Yet another story in the Wall Street Journal yesterday revealed the magic key to open restaurants, bars, sporting events and, well, life. In fact, even the politicos in Europe seem to be getting the message. Now if the politicians in the U.S. would just do what many Asian countries, New Zealand, Australia and even Slovakia are doing, we could once again sing, “Happy Days Are Here Again” regardless of who ultimately is declared President of the United States.
That secret is testing. Lots and lots of testing. And when a positive case is found, isolation until it is confirmed, and if confirmed as positive by a diagnostic test, quarantine and contact trace.
President Trump told us back in March that we were in a war with the virus. But he hasn’t acted like it. Now that he doesn’t have to pander to his base, we hope he will show some leadership and (1) order a nationwide testing program, (2) use the Defense Production Act to get adequate supplies of test kits, and (3) use existing legislation to impose a nationwide mask mandate.
We would like to see him as serious about reopening bars, restaurants, hotels, sporting events, etc., as New Zealand, which recently traced just one case of Covid back to a garbage can lid, or Slovakia, whose president ordered everyone between 10 and 65 tested in a three-day period. (You read that right, everyone.)
If he won’t do this, we’d like to see Nancy Pelosi and Mitch McConnell lead their chambers to adopt legislation essentially requiring these actions. This virus won’t “magically disappear” as President Trump once promise. But it can be defeated, and that’s what needs to happen so everyone can raise a glass and say, “Cheers!”
How about a target for nationwide testing of the second week of December? If that’s done, perhaps the country could find a real reason to say “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Christmas.”