Posted on 05/06/2020 7:34:12 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
I recently shared commentary about re-opening New York. You can listen here at public radio WAMC or read the commentary below.
New York State has flattened the curve of new coronavirus infections. Entering the final week of April, the daily totals of new hospitalizations and deaths have significantly declined. Shutdowns of “non-essential” economic activity and social distancing are having the desired effect by reducing the spread of the virus, though those same shutdowns are wreaking havoc on both private and public sector finances.
The unprecedented shutdown is also creating enormous challenges for families facing unemployment and loss of income, as well as reports of increased incidents of domestic violence and substance abuse. Returning to “normal” is not likely for the foreseeable future, but most agree safely returning to work soon and getting the kids back to school by September are critical.
Public confidence that their health is protected is key to reopening the economy. Public health experts tell us the virus is likely to reemerge later this year, so any reopening strategy must be aligned with close attention to public health data on new infections.
Critical to building public confidence is a comprehensive system of contact tracing to allow public health officials to thwart new virus outbreaks. Governor Andrew Cuomo and former Mayor Mike Bloomberg have initiated a broad effort to institute contact tracing and similar efforts are being started across the nation. Additional testing and better data on new infections will build more confidence to restart the economy.
Mr. Cuomo has extended the shutdown of New York’s economy to May 15 and the state is now projecting that activity in the North Country, Central New York and Mohawk regions could resume on a limited basis by that time. However, a more extensive economic reopening is needed, particularly throughout the rest of upstate New York.
First, the state should reconsider its characterization of businesses as “essential” or “non-essential.” While this distinction was important in the early stages of the shutdown, we should allow all businesses that can operate using appropriate social distancing and sanitary procedures to open. All jobs providing gainful employment are essential, particularly to the individuals and families relying on that income.
Second, the state should allow all elective surgeries and procedures to begin. Hospital and out-patient surgery centers are well versed in safety protocols and many people are in serious need of these “elective” surgeries. Many upstate hospitals are operating at less than 50% capacity and the revenue losses are causing some to furlough healthcare workers. Just as important, the revenue drain is threatening the financial viability of hospitals and medical practices.
Third, the construction season is now upon us. All construction projects, particularly outdoor work, should be permitted. There is no logical reason to permit road and bridge work or construction of medical facilities to proceed, while prohibiting all other such work as “non-essential.” Renewed construction activities will spur building materials suppliers, trucking and a host of other related employment.
Fourth, the state should establish an on-line portal for small businesses to self-certify their review of safety protocols for workers and customers. Early indications are that the state may require all businesses to seek permission to reopen. Such an approach would be unduly bureaucratic, will not truly protect public health and will stall our economic recovery.
A more complex set of issues arise with restaurants, retail, and personal services. Here again, with appropriate sanitary and social distancing protocols in place many of these businesses could begin to operate safely. New Yorkers have responded well to the requirements of social distancing and the use of face coverings. This message will need to be continually reinforced but there is ample reason to expect that the public will honor such requirements going forward.
The death toll from the virus in New York State has been a catastrophe. The ramifications of a continued economic shutdown will also be catastrophic, as millions face long-term unemployment and businesses go bankrupt. The state projects revenue losses of over $60 billion between now and 2023. Local government sales tax collections will likely be off by 20-30%. Renewed private sector economic activity can greatly mitigate the financial impact.
Until therapeutic drugs and vaccines are developed none of us will feel totally safe. As we creatively work to reopen the economy the pandemic’s financial dislocation—and its attendant human impacts—will become an important but, hopefully, receding part of our history.
Just like he delayed cleaning the infected subways until TODAY, 6 weeks or so too late.
His delay is causing his problems, self-inflicted.
Remember this when he comes crying daily for Federal bailout dollars.
I see the US as 50 mostly sovereign countries that have created/joined a federation of other countries governed by an overarching constitution, and have formed a mutual protection pact with the creation of our military.
I live in Kentucky. I see New York the way a Swede might see Croatia. We each have different challenges and solutions.
I live in NY, I see it as living in Russia and look adoringly at the many states of the union that are free and hope to emigrate someday to one of them.
Erie County is one of the “regions” slated to open last, Like downstate, maybe next Fall.
A buddy of mine lived his whole life in NYC. Moved to SE Texas a couple of years ago to be close to his grandkids. He adapted quickly and told me that there was no way in hell would he go back even to visit.
“Until therapeutic drugs and vaccines are developed none of us will feel totally safe.”
Disagree. I feel pretty safe. Not only that but I honestly cut my stress levels by a lot when I arrived at admitting to myself that some issues aren’t in my immediate control and some are.
Keep blue states closed. Open red states for business.
I think the Rat strategy is to keep as many states shut down as they can, when they do open slow walk it as much as possible all in an effort to make damn sure there is no chance of recovery before November. If that means hundreds of thousands of businesses go bankrupt so be it.
Th Blue state Governors are doing that on their own believing it will hurt Trump, but it only hurts their own residents.
As crazy and evil as that sounds, I agree, the Dem Governors are hurting their own states for political outcomes that are idiotic.
I live in NY, I see it as living in Russia and look adoringly at the many states of the union that are free and hope to emigrate someday to one of them.
——————————————————————I’ve driven in virtually every state in the union except NY and four other states on the eastern seaboard. When I look at culture and taxation and quality of life, I’d pick most of the states I’ve visited over NY. But one reason is that I like the outdoors a lot, and lyme disease is VERY prevalent in the ticks in the NE. We have ticks here in KY (where I moved from Seattle 9 years ago), but few of them carry Lyme. I’ve been bet about 20 times so far.
Yep, had many ticks, had the antibiotic bomb twice for ticks thought to be embedded for over 24-48 hours. The ticks are a mess. The outdoor quality of NY is perhaps the only thing going for it with the Adirondack Park, which the only downside is state over regulation.
Attaboy
My county still has ZERO deaths. 133 total positives, 2 in my town.
WHY is MY county still restricted?
Here is a web page including graphs from our health department.
I know you don’t care about MY county (even though it includes “Ithaca, the city of EVIL”), but the reason I include it is to show the kind of specific information/statistics/graphs about our county. Does YOUR county provide such details? If not WHY NOT!
At least Central NY will be the first to open according to his color coded regional chart. Perhaps in a few years.
Cuomo now taking former google ceo and using him to reshape communications to more easily indoctrinate students to the liberal way.
I have lived in New York State, my entire life (except for a short stint in the Naval Reserve).
I was born in Rochester. I lived in the city proper and several of the surrounding towns. Then , about 40 years ago I moved to Ithaca (the City of EVIL) (actually Enfield, one of the surrounding towns).
All of my life, (ALL of you New Yorkers, who are NOT from NYC will wholeheartedly agree with this), when asked by someone where I was from, when I said “New York”, they ALWAYS assumed I meant “New York City”!
I got sooo sick of explaining that there is a whole lot more to New York State than NYC.
Niagara Falls,the Adirondacks, the Thousand Islands, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, The Finger Lakes, The St. Lawrence River, The Hudson River (most of it is not in NYC the head is in the Adirondacks), The Susquehanna River, the many State Parks. All the quaint small towns and small cities, farmland galore, forests (we call them “woods”), mountains, hills, plains, even swamps. the REST of New York State has it ALL (except deserts, who wants those).
I LOVE New York! That’s why it breaks my heart to see it run into the ground by Democrats like Cuomo (the Nursing Home Killer).
Yep, I have met several people from upstate New York down here in Texas. They are good people. You guys get a bad rap by association.
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