POLL - Should We Start To Open Our Economy Again?

[Baby Beluga]

I agree, this is a terrible nightmare

I was reading a thread on Facebook where nurses/ doctors/ hospital workers were updating the status of their hospital.... Just about everyone, minus anyone in NY & NJ, said that their hospital is eerily empty, they have an abundance of ppe, staff are having a major cut in hours, travel nurses are being terminated, some haven't seen any COVID patients, makeshift satellite COVID units are being shut down because there isn't a need..... so im wondering what the heck is actually true??? I feel that all im hearing is conflicting information and have no idea who, or what, to believe.

My (limited) understanding is that hospitals are supposed to be empty right now. There are no visitors (which make up a large number of people in hospitals) and no elective surgeries either. To my understanding, elective surgeries (at least in my state) account for 40 - 50% of the surgeries performed in hospitals - therefore 40 - 50% of hospital revenue. I read an article the other day that said nurses and doctors are having hours cut because of the lost revenue from those canceled elective surgeries. They don't want additional COVID patients because if you are a COVID patient in the hospital your outlook is grim. But at the same time, if a hospital is not functioning to its full capacity, it is bleeding money.

I too an interested in the antibody test for myself and family. I don't remember speaking about it on here before, but I am very curious to know if my DD had it. In February DD awoke one morning complaining of an upset stomach. I told her she was probably hungry, to eat breakfast and see how she felt afterward. After eating she said she felt fine, and because she did not have any other symptoms I sent her to school. Midday her teacher text me asking how her morning was. I explained the tummy issue. Teacher sent DD to nurse, nurse sent DD back to class. Teacher told me DD didn't really have any true symptoms but she looked like she did not feel well and was just not acting herself. DH picked DD up from school based on what teacher said. We don't want to be those parents ::

When DD came home, she looked off. It is hard to describe. She fell asleep, awoke with a fever and a terrible headache. DD has never complained of a headache before. She was only ill for 2 days but complained of a headache the entire time. Just a headache and fever. Zero other symptoms. At one point I was evaluating her for meningitis symptoms because the headache part was throwing me for a loop.

Anyway, the more we learn about COVID and kids I am genuinely curious if this mysterious headache was that. When she returned to school her teacher and I were talking about the weird illnesses that were making their way around the class and how many kids were out. Same with my clients who are teachers themselves. Some days one teacher only had 8 kids in her class because everyone else was out sick.

This whole situation is a double edged sword. Open economy and businesses and risk a big upswing in illnesses. Keep it closed to try and save lives and avoid overrunning the hospitals and we run into an economic collapse that could very well be worse than the virus.

I don't know what to do.

[happymom]

I hate it, but I think we can orchestrate it to begin opening gradually.

If covid-19 numbers go up, back off. It's not going to be cut and dry, and it's risky because for many people it is a matter of life and death.

But everything is a risk, think of car accidents: we don't close roads because people die in car accidents, we make speed limits, and rules to follow to try to reduce deaths. It's the same with the virus. I don't have the answers, but I don't think cutting everything off completely, for longer, is the answer.

[Ariana]

My opinion might be controversial but here goes!

I think that the economic downfall is not worth the lives we may save. The economy is going into the toilet and small and medium sized businesses are being hit the hardest. Poverty and unemployment will be rampant not to mention the huge debt from government assistance right now (increased taxes, interest rates). Here in Canada most of the deaths are occurring in nursing homes. Nothing was set up to protect the elderly crammed together in these homes but yet we are required to stay home, leave our livelihoods to save elderly people right now. Hindsight is 20/20 of course but this never should have happened. Why wasn’t more done to prepare our hospitals for this? We are paying the ultimate price economically right now. Some economists are saying that the poverty that comes next will likely kill many more people and I tend to agree.

You guys in the USA with for profit healthcare are in even greater danger I think.

[happymom]

I agree with Ariana to a degree.

We have to do our best to not get our hospitals overwhelmed and not get in a situation where we are building mass graves.

[Michael]

My opinion might be controversial but here goes!

I think that the economic downfall is not worth the lives we may save. The economy is going into the toilet and small and medium sized businesses are being hit the hardest. Poverty and unemployment will be rampant not to mention the huge debt from government assistance right now (increased taxes, interest rates). Here in Canada most of the deaths are occurring in nursing homes. Nothing was set up to protect the elderly crammed together in these homes but yet we are required to stay home, leave our livelihoods to save elderly people right now. Hindsight is 20/20 of course but this never should have happened. Why wasn’t more done to prepare our hospitals for this? We are paying the ultimate price economically right now. Some economists are saying that the poverty that comes next will likely kill many more people and I tend to agree.

You guys in the USA with for profit healthcare are in even greater danger I think.

You are the closet opinion to how I see things. We are fighting a war but are not willing to take numbers of dead to win this war. It’s a live free or die situation IMO.100% contraction rate for this virus. Vaccines don’t cure the flu and it won’t for COVID-19. Do we surrender to our fears, capitulate in isolation and become the spoils or war to this enemy? Because at this point we are losing this battle out of fear or dying. I will write more later when I get some more time.

[happymom]

I want to add that I am in a unique situation and probably very sheltered.

I am following the virus numbers mainly in NYC from my computers, safely in Utah.

Here, the virus isn't very bad. I am working in an "essential" industry and so far, my job has been protected. I still leave my home each day to go to work. My husband is taking on a whole new level of responsibilities considering our children are not in daycare.

Our bank account is growing because we are not doing our entertainment activities and staying home. I worry about everyone else financially, and those who are losing loved ones and can not be with them.

[Michael]

We are at War
I know of no war where its victors stayed at home in fear of their lives. The greatest of victories were won when warriors overcame their fear to fight on the battlefield. In our current war with a faceless enemy, there is also a psychological war being waged that will ultimately determine victory or failure. How does a nation engage its people to become fighters in the battle?

We hear daily from the press and doctors why we should fear this enemy. We are effectively hunkered down at home, fearing the unexpected and unable to manage the normal life we should expect.

Every battle, that America has waged and won, involved the deaths of Americans. It was the price we paid to live free and dwell in the world we wanted to live in. We of course want to minimize those numbers and mitigate the transmission of the virus, but it was never the reason why we didn’t engage the enemy. We can not wait forever in our homes for someone to deliver us.

This administration may know that the people of this country are not ready to wage war on this battlefield. It can’t declare war without the support of its people as fighters. It seems we are already losing the psychological war to the virus. FDR once said, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Fear is now our greatest enemy and can create a far greater cost than this disease.

[Josiegirl]

While I agree with Michael somewhat, putting personal faces and relationships into this fight becomes a different battle.
Yes, I agree this battle needs fighting but there has got to be a different way than exposing everybody we care about and risk the exhaustion of medical services altogether.

Put your family's names into this battle and what, then, are you willing to compromise? What are you willing to change, give up or forge ahead with? If Covid-19 came for your child/ren or partner.........chances are they wouldn't die but you/we/I don't know that.
There have got to be different choices and answers in this dilemma. Maybe a very slow easing into some businesses reopening, meeting certain criteria along the way such as providing all the essential protection needed to work more safely.
IDK what the answers are but either way this whole thing scares the beejeebers out of me. Not so much for myself but for my children, dh, my friends and loved ones.

[Valerie928]

I won’t get the vaccine

A vaccine for this is soooooo very far away and this is SARS. I will not get the vaccine either.

[Ariana]

Isolation is not really winning the war. It is slowing the spread maybe? Its hard to tell without actual testing and actual numbers. They are saying that everyone will be infected by the time we get a vaccine so what is the point? 80% of people will have mild symptoms and a very small percentage will die. Even if you look at all of the deaths in the USA right now it is a drop in the bucket compared to the population not dying. No one wants to die, ever but it is part of life.

I understand what you are saying Josie but we risk our lives every day with things that are FAR more statistically fatal. We are used to that fear and we manage it, otherwise no one would drive a car again for example.

I just think the ramification will affect a much greater percentage of the population than this virus will. But it remains to be seen. I truly hope I am wrong. What is happening in nursing homes right now makes me very angry because they are the very people we are supposed to be protecting but nothing was done for them. Low wages for staff means many quit rather than contract the virus. Lack of PPE for the staff who come and go every day. I just don’t believe that any of this is to save peoples lives.

[happymom]

I will happily get a vaccine

[Valerie928]

I live in New York. Not New York city but we are shut down until May 15th now. I think opening need to start very gradually. Antibody tests would be nice for all businesses. We have to learn to live with this virus. It's not going away. Suicide rates must be through the roof along with drug use. People need to work. This is a nightmare. My elderly father will never leave his home. He is waiting for a vaccine which may never happen and if it does may be dangerous. Gah

[Valerie928]

I was reading a thread on Facebook where nurses/ doctors/ hospital workers were updating the status of their hospital.... Just about everyone, minus anyone in NY & NJ, said that their hospital is eerily empty, they have an abundance of ppe, staff are having a major cut in hours, travel nurses are being terminated, some haven't seen any COVID patients, makeshift satellite COVID units are being shut down because there isn't a need..... so im wondering what the heck is actually true??? I feel that all im hearing is conflicting information and have no idea who, or what, to believe.

I am a New Yorker, it's never going to end here. I can't believe that there are hospitals with nothing going on.

[Valerie928]

We are at War
I know of no war where its victors stayed at home in fear of their lives. The greatest of victories were won when warriors overcame their fear to fight on the battlefield. In our current war with a faceless enemy, there is also a psychological war being waged that will ultimately determine victory or failure. How does a nation engage its people to become fighters in the battle?

We hear daily from the press and doctors why we should fear this enemy. We are effectively hunkered down at home, fearing the unexpected and unable to manage the normal life we should expect.

Every battle, that America has waged and won, involved the deaths of Americans. It was the price we paid to live free and dwell in the world we wanted to live in. We of course want to minimize those numbers and mitigate the transmission of the virus, but it was never the reason why we didn’t engage the enemy. We can not wait forever in our homes for someone to deliver us.

This administration may know that the people of this country are not ready to wage war on this battlefield. It can’t declare war without the support of its people as fighters. It seems we are already losing the psychological war to the virus. FDR once said, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Fear is now our greatest enemy and can create a far greater cost than this disease.

Lots of great points here.

[Michael]

While I agree with Michael somewhat, putting personal faces and relationships into this fight becomes a different battle.
Yes, I agree this battle needs fighting but there has got to be a different way than exposing everybody we care about and risk the exhaustion of medical services altogether.

Put your family's names into this battle and what, then, are you willing to compromise? What are you willing to change, give up or forge ahead with? If Covid-19 came for your child/ren or partner.........chances are they wouldn't die but you/we/I don't know that.
There have got to be different choices and answers in this dilemma. Maybe a very slow easing into some businesses reopening, meeting certain criteria along the way such as providing all the essential protection needed to work more safely.
IDK what the answers are but either way this whole thing scares the beejeebers out of me. Not so much for myself but for my children, dh, my friends and loved ones.

It’s understandable but with that logic we would have never have won our independence from England nor won WWII. This is a fight we must win at all costs.

Let those that want to get back to work or open their businesses to do so. They are the frontline in our fight for our economy and way of life. Those that want to stay home should be allowed to do so with no loss of employment or furlough. A blanketed loss of our liberties and freedoms is not the answer. The enemy is taking over our streets and businesses. The longer we let it infiltrate our society the harder it will be to extricate it and remove the scars from it,