This column, from the weekly opinion piece MATTER OF FACT, first appeared on BrooklynReporter.com, the Home Reporter and Spectator dated May 15, 2020
On Monday, May 11, Gov Cuomo announced that parts of upstate New York would soon be eligible to “reopen intelligently.” The Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Mohawk Valley regions have met all of the requirements he had previously laid out in order to have some NY PAUSE restrictions eased, which means they can reopen manufacturing, construction projects, landscaping work, and curbside pickup from retail stores.
New York City and surrounding counties north and east will not be eligible due to criteria based on six statistics related to COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths, available hospital beds, and testing rates per capita.
We have made a lot of progress, which is why now is the time to stay the course, stick with the actions that have stemmed the tide of new infections, and patiently wait until we meet the standards to reopen intelligently.
The devastation to our economy has been significant and it has created overwhelming hardships for many people who never could have imagined three months ago that they would be out of work or relying on food pantries to feed their families. Here in New York, the human cost has been felt in much the same way as 9/11, where if you have not lost someone close to you, you know someone who has.
We must not lose sight of the public health crisis as we discuss when it is appropriate to begin reopening. It is important to recognize that as we make these considerations, weighing both sides of the equation, the health ramifications we are basing our evaluations on would have been far worse had NY PAUSE not been put in place.
When regions do begin to reopen, we have no guarantees as to what we will encounter. We could be forced to consider closing down again if the virus begins to spread.
South Korea recorded its first confirmed case of coronavirus on the exact same date as the United States. By instituting extensive testing and contact tracing quickly, they have taken a dramatically different path than us, with less than 300 deaths to date, while America is approaching 90,000.
“…now is the time to stay the course, stick with the actions that have stemmed the tide of new infections, and patiently wait until we meet the standards to reopen intelligently.”
Based on how contained COVID-19 continued to be in South Korea, they began to reopen a few weeks ago but have recently begun to reinstitute some restrictions after a new outbreak cropped up. But this doesn’t prove that their approach is flawed. They were able to identify someone with coronavirus and then confirm that this infected person had visited five nightclubs in one night, potentially exposing thousands to COVID-19. It was because of their extensive testing and contact tracing protocols that they were able to determine the source of this cluster of infections and work to contain it.
The only way to have any sort of reopenings here will be to follow similar steps and be prepared to be agile in how we react when the virus reappears somewhere.
Last week, it came to light that a valet to the President tested positive. Then, news broke that a staffer close to the Vice President was confirmed to have COVID-19. Reports have cited that nearly a dozen Secret Service agents have tested positive.
With President Trump insistent on never wearing a face covering, masks had not been seen on anyone inside the White House, likely due to fear of contradicting Trump’s views or being perceived as weak, but masks are suddenly prevalent in the West Wing.
As the outbreak within the president’s own home and office continues to grow, it has been reported that anyone who comes into contact with him must be tested that day. The president is being tested daily. Anyone near him must wear a mask.
While Fox News personalities continue to press for the economy to reopen and for everyone to go back to work, they all do so from improvised studios they broadcast from in their homes. As President Trump requires continuous testing at his workplace, he presses for all of us to head back to ours without the same precaution.
The simple fact is, they care deeply about you helping to get the economy back on track but care nothing about what danger that may put you or your loved ones in.
