As the U.S. tries to contain the spread of coronavirus, concerns about the economic cost of the shutdown are growing. In a press briefing on Monday, Donald Trump stated that the U.S. “cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself” and later suggested that the country could re-open for business by Easter.
Many American businesses are already impatient and have begun to echo Trump; even New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, whose state presently accounts for almost half of American Covid-19 cases, stressed that the economy cannot be stopped forever and that Americans will eventually have to go back to work. Former chief executive of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein, pointed out on Twitter that the economic impact could also take a serious toll on people’s mental health and suggested that we should “within a very few weeks let those with a lower risk to the disease return to work.”
Though it’s undeniable that prolonging the shutdown would come at a great cost, putting an end to it so quickly would be defying the advice of medical experts. The New York Times points out that support for re-opening isn't unanimous among economists, either, as some warn that doing it too soon could backfire. Though we are likely to see a staggered attempt at re-opening the U.S. economy over the coming months, it isn't likely to happen by Easter. At this moment, there are 54,941 cases of Covid-19 in the United States—26,348 of which are in New York State. It is projected that New York is still two to three weeks away from its apex and the state is struggling to meet demands for hospital beds and ventilators. Meanwhile, many U.S. cities and states are a few weeks behind New York in the curve and could likely see a surge around Easter time. Asking the U.S. to return to normal while its most populated city is at the apex of a health crisis and while hospitals across the country are likely to be strained is simply not a realistic option.
But we’re unlikely to hear any of that from President Trump in the coming days. What we are likely to hear, however, is how much he is trying to help the people American people and how much obstruction he is facing in his attempt to do so.
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