The Failure of the Government to Contain COVID-19- Design Failure
- Kiya Brown
- Apr 3, 2020
- 2 min read
It's the headline of every news report and the topic of every conversation. COVID-19 is a virus that has taken the United States and the world by storm. The Coronavirus is sweeping through nations, taking down cities and towns, and showing no signs of stopping. The government seems to have been working non-stop to try and stop the rapid spread of the virus. But with a shortage of medical supplies and health care professionals, a lack of tests, and inconsistent policies, the numbers continue to grow. The United States now leads with the most cases of the virus in the world. The United States government has downplayed the severity of COVID-19 until it became an issue too large for them to even ignore, but by this time it was too late. The numbers are rising at crazy rates, but it didn't have to reach this point if our government could have prepared and designed better policies before hand.
Because the virus is airborne, it has been suggested that people keep their distance from each other. Schools, institutions, and non-essential businesses have been closed in many states and people have been advised to stay at home. The design of these policies could be considered a failure. They have been inconsistent among states and even within them as well. At least 12 states still have not implemented stay-at-home orders and some states have take it among themselves to create different exceptions to the policies. This is a major design failure by the United States government because without consistent policies, there is no way to truly contain the spread.
Even in a state like New York that is considered an epicenter for the virus, has yet to take extreme measures. With the closing of "non-essential" businesses, people are still able to enter fast food places like Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds. People are not required to stay in their homes, but are suggested to do so instead. This is a failure of the containment design. Suggesting people follow a certain policy is not enough. There needs to be a required lockdown or shelter-in-place policy implemented until things get figured out. With the lack of education among populations and states trying to decide what's best, more and more people's lives become in danger everyday.
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