Trump foments resistance to Democratic-imposed shutdowns, but some Republican governors are also wary of moving too fast
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Trump on Friday amplified his call to reopen the country, suggesting citizens should “liberate” themselves even as governors and local officials in areas he said were ready to return to normal expressed concern about moving too soon.
Republican governors have been slow to embrace Trump’s call to lift statewide stay-at-home orders in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic that is killing thousands of Americans. And Democratic governors have increasingly denounced what they describe as a lack of federal leadership in a response effort plagued by shortfalls in testing and equipment.
On Friday, Texas announced a plan for loosening restrictions on economic activity. But the proposal by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) made few immediate changes to the stay-at-home order and left many decisions for the end of the month after consultations with a new “strike force” of business leaders and medical professionals.
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Republican governors in places such as Missouri and Mississippi did not adhere to the president’s call Thursday for less-hard-hit states to “very quickly” begin relaxing their stay-at-home orders. Though Trump declared on Thursday that some states were ready to begin lifting their restrictions immediately, several Republican governors responded by extending the orders.
Some administration officials say the White House has not done enough to focus on testing, an issue that has become a growing source of tension between local officials and the president, who has dismissed concerns by declaring that he has done a great job.
But there have been major failures, according to administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The administration’s plans to work with Google and other top companies to facilitate testing and create drive-through labs across the country have been all but forgotten. Several types of testing kits that have beensent out are not being used, and there is no expectation internally that testing will be significantly stepped up in the coming weeks, officials said.
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Questions about testing dominated a contentious, hour-long conference call between Vice President Pence and Democratic senators Friday afternoon as the lawmakers pressed administration officials on the availability of testing and on other specifics, according to senators and other officials who were on the call. Most spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private discussion.
At one point, a normally mild-mannered Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) told Pence and other administration officials that the government’s failure to develop a national testing regimen for the virus was a “dereliction of duty” and declared that “I have never been so mad about a phone call in my life.”
Local officials’ frustration at the lack of widespread testing is mounting at the same time that the White House has shifted considerable responsibility to governors and mayors in deciding how and when to relax strict social-distancing measures. In some cases, local Republicans and Democrats are unified in urging caution despite the president’s eagerness to see economic activity resume.
The whole federal response has been pure chaos.
It reminds me of cow pie Bingo
That is because:
Trump is either interjecting himself in everything instead of allowing the experts to do what is needed to be done.
He does not listen to the experts and creates complete confusion and then blames those who he should have let do their job for the mess.
He stirs his rabid supporters to gather in protest, and to do so without any protection gear in defiance with the governors orders.
Then he blames the Democrats for misleading the people when he is the one that is puking out the misleading information that he can't be consistent with from one day to the next, or even from one hour to the next.
when he takes a poop in the toilet he denies they are his turds. Then blames the toilet for not flushing down the turds.
Why? Because NOTHING is ever his fault.
Testing is the key and to date, we've tested 1% of the population. There doesn't seem to be a good plan to increase the testing. Without testing, we're pissing up a rope with regard to opening businesses.
I've heard that we are running low on one of the ingredients for the testing. I don't know if that is accurate so if anyone has info on that let me know.
That is completely correct Kavika.
as far as the testing kits we have been seeing a shortage right from the get-go. But yes even recent testing IMO actions are vexed by reagent and manufacturing shortages. As well, many of those same, both ingredients and completed test kits, are effected by transit pandemic requirements.
Also, let's not forget that the chemicals come from China and that takes now international arrangements to get.
Meanwhile the state of OHIO cut a secret deal with China and Fedex to get 83 tons of PPE past the Federal government last night to O'Hare.
While some news outlet claimed it was with FEMA approval, the Ohio administration said the efforts were made to prevent the Federal government from siezing the shipments as they had previously.
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Rumors are that there will be more flights next week for Ohio.
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Ditto, The New England Patriot's pilots are doing something they never dreamed of
by flying the football team's Boeing 767 to Beijing from Boston and back to Boston with millions of N95 masks for local Massachusetts health workers.
Any one see a pardon or Presidential Medal of Freedom or Congressional Gold Medal
for Bob Kraft in the near future?
Unbelievable, but you can't blame them either. They have been left to take care of things by themselves.
Still, we need the government to get those reagents from China. A trick that Ohio won't be able to do, and if they can, I am sure they will be sharing with the other governors.
West Virginia was the last state to have a confirmed case, and had a lackadaisical early response, but seems to have learned their lesson. A nursing home near my parents was hiding the fact that several of its residents and employees (15, as reported yesterday) had positive Covid-19 tests.
When the story broke, Governor Jim Justice, who normally toes the Trump line, was angry, called out the county's health department, and demanded testing of ALL nursing home residents and staff in the state, and sent in the National Guard to collect the test kits.
Today, that same nursing home announced that 47 of the 84 residents tested positive. Employee tests are not back yet.
West Virginia's stay-at-home order is in effect until terminated by another executive order, and I've heard nary a whisper from my WV friends and family of it being lifted early. Hopefully, Justice and his administration have learned from their early mistakes and will continue their efforts to keep state residents safe.
What an awful story, but it seems to be going on everywhere. The place where we should feel safe for our loved ones are not. I think it has to do with the fact that the workers feel that they have to come in sick or not.
This disease isn't going anywhere anytime fast, so the best way to deal with it, is testing and to do that we need tests. It's a catch 22, I'm afraid until we get these chemicals.
I think it's that, and fear of stigma attached to having residents who test positive. That's something we need to address as a society. There's no shame in catching this, any more than there is in catching a cold. It doesn't mean a place is unsanitary. This virus is so infectious that sanitary measures that are usually more than adequate, now aren't. People living in close proximity can hardly avoid sharing it.
my BIL lost his mother on saturday to covid-19. she was a nursing home resident. no family memorial for her because of our seniors and grand kids. our governor called up the national guard on friday to begin testing employees and residents in nursing homes. my son found out he was exposed at his job last week from another employee, after management first denied it and then confirmed it, a hazmat team showed up to disinfect the persons commercial vehicle.
Sorry to hear about your BIL mother.
I hope your son tests negative for the virus.
There is an article this morning that there have been 7300 deaths in nursing homes nationwide and counting.
Personally, I am torn by this,
I never thought that a shut down was in our national interest. Still don't.
I never thought that this was a war of any sort at all.
True, I never thought Trump was in any way, shape or form a leader of any kind, sorry, just my honest assessment.
He's a ratings obsessed reality TV star in spite of his history as a fairy successful developer or failed casino owner.
I can't imagine what Obama must have thought inheriting a crashing economy even though he worked closely with Bush from
Nov 8 forward, they were still sliding downhill at 100mph when someone said
"btw, we seem to have a new kind of flu pandemic..."
Imagine that. Double Jeopardy. Gee Whiz...
Instead of daily news pressers seeking blame, Obama quietly put the CDC out in front of the pandemic and said "get it done".
Obama took the heat for the slow economic recovery and we slowly crawled out of it.
The CDC came up with rules, guidelines and $$ for two vaccines within 9 months
and all reported cases died out 11 months later.
Jump forward to the present and today's Anti abortion POTUS, four months behind the curve
is still not telling the truth about total deaths from this virus
or why we do not have universal testing kits or
uniformed fast testing, across the board for everyone who needs it.
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POTUS has declared a National Emergency so there should be no shortage of budgets to raid for the necessary funds with SCOTUS approval, eff the Constitution.
If the military can build walls they can fund masks too. Cancel a boat or 16 Tanks or one B2..
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He can also start with the canceling of any SS people assigned to specific Senators, maybe that will motivate them.
But I am not hopeful.
Just realistic.
Best of luck to everyone, you will need it, whether you call it luck or prayer.
I invite anyone on here to show where Trump is demanding and forcing any governor to open on his terms.
The guidelines given are just that...a guideline. If governors do not feel like their states are ready to open, then they will remain closed until they feel more comfortable.
I'm sure I will be met with crickets in my request.
I think the best plan is to go ahead, let Trump have his rallies, and then let them be the guinea pigs for how it actually plays out. They are out there volunteering to do so. Let them go worship at the altar of Trump.