More than 80,000 Americans, and nearly 300,000 people globally, have died from COVID-19. It has profoundly shaped our lives - and the economy.
For months, much of the U.S. has been on lockdown, with “shelter-in-place” orders and most businesses closed. But recently, a number of states have begun to reopen their economies - with President Trump’s support.
As The Washington Post reports, Trump’s messaging about COVID-19 has been irregular, contradictory, and often downright false. This has created confusion as to whether reopening state economies so soon is a good idea.
According to MSN Money, most Americans don’t believe it’s safe enough yet to reopen their economies. Most states do not yet meet the testing or contact tracing guidelines laid out in the White House’s reopening guidelines, yet they are reopening regardless.
The Atlantic notes that the lack of enough testing is the primary reason it’s not safe to reopen. Without widespread testing and contact tracing, it’s impossible to know who has the virus, since it can lay dormant without any symptoms for weeks - yet still be spread.
But President Trump is skeptical of tests and downplays their importance, even after multiple members of his team have recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Experts agree that the reopening currently underway could lead to as many as 243,000 American deaths, according to Politico. The primary reason so many will die? “Premature relaxation of social distancing,” says Dr. Christopher Murray, the director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
If a “second wave” of the pandemic hits, it would be even more devastating to Black Americans, who have been affected disproportionately by COVID-19 and have received lower levels of support, according to the New York Times.
Given all this, why are Trump and the Republicans so eager to reopen?
President Trump has repeatedly argued that “The cure should not be worse than the problem itself.” In an interview with ABC News, Trump acknowledged that “there’ll be more death” if the country reopens. He argued that this is acceptable.
Numerous outlets - The New Republic, The Hill, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and more - have argued that this means he and his party simply do not care about the deaths of people they consider expendable.
They argue the most important thing to Trump is the economy, and particularly the stock market - both because it is an election year and because he personally stands to increase his considerable wealth if the economy improves.
If states reopen, argues The Courier, it will force workers off state unemployment benefits, which will save the states money. This will force workers to choose between risking their lives by returning to work - or not being able to feed their families.
As states reopen, some by choice and some by force, according to The Courier - millions of Americans are being forced to make that same choice - at the behest of a President who appears not to care.