As the nation is gearing up for another general election, Legal Insurrection is going to use the “Way Back Machine” to review what was happening at this point in the last presidential election cycle.
After reports surfaced about the surge of a novel respiratory disease that appeared to originate from Wuhan, China, President Donald Trump created a Coronavirus Task Force and utilized recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to essentially lockdown the country for 15 days on March 16, 2020….to slow the spread of the virus.
This afternoon, President Trump and the White House Coronavirus Task Force issued new guidelines to help protect Americans during the global Coronavirus outbreak.The new recommendations are simple to follow but will have a resounding impact on public health. While the President leads a nationwide response, bringing together government resources and private-sector ingenuity, every American can help slow the virus’ spread and keep our most high-risk populations safe:
- Listen to and follow the directions of your state and local authorities.
- If you feel sick, stay home. Do not go to work. Contact your medical provider.
- If your children are sick, keep them at home. Contact your medical provider.
- If someone in your household has tested positive for the Coronavirus, keep the entire household at home.
- If you are an older American, stay home and away from other people.
- If you are a person with a serious underlying health condition—such as a significant heart or lung problem—stay home and away from other people.
This is the vital point: The announcement and associated policies were suppose to be about slowing the spread…not stopping it cold. The idea was that the virus’ effects on the respiratory system were so bad, that slowing the spread was imperative to get the medical resources into position so the healthcare system could handle.
I would like to note that two weeks earlier, I was growing concerned about the nature of the Trump administration’s response to the virus. I urged the implementation of the severe flu protocol that had been successfully used in years previously. I also highlighted risk factors for severe infection that could only be addressed on an individual basis.
Other risk factors also include pre-existing heart conditions, diabetes, and obesity. Therefore, if you wish to enhance your preparation for the Wuhan Coronavirus, protect your immune and respiratory systems:
- Stop smoking.
- Take vitamins, drink plenty of water, and start a sensible exercise regimen.
- Consider your home and office environment: Are there ways to improve the air quality that are easy to implement that makes it easier for you to breathe (e.g., air filter, humidifiers).
- If you suffer from a respiratory ailment (e.g., asthma), confer with your doctor for additional guidance.
And while I address biosafety issues on a professional basis, even experts like former Harvard epidemiologist Martin Kulldorff were also sounding the alarm about lockdowns.
While anyone can get infected, we have known since early 2020 that more than a thousandfold difference in Covid mortality risk holds between the young and the old. Children faced minuscule risk from Covid, and interrupting their education would disadvantage them for life, especially those whose families could not afford private schools, pod schools, or tutors, or to homeschool.
Kulldorf and many other experts and scientists were ignored by the big government policy makers that Trump empowered in response to the pandemic.
Subsequently, “15 days to Slow the Spread” morphed into a liberty-crushing horror with impacts that we are still feeling across the nation (and in many other parts of the world). Some steps on the road to this pandemic perdition include:
The fallout from “15 Days to Slow the Spread” has been so toxic that The Atlantic sent out a trial balloon on “Pandemic Amnesty“. It sank with the gravitational force of a massive black hole.
Now, the nation is facing the choice between the two top candidates:
Personally, one part of my decision-making will be based on which candidate will not repeat the mistakes in the covid response…and avoid entangling this nation with the World Health Organization’s “Pandemic Treaty“.
I will never forget March 16, 2020.
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