Laura Ingraham: Trump Should Re-Open Country On May 1st

Ingraham Trump

Laura Ingraham, the Fox News host, said in a series of tweets that President Donald Trump should ignore medical experts and re-open the country on May 1st.

Ingraham: “We Cannot Deny Our People Their Basic Freedoms Any Longer”

In a series of tweets, Ingraham slammed the so-called “experts” on the coronavirus outbreak for not understanding the troubles that came with locking down the world to prevent coronavirus.

“At some point ‘the experts’ could claim ‘the models’ show that private vehicle ownership kills millions worldwide, that ‘flattening the curve’ on climate change is a global imperative, requiring private travel ONLY for ‘essential activities.’ Then what?” Ingraham asked.

“The forbearance and patience of the American people has been extraordinary–they’ve lost their basic civil liberties, jobs, income, opportunities, school, and family members,” she added, while the real numbers of deaths and hospitalizations due the coronavirus epidemic are much lower than epidemiologists predicted.

“Every day that goes by in shutdown is a day closer to that patience wearing out. At some point, [President Trump] is going to have to look at Drs. Fauci and Birx and say, we’re opening on May 1st,” Ingraham argued. “Give me your best guidance on protocols, but we cannot deny our people their basic freedoms any longer.”

Ingraham is absolutely right that the country is hurting right now economically and that President Trump should at least lift some restrictions – 6 million people claiming unemployment benefits in one week is absolutely astounding and unprecedented. The cure cannot be more deadly than the disease. To continue lockdowns across the country and across the world for potentially 18 months before a vaccine is produced is ludicrous, and the damage caused and lives lost will be far greater as a result.

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The Country Must Re-Open, But Not By Some Arbritrary Deadline

But while the the sentiment from Ingraham is understandable, it is, unfortunately, deeply misguided. There is not a binary choice between total lockdown and fully re-opening the country. Tucker Carlson noted on his show on Tuesday that countries such as Denmark and Austria, which have been hit at a similar scale to the U.S. regarding coronavirus, have announced plans to slowly re-open their countries. Denmark has scheduled schools and daycares to open again next week, with more restrictions to be rolled back on May 10th, and Austria will allow small businesses to open up again on April 14th, followed by large stores on May 1st, with restaurants and schools in the middle of May.

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Carlson argued we should “hear out” Dr Fauci and the other medical professionals and ask them about the numbers they are using to predict what to do next. I agree with this. To immediately throw open the gates to everything all at once risks a potential second wave of infections, as Singapore may be seeing now (it is important to note that these numbers in Singapore may just be fluctuations before a general downward trend continues).

Without proper testing and procedures, the country will be thrown right back to square one, with no plan as to what to do next. So yes, we must lift the lockdown as soon as possible, and we can do this much earlier than predicted, but we must also not rush straight back into normalcy. We will find the right balance to strike, to protect jobs and save lives. This is one of those times that President Trump probably shouldn’t listen to Ingraham, no matter how right she is most of the time!

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