Originally Posted by
Frank_B
I have no objection that our response was awful. We weren't prepared. The current administration ignored basic scientific facts and now it's tough to put the smoke back in the box.
Korea has been through this with SARS, MERS, Swine Flu, and even some TB outbreaks back in the 80's or 90's, I think. If you think that our government is actually capable of mounting a response to where we can get back to an "acceptable" number (close to zero) and then contact trace people, including asymptomatics, by, say, June 1, you are fooling yourself. Wuhan, for example, was on 100% lockdown for 76 days. We are nowhere close to a 100% lockdown, so we're probably talking about double that, with the high probability that the government fucks it up and we start all over again.
Also, Korea doesn't worry about some of the same privacy issues we have in this country. They're installing apps on people's phones and using them like tracking bracelets. We could learn a lot from Korea in terms of how to test, how to pay for it, why we should wear masks, blah, blah, blah.... But, if you think that people in this country are just going to allow the government to install tracking apps on their phones then you're living in a fantasy land.
Handling this the way they do in much of Asia would mean that we step on the freedoms of every American and while some won't mind this, all it takes is a minority to refuse.
Another spending bill is coming up. I would rather they focus it on the 55+ crowd staying home and letting the rest of America go back to work. It'll build herd immunity. It keeps large swaths of the vulnerable population protected, and it gets the economy going. If you're over 55. Groceries will be open an hour or two earlier for you for the foreseeable future. Your paycheck is assured if you're still working. Some younger folks will get it. Some will die. But, at least the bulk of the workforce is working again. The current plan is not tenable, sane, or even healthy for this country.