How the Government is Reacting to COVID-19

COVID-19 has affected our society in many ways, and the government can only do so much. 

The New York Times has announced, “ The coronavirus, which surfaced in a Chinese seafood and poultry market late last year, has spread to at least 166 countries, killing more than 16,000 and sickening tens of thousands of people in a matter of weeks. The World Health Organization has declared the situation a pandemic.”

When the first case of COVID-19 was exposed in the United States, the government and President Donald Trump canceled all international flights. Some say the government has done a great job in regards to COVID-19, and some could say otherwise. Fair Grove sophomore, Malachi Sutherland, explained, “The government has done good and bad. I think they should have done what they are doing now a lot sooner for the fact that we don’t have a cure to this virus yet, as well as it wouldn’t have spread across the whole country as fast. But I’m happy with what President Trump has done.” 

On March 6th President Trump signed an 8.6 billion dollar emergency fund for coronavirus spendings, including vaccine research and preparations efforts. States have also been banning large public gatherings, and depending on that area you live, in it could get to as low as 10 suggested people in one place. Fair Grove sophomore, Anna Newlin, expressed her opinion, “The economy is being ruined over a pandemic that is partially overblown in certain areas; however, I think President Trump is doing a good job in keeping everyone safe, and also doing a good job handling the virus itself.” 

CNBC discusseed, “The United States response to COVID-19 has been controversial. Some have criticized the Trump administration for being slow to respond, and failing to communicate the steps the US will take to contain the outbreak.” 

The US government has done quite a bit, though. It has imposed a national emergency and imposed mandatory quarantines for the first time in more than 50 years, as there are more than 100,000 cases in the US alone. The impact of COVID-19 is ripping through the global economy and the world’s stock markets.

Since the Spanish flu back in 1918, the US federal government has set up a chain of systems in case of the event of a pandemic were to come up again. The Department of Human Services oversees a web of other agencies (CDC, FDA, and NIH), and organizes these systems.

The first step of the process is containment. This includes the containment of flights and the banning of large gatherings. The US addressed this step when COVID-19 was picking up steam in Mainland, China.

The second step is called mitigation. This is where the CDC takes effect and sets guidelines for hospitals, schools, and businesses around the country.

What these agencies want us to understand is that this all takes time, and social distancing measures are key to containing this outbreak. To hold the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends taking common sense measures including washing your hands often, avoiding touching your face, staying home when you’re sick, and covering your cough or sneeze.