Total shutdown vs. Targeted approach (English Version)

Ever since the coronavirus pandemic hit the United States governors have the tough job of deciding whether or not to shut down their states. The white house and the task force has sent out guidelines on what we should be doing. None of this included shutting down. This has caused most of the  country to shut down. Some governors chose to create their own rules regarding social distancing and self- quarantine, not taking into account the constitution in some places. That’s another conversation for another day. There have been many thoughts on how far each state should go and for how long. Many people have also thought that maybe shutting down the whole state doesn’t work and based on statistics and evidence that may be right. 

An example of how shutting down the entire state may not be the best option is a comparison of Florida and the state of New York. The state of Florida has a population of 21,299,375 people which is much larger than the state of New York which has a population of 8,398,748 people (source worldpopulationreview.com), and although the state of Florida has a larger population than the state of New York there has been less cases of COVID-19 in Florida and less deaths. Which brings up the fact that maybe a targeted approach is better than a whole shut down as Florida did. Shutting down New York City might be a good thing, but shutting down the whole state is not. Many states have densely populated cities but also have rural areas and cities that are not as densely populated. Governors should look at their states and target the vulnerable first, like nursing homes, then look at each of their cities and do a case by case analysis like Florida did. 

Let’s take a look at Arizona. Arizona is a unique state. It has a population of  7.279 million people. The two counties that are more populated have a combined total of 201,024 cases. The rest of the state has a combined total of 3,204 cases (source azdhd.gov). I don’t think it justifies shutting down the entire state of Arizona because of the two counties that have the highest numbers.  The more logical response in my opinion is, shut down the two counties and monitor the transmissions in the rest of the 13 counties. Take each action county by county not state wide. 

Lastly, Grocery stores and other essential businesses have stayed open. They have taken great measures to take care of their employers and customers. I think every business owner is smart enough to mitigate the risk, and find a way to make a safe environment for their employees and customers. Our rights come from our creator not the government. When we are given our freedom we come up with solutions to our problems. 

Written by Hailey Bacon