America might have to follow suite with Italy and close down some cities and towns in order to run the whole quarantine. Apparently, Scott Gottlieb, who was Trump’s first commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration has argued for similar measures in the U.S.
“No state and no city wants to be the first to basically shut down their economy. But that’s what’s going to need to happen. States and cities are going to have to act in the…national interest right now to prevent a broader epidemic. Close businesses, close large gatherings, close theaters, cancel events,” said Gottlieb.
Speaking over the necessity to a close down, Jay Shambaugh, director of the liberal Hamilton Project think tank has also substantiated that the federal government should immediately increase its share of Medicaid spending by 10 percentage points, relieving states that face rising costs and falling revenue from the virus. “That would be around $60 billion going out to the states. That would be a meaningful way to make sure that the states are not cutting their budgets at the wrong time.”
Mr. Shambaugh also suggested the federal government permit jobless workers in health emergency zones to collect unemployment insurance without proving they looked for work, and topping up food stamps for families whose children are no longer receiving free meals at school because of closures.
America has been late in responding to the widespread epidemic and Donald Trump’s lack of sensible leadership has been seen in the way the country has been forced to handle the disaster.
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