, respiratory hygiene, stay-at-home orders, and public health policies to reduce testing and treatment barriers of COVID-19 (Garg, 2020). People across the country have been urged by the health officials and the government to stay at home to help curb the spread of coronavirus through contacts. Some states, such as Alabama, Alaska, California, Connecticut, and Colorado, among others, have ordered their residents to stay at home and avoid traveling to vacations or visit friends. The order has also extended to closing down large businesses, especially those for non-essential items such as furniture, flooring, and paints. Those who break these orders are charged with a misdemeanor. However, the desire of some leaders to relax these measures at this time is unnecessary because the pandemic is getting worse every day. Lifting the Covid-19 lockdowns at this time put all of us in an enormous danger of exposure.

According to the experts, the challenge of reopening state economies lies in finding individuals with asymptomatic COVID-19 who may be spreading the virus inadvertently. It is essential to look for people who are vulnerable and test them for coronavirus. Concurrently, the White House task force on coronavirus is taking tests in places with high-risk populations such as inner cities, healthcare facilities, and nursing homes (CDC, 2020). With the stay-at-home order, it is easier to locate individuals who may potentially be exposed to coronavirus infected individuals. Opening up businesses will encourage people to move around and posing a risk of coronavirus infections. The task force is reluctant to propose the reopening of America and get it ready for operations. Most distributors and suppliers have registered losses as a result of the emphasis on social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Besides, medical experts warn that America is yet to face the worst, and this has raised much panic among Americans.

Undoubtedly, the American economy was doing excellently before the coronavirus crisis, and the country can rebuild its economy once it is safe to do so. All the leaders need to prioritize the health state of the Americans and uphold aggressive orders instead of relaxing vital measures. Currently, the nation is facing an invisible enemy that has no cure, and it is risky for the governors or other leaders to call for the operations to continue as usual at such a dangerous time. This is a time to allow science to take the lead and follow the recommendations of health experts (Holpuch, 2020).

In addition, the lifestyle of millions of citizens has been affected by COVID-19. The American workforce is suffering the most because most people who worked in the service industries have lost their jobs. For instance, millions of Americans working in fast food companies have left their jobs, and they cannot work from home. Moreover, with the shutdown in some states, most employees are now at home and uncertain of their jobs. Even though this is an unfortunate time for the Americans, stay-at-home order is crucial to protect the workforce from this pandemic bearing in mind that most Americans have pre-existing conditions such as asthma and pneumonia, and most have no medical cover (CDC, 2020). If the employees get infected, the labor loss will be detrimental.

Death cases continue to rise daily in America with no hope of decreasing the cases of new infections. As on Saturday, April 25, 2020, the death due to COVID-19 stood at 54256 cases while active cases at 788233 (Worldometer, 2020). This upsurge of new cases of infections and deaths is worrying to the nation’s creditors with delay on the business plans and numerous losses. Thus, these creditors are keen to promote the need to reopen the country for economic activities. However, this cannot be the case because the coronavirus pandemic is not like any other disease in the world. All the world economies have been brought to a standstill, and if the health of the Americans is guaranteed, then businesses can be reopened. The government concern about the people’s health and well-being before thinking about an economy crisis since there can be no improvement in the economy if the cases of people infected with Covid-19 continue to increase.