It’s important to reiterate that these economic losses will not stem from lockdown policies. Even if Florida chooses to keep Disney World open, people will be scared to go there. Allowing routine medical procedures won’t make hospitals any less terrifying.
Instead, the losses are the direct result of a failure to control the virus itself. Texas, Florida, Arizona and California have lagged badly in terms of hiring contact tracers, so they can’t use test-and-trace approaches to contain the pandemic. They also have avoided strict mask requirements in public places, despite masks being proven to reduce spread. And they opened restaurants, bars and other high-risk crowded indoor spaces too soon. Thus, when the economic hit comes, they will largely have themselves to blame.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.