THE PLAN TO RE-OPEN THE ECONOMY, SUMMARIZED:
The road map the president and his top pandemic experts rolled out is slow, cautious, and deferential to governors’ individual decisions about how quickly to open their states back up. It sets up criteria for a state to consider itself “prepared” to reopen, asking does the state have:
(1) A sufficient virus testing operation in place?
(2) Sufficient protective equipment for doctors and nurses?
(3) Sufficient ICU equipment and hospital beds?
It also establishes “gating” benchmarks for how far the virus should have receded in a state before reopening can be considered:
(1) Have influenza-like illnesses and documented COVID cases been trending downward over a 14-day period?
(2) Is the state able to treat all patients without resorting to crisis care; and
(3) Is the state able to test its health care workers sufficiently?
Once a state has satisfied the gating criteria, reopening can proceed in three stages, with states proceeding from one stage to the next if they are able to continue meeting the criteria for a period of time under more open conditions.
PHASE ONE: People can begin to return to work gradually (though telework should still be encouraged), non-essential travel should still be minimized, schools and other youth activities should remain closed, larger venues like churches and sit-down restaurants can partially reopen, and elective surgeries can resume. Meanwhile, vulnerable individuals and their families should continue to shelter in place.
PHASE TWO: More public spaces can open up, although gatherings of more than 50 people should still be avoided. Schools and daycares can resume, as can non-essential travel.
PHASE THREE: Even vulnerable individuals will be able to begin to venture back into society—albeit while continuing to practice physical distancing measures. Workplaces can return to unrestricted staffing, and people can begin again to visit senior care facilities and hospitals.
IN TEXAS, today, Governor Abbott announced the issuance of 3 new executive orders related to COVID-19. This included the creation of a Strike Force to Reopen the Economy. Of note: the Strike Force will be served by a full time staff embedded within the Governors Office, and the Chief of Staff for this Strike Force will be Mike Toomey. More broadly a summary of today's executive orders is as follows:
BUT...
WHAT IF MOST CUSTOMERS STILL STAY HOME? "More than eight in 10 voters, 81%, say Americans 'should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus, even if it means continued damage to the economy.' Only 10% say Americans 'should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy, even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.'”
I want people to get back to work and businesses to open, but if people are too scared to shop & go out once businesses re-open, the economic damage will still be severe. For people to feel safe to visit a business, they need to know the virus isn't present. This means a LOT more testing, both COVID & antibody. If a grocery store could say "all our employees are tested every day and we guarantee they are all COVID-free!", they'd have a substantial business advantage.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...oEZhHqPdRP607AQInOf1Uw-kwf8z-Ub6j2_9k7OtEwHvQ
The road map the president and his top pandemic experts rolled out is slow, cautious, and deferential to governors’ individual decisions about how quickly to open their states back up. It sets up criteria for a state to consider itself “prepared” to reopen, asking does the state have:
(1) A sufficient virus testing operation in place?
(2) Sufficient protective equipment for doctors and nurses?
(3) Sufficient ICU equipment and hospital beds?
It also establishes “gating” benchmarks for how far the virus should have receded in a state before reopening can be considered:
(1) Have influenza-like illnesses and documented COVID cases been trending downward over a 14-day period?
(2) Is the state able to treat all patients without resorting to crisis care; and
(3) Is the state able to test its health care workers sufficiently?
Once a state has satisfied the gating criteria, reopening can proceed in three stages, with states proceeding from one stage to the next if they are able to continue meeting the criteria for a period of time under more open conditions.
PHASE ONE: People can begin to return to work gradually (though telework should still be encouraged), non-essential travel should still be minimized, schools and other youth activities should remain closed, larger venues like churches and sit-down restaurants can partially reopen, and elective surgeries can resume. Meanwhile, vulnerable individuals and their families should continue to shelter in place.
PHASE TWO: More public spaces can open up, although gatherings of more than 50 people should still be avoided. Schools and daycares can resume, as can non-essential travel.
PHASE THREE: Even vulnerable individuals will be able to begin to venture back into society—albeit while continuing to practice physical distancing measures. Workplaces can return to unrestricted staffing, and people can begin again to visit senior care facilities and hospitals.
IN TEXAS, today, Governor Abbott announced the issuance of 3 new executive orders related to COVID-19. This included the creation of a Strike Force to Reopen the Economy. Of note: the Strike Force will be served by a full time staff embedded within the Governors Office, and the Chief of Staff for this Strike Force will be Mike Toomey. More broadly a summary of today's executive orders is as follows:
- Creation of the Strike Force to Reopen the Economy comprised of Lt. Governor Patrick, Speaker Dennis Bonnen, Attorney General Paxton, and Comptroller Hegar, Dr. Hellerstedt (Commissioner of DSHS), Dr. Mark McClellan, Dr. Parker Hudson, Dr. John Zerwas. The government officials will be complimented by an advisory group of business leaders to include Kendra Scott, Michael Dell, Bob Rowling, Ross Perot, Tillman Fertida, Kirk Watson. The Strike Force will be chaired by James Huffines (Huffines and Toomey worked together under Governor Bill Clements).
- Relaxation on Elective Procedures - Effective April 27, restriction on elective healthcare procedures will be relaxed. However, there will be more restrictions placed on assisted living facilities to protect vulnerable populations.
- Retail-To-Go - Next week all retailers will be able to offer retail to go, meaning that they may open for limited retail operations providing shoppers with curbside pick-up of orders.
- Schools – All public and private schools are closed for the remainder of the school year.
BUT...
WHAT IF MOST CUSTOMERS STILL STAY HOME? "More than eight in 10 voters, 81%, say Americans 'should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus, even if it means continued damage to the economy.' Only 10% say Americans 'should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy, even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus.'”
I want people to get back to work and businesses to open, but if people are too scared to shop & go out once businesses re-open, the economic damage will still be severe. For people to feel safe to visit a business, they need to know the virus isn't present. This means a LOT more testing, both COVID & antibody. If a grocery store could say "all our employees are tested every day and we guarantee they are all COVID-free!", they'd have a substantial business advantage.
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...oEZhHqPdRP607AQInOf1Uw-kwf8z-Ub6j2_9k7OtEwHvQ
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