In recent times it seems things are really ramping up. While we have been hoping that this period of staying at home was nearing its end, many are not convinced it is.
According to Neel Kashkari, we have a ‘long hard road ahead of us.’ In an interview with CBS recently Kashkari said that the US should be looking at an 18-month strategy for shutdowns. While Kashkari noted that this kind of thing would be a big hit for our economy, he also seems to think it would be almost unavoidable ‘barring some health-care miracle.’ Sure, the idea of being stuck at home for longer isn’t one we want to face but perhaps it’s what we should do?
In Kashkari’s interview with CBS he said as follows:
“We could have these waves of flareups, controls, flareups, and controls until we actually get a therapy or a vaccine,”
“We need to find ways of getting the people who are healthy, who are at lower risk back to work and then providing the assistance to those who are most at risk, who are going to need to be quarantined or isolated for the foreseeable future.”
“This could be a long, hard road that we have ahead of us until we get to either an effective therapy or a vaccine,”
“It’s hard for me to see a V-shaped recovery under that scenario.”
While this might come as a shock to some, others are all for it as it seems to be one of the only ways to truly get things under control. Sure, right now we don’t know what will actually happen but a longer shutdown is something we should be aware of. Of course, this in itself would be hard but we as a whole could make it through even if it hit the economy as drastically as it likely would.
CBS wrote as follows on this topic:
Kashkari, who oversaw the Troubled Asset Relief Program during the 2008 financial crisis, said Congress has been “very aggressive” in its response to the coronavirus, but warned lawmakers may have to do more to prop up the economy until a vaccine is ready.
“It goes back to the progression of the virus,” he said. “If we’re going to have economic distress until we have a vaccine, then it’s going to be up to Congress to keep coming back to provide support to the American people.”
Kashkari said the nation should be looking at an 18-month strategy for the economy and health care system based on other countries further along in their recovery from the coronavirus outbreak, and acknowledged that while the U.S. economy cannot be shut down for that long, officials need to identify ways for those who are not infected with the coronavirus to return safely to work.
“We need to find ways of getting the people who are healthy, who are at lower risk back to work and then providing the assistance to those who are most at risk, who are going to need to be quarantined or isolated for the foreseeable future,” he said. “That’s a real challenge for all of us.”
President Trump has signaled an eagerness to reopen the U.S. economy, the strength of which was central to his reelection campaign, and discussions have started shifting toward what a return to normalcy may look like. Public health officials, however, have urged Americans not to let up on the aggressive social distancing measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which they acknowledge are having positive effects.
While Kashkari doesn’t think everyone should be quarantined or isolated, he does think those most at risk need to continue dealing with this in an extreme manner until a vaccine is found. He says that while it is a challenge for us we need to find a way of getting the people who are healthy and lower at risk back to work while still assisting those who are considered ‘most at risk.’ Those specific people will be quarantined likely for the ‘foreseeable future.’ To hear this interview for yourself check out the video below.