New guidelines are being developed by the Trump Administration. These guidelines, which will be given to state and local communities, are being designed for ‘maintaining, increasing, or even relaxing’ coronavirus mitigation measures.

JUST IN: Pres. Trump sends letter to U.S. governors, saying administration is working on "new guidelines” for state, local authorities to use for “maintaining, increasing, or relaxing” coronavirus mitigation measures. https://t.co/As9ns3nF3c pic.twitter.com/bSMmqTIvjG

— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 26, 2020

Our economy can’t be shut down for too long, whether here or around the world, so guidelines such as this should be considered in my opinion. 

“Earlier this week, the president said he hoped to have the economy “just raring to go” by Easter, which falls on April 12, just under a month after the administration first issued its social-distancing guidelines. Public-health experts, including some in the president’s own administration, say it will take far longer—possibly months—before it is safe for the nation to return to work.”

Believe me, businesses should reopen as soon as is feasibly possible. But let’s look at this further. Testing, realistic testing is key. I know, there are a lot of people out there insisting that every single person in this country needs tested. That …is not a realistic proposition on any level. Well over 400,000 tests have been administered and more folks are being tested every day.

Yes, that means that the numbers of those who test positive go up. But it also means that many are testing negative. The media doesn’t like to show those figures. Nor is the media doing a very good job of showing the numbers of those who have RECOVERED from this virus. In my home state of Wyoming out of the 55 reported cases, 12 have recovered.

We need to be told those numbers as well. Positive indicators like that will help morale around the country. Here’s another way to look at the numbers. Johns Hopkins has been tracking the Coronavirus case reporting around the world. I take a look at their tracking twice a day. As of yesterday evening, while writing this post the numbers were as follows:

531,708 confirmed cases

24,053 confirmed deaths

122,203 confirmed RECOVERIES

This brings me to all those “models” that experts have been touting. According to quite a number of models, up to half the world’s population was slated to die this year from the Coronavirus. The media has run with those models full speed ahead.

One such model, from Imperial College, is still making the rounds. However, one of the designers of that prediction model walked back his numbers in a big way just two days ago.

“Ferguson’s model projected 2.2 million dead people in the United States and 500,000 in the U.K. from COVID-19 if no action were taken to slow the virus and blunt its curve. The model predicted far fewer deaths if lockdown measures — measures such as those taken by the British and American governments — were undertaken.”

Suddenly, as the UK’s lockdown went into effect, Ferguson revised his numbers. 

“He said that expected increases in National Health Service capacity and ongoing restrictions to people’s movements make him “reasonably confident” the health service can cope when the predicted peak of the epidemic arrives in two or three weeks. UK deaths from the disease are now unlikely to exceed 20,000, he said, and could be much lower.

The need for intensive care beds will get very close to capacity in some areas, but won’t be breached at a national level, said Ferguson. The projections are based on computer simulations of the virus spreading, which take into account the properties of the virus, the reduced transmission between people asked to stay at home and the capacity of hospitals, particularly intensive care units.”

Predicting a potential 20,000 deaths in the UK from this crap is still awful. However, it is a long way from half a million deaths isn’t it? As for hospitals being overrun, Dr. Birx had this to say in a pointed slam at the media reporting.

Video: Dr. Deborah Birx calmly but brutally tears apart the liberal media hysteria about a future in which hospitals will be faced with such a shortage at ventilators that they'll have to decide who gets resuscitated and who is left to die #coronaviruspandemic pic.twitter.com/jXqXMpsdml

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 26, 2020

You see, the media would have us all believe that every single hospital in this country is stretched beyond capacity. They are also thrilled to report on an ER doctor’s filming inside NYC’s Elmhurst hospital as if this is happening 24/7.

First of all, I strongly believe that that ER doctor acted very irresponsibly. Secondly, there would be significant news and changes on local and state level if that was happening everywhere.

These new guidelines will be an interesting read once they arrive. However, it will be up to the states and local entities to judge for themselves as to how, when, and why such guidelines may or may not be implemented.

"No red flags were given" by the federal government. – New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell on why the city moved forward with Mardi Gras celebrations. "If we were given clear direction we would not have had Mardi Gras and I would've been the leader to cancel it." pic.twitter.com/pAsEC5lMkz

— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) March 26, 2020

Cute. Blame Trump for your OWN inaction. Passing the buck is not a pretty look at this time.

The virus is driving this to an extent. But should we let it be THE driver? No. Reason, caution, optimism, and forward thinking should also be in place.

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Feature Photo Credit: White House Flickr public domain, cropped and modified