Shut it down, start over, do it right
Elected Leaders
Add your name to stand with the hundreds of health professionals who have joined U.S. PIRG and the Student PIRGs in calling for the country to hit the reset button.
Of all the nations in the world, we've had the most deaths from COVID-19 -- almost 150,000. At the same time, we're in the midst of "reopening our economy," exposing more and more people to coronavirus and watching numbers of cases -- and deaths -- skyrocket.
Economists have gone on record saying that the only way to "restore the economy is to address the pandemic itself." Public health professionals have made clear that even after we've contained the virus by staying at home, in order to reopen American cities and towns safely, we'll need the testing capacity, PPE, and medical supplies to keep it contained.
We need to shut it down, start over, and do it right.
Sponsored by
To:
Elected Leaders
From:
[Your Name]
Dear decision makers,
It's time to hit the reset button.
In March, people went home and stayed there for weeks, to keep themselves and their neighbors safe. You didn't use the time to set us up to defeat the virus. And then you started to reopen anyway, and too quickly. Right now we are on a path to lose more than 200,000 American lives by November 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, or get a massage.
The best thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as possible, it's to save as many lives as possible. And reopening before suppressing the virus isn't going to help the economy.
Economists have gone on record saying that the only way to "restore the economy is to address the pandemic itself." Public health professionals have made clear that even after we've contained the virus by staying at home, in order to reopen American cities and towns safely, we'll need the testing capacity, PPE, and medical supplies to keep it contained.
Shut it down, start over, and do it right.
Non-essential businesses should be closed. Restaurant service should be limited to take-out. People should stay home, going out only to get food and medicine or to exercise and get fresh air. Masks should be mandatory. We need that protocol in place until case numbers recede to a level at which we have the capacity to effectively test and trace.
Then, and only then, we can try a little more opening, one small step at a time.
If you don't take these actions, the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death. We need you to lead. Tell the American people the truth about the virus, even when it's hard. Take bold action to save lives -- even when it means shutting down again.
Unleash the resources needed to contain the virus: massively ramping up testing,building the necessary infrastructure for effective contact tracing, and providing a safety net for those who need it.
Many of the actions of our government thus far have fallen short of what the moment demands. Mr. Trump, federal administration, honorable governors: we remind you that history has its eyes on you.