Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Pros, Cons Of Reopening The Economy Instead Of Keeping People Safe; Closing Parks When People Need To Be Outdoors Is A Foolish Mistake
Los Angeles Times: How To Balance Saving Lives, Economy Amid Coronavirus
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whose state is suffering the worst coronavirus outbreak in the nation, asked recently whether it’s necessary to shut down the entire economy to save a single life. Cuomo was being rhetorical — and he was purposefully setting an unrealistic bar. More than 100 people in New York City have died from the virus, and clearly many more lives are at stake.But the idea embedded in his question — that there are trade-offs between halting the disease and minimizing the economic meltdown — is important for politicians to consider. (Roger Lowenstein, 3/24)
Bloomberg: Coronavirus: Easter Target Risks Hurting Economy, Markets
Given a choice between being sure that the virus was beaten, or taking a risk by reopening the economy as soon as possible, I have heard plenty of voices in the last few days arguing for caution. These aren’t only from the medical community, but also from business and Wall Street. It is uncertainty that roils markets. The great imponderable of the moment, which explains the fastest descent into a bear market in history, is the coronavirus. Reopening, seeing the virus proliferate, and then returning to lockdown would be a disaster. Neither business nor investors are likely to deploy capital and start to grow again if they are still worried about the pandemic. They might rather attempt to adapt to lockdown conditions. (John Authers, 3/25)
The Wall Street Journal: From Shutdown To Coronavirus Phase Two
Our editorial last week on the costs of our government-mandated national economic shutdown struck a chord with readers, including perhaps at the White House. President Trump is now saying he wants the country back to normal by mid-April. While this is right as a direction, the shift to a sustainable health and economic strategy will require a transition and a credible explanation to the public. The initial 15-day national period of mass social distancing ends Monday, which is a chance for reconsidering the anti-virus shutdown strategy. The challenge will be finding a balance between protecting against the virus and resuming commerce and business that is crucial to getting people back to work. (3/24)
The Washington Post: Trump’s Goal Of Sending People Back To Work Early Is Reckless
When the 18-deck cruise liner Diamond Princess returned to Japan on Feb. 3, it had already made six stops in three countries. One passenger had departed in Hong Kong, with symptoms of the new coronavirus, confirmed by tests on land. Japanese authorities eventually tested all 3,711 passengers and crew, and discovered that, of the 712 people with positive test results, 331 of them were asymptomatic, or had no symptoms, at the time of testing. (3/24)
The Wall Street Journal: Flatten The Coronavirus Curve At A Lower Cost
The bill for the government response to coronavirus will be astronomical. The trillion-dollar “stimulus” is a lot of money, and it will eventually have to be paid for with taxes. The economic shutdowns are even more expensive. The U.S. economy produced about $21 trillion in 2019. If “essential” businesses still open are even half of that, each month of a national shutdown costs the economy almost a trillion dollars. The damage will become harder to fix as businesses fire workers and close forever. OK, governors had to call a sudden economic stop to get a handle on an out-of-control situation. These precious weeks can bend the curve and buy some time to prepare the health-care system. But governors must also use this time to work with businesses on a plan for reopening the economy in a way that mitigates health risks. (John H. Cochrane, 3/24)
Dallas Morning News: Dan Patrick’s ’Get Back To Living’ Plan Is A Path To An America We Don’t Want To Be
Before Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick dragged it fully into the public spotlight, there was a dangerous argument lurking on the sidelines of our public discourse: That we should make a different trade-off between economic growth and public health than we have been making as we combat the coronavirus pandemic. We understand that reasonable people have legitimate concerns about the damage being done to the economy. And we recognize that the financial damage being done may itself likely come with a cost of human lives. But the argument we see creeping out of the shadow compares dollars and cents to human lives. And here’s where we believe the lieutenant governor’s leadership takes us down a dangerous path because it can quickly get to a place where people accept creating a greater health risk, particularly for those who are old, infirm or otherwise vulnerable, to save us from losing a few points off our economic growth. (3/24)
The New York Times: Coronavirus Is Advancing. All Americans Need To Shelter In Place.
President Trump needs to call for a two-week shelter-in-place order, now, as part of a coherent national strategy for the coronavirus to protect Americans and their livelihoods. Once he does, and governors follow his request, there will be time to debate how soon some controls might be lifted, or how soon certain people, like those under a particular age, might be free to resume something like normal life. There will be more time then to develop palliative treatments, and more time for the federal government to order up the test kits and ventilators needed nationwide. (3/24)
The New York Times: To Prevent A Coronavirus Depression, Will Trump Trade Away Lives?
Listening to our marginally articulate president the other night, I suddenly understood: The economy wasn’t merely his pride. It was more like his lover. He can’t get enough of it. He won’t be kept from it. Ain’t no mountain high enough. Ain’t no pandemic grim enough. Briefing after briefing, I see it, sense it: how he itches to feel that rush again. He digresses from the terrifying present and uncertain future to revisit the heady past, when he lavished trinkets on the Dow and it purred on cue, telling him how potent he was. (Frank Bruni, 3/24)
WBUR: The Federal Check Won't Be Enough. Now's The Time For Mass. To Introduce A Universal Basic Income
If millions of us can’t go to work, our system will collapse. How do we rectify this? By giving every household some cash. Call it emergency universal basic income (UBI), call it a cash stimulus, but that’s the idea that many economists and members of Congress have embraced. Several other countries are already doing this in their own ways. (Miles Howard, 3/25)
The Wall Street Journal: Parks And Virus Recreation
Officials seeking to slow the spread of coronavirus have imposed sweeping restrictions on roughly one in four Americans. Several states have closed churches, restaurants and bars, gyms and other businesses. Some governors and mayors are now moving to limit access to parks and other outdoor spaces. The goal as always is to slow the virus’s spread, but with cabin fever raging for shut-ins, we have to wonder whether closing down large open spaces does more harm than good. (3/24)
NBC News: Fighting Coronavirus: U.S. Military Could Help More If Trump Wasn't Commander In Chief
The good news is that America's national security institutions have a massive capacity to help the country fight its latest war, the one on the deadly and highly contagious COVID-19. The bad news is that their commander-in-chief, President Donald Trump, failed to mobilize them in advance to fully harness their power — and continues to be reluctant to do so even now. (Sebastien Roblin, 3/24)
CNN: This Is A National Emergency. Trump And Congress Must Act
There is nothing like a supreme national emergency to realize the fragility of our lives and focus the mind. We have witnessed grave and traumatic events before: the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918; the 1929 stock market crash and ensuing depression; Britain after Dunkirk, facing a Nazi invasion; Pearl Harbor; the terrorist attacks of 9/11; and the 2008 financial crisis. Now the coronavirus, or Covid-19, batters us all. (Charlie Dent, 3/24)
CNN: The DOJ Doesn't Need Emergency Powers To Cope With Coronavirus
The Justice Department's request to Congress for certain "emergency powers" during the coronavirus crisis is a first step down a potentially dangerous path. Among other things, the DOJ reportedly seeks to empower federal judges to extend or suspend normal deadlines for charging and trying criminal cases. (Elie Honig, 3/24)
