Donald Trump told Americans in his daily briefing on Monday, "We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem. Then he tweeted that again on Monday night.He is terrified that the orders to stay at home and socially distance from others is wrecking the economy -- and therefore wrecking his own chances of being re-elected. This shouldn't surprise anyone. Trump has always put what he believes is good for himself before what's good for the country.
Trump wants Americans to go back to work by April 12th -- not quite 3 weeks from now. That's just crazy!
The number of people with Coronavirus is increasing each day, and not by just a little. The number of new cases increases more each day than it increased the day before. That means we have not yet "flattened out the curve". We have yet to read the peak (after which the number of new cases will start to go down).
Tha sad part is that Trump had an opportunity to shorten the time the economy would be closed, The U.S. and South Korea learned of their first cases on the same day. South Korea took it seriously. They initiated massive testing, and quarantined those found positive. They were able to flatten the curve of new cases and can probably resume normalcy soon. Trump did not for the last couple of months. Very few people were tested, and the virus spread across the nation. Now the only tool available in most of the country is socially distancing, closing of businesses, and people staying at home. And not doing that will just spread the virus faster and more broadly -- putting even more lives in danger.
Trump's desire to send people back to work in less than three weeks is sheer insanity. But the good thing is that he probably can't do it. Thanks to his doing nothing in February and most of March, a lot of governors and mayors had to step forward and do what Trump should have done. They are the ones that have temporarily shuttered businesses and decreed that workers must work from home.
It will be up to these governors and mayors as to when this will end. And they are not listening to Donald Trump. They are listening to scientists and doctors, and they won't act until the scientists and doctors say it is OK.
Trump had his chance to act, and he blew it. Thank goodness the governors and mayors are not as incompetent as Trump.
