I will give Trump credit for the travel ban from China. I will give him credit for putting together the Coronavirus Task Force headed by Pence and including Drs. Fauci and Birx. But I will NOT give him credit for ignoring the findings of his own task force, based on the CDC guidelines, regarding how to deal with the virus, which include social distancing, limiting gatherings to a small number of people (especially indoors), wearing masks, and continuous hand-washing. The task force presented a three-phase approach to reopening the economy, which Trump completely ignored. Nor will I give him credit for his tepid response to the pleas of governors for more PPE, including ventilators, masks, gloves, and other equipment for health care workers. Finally, under pressure, he invoked the Defense Production Act in mid-May, but kicking and screaming before doing so. And I will also not give Trump any credit for being a poor role model in refusing to wear a mask, mocking those who do (such as Biden), holding rallies including indoor ones without requiring mask wearing or social distancing, and making the WH itself a hotspot for his family, his team, and himself.
No, the virus will NOT simply run its course. We need aggressive measures, lockdowns and mandates if necessary, to cut the rate of infection and reverse the mounting deaths. I’m afraid that too many people have been duped by the misinformation conveyed by this administration and by FOX news that the virus will simply disappear by means of herd immunity and there is nothing we could have and we can now do about it.