The surprisingly simple way to open America in 14 days and avoid a depression

Published May 5, 2020

MY MASK PROTECTS YOU; YOUR MASK PROTECTS ME. WEAR A MASK.

COVID-19 transmits primarily through the air by droplets. Stop the droplets and you stop the transmission. The incubation period is 14 days. If everyone wore a mask, even just a simple cloth mask, the virus would cease to be transmitted in two weeks.

We wouldn’t have to wait for a vaccine or a cure. We all could go back to work.

BACKGROUND:
When we have:

I. A President screaming, in all capital letters: “LIBERATE MICHIGAN,” “LIBERATE MINNESOTA,” “LIBERATE MICHIGAN,” while simultaneously criticizing Georgia for opening too soon . . .

II. And when the same President who formerly declared that the virus was “under control,” and will disappear “like a miracle,” but now claims the death toll could reach 100,000, while scientists estimate up to 174,000 . . .

III. And when experts predict a vaccine might become available by mid-2021, which would be in record time,

IV. And when no one knows whether a vaccine is even possible — ever — because vaccines don’t work against some viruses . . .

V. And when millions of people refuse vaccination for themselves and their children . . .

VI. And when we have the Majority Leader of the Senate dragging his feet about future economic stimuli to prevent a depression . . .

VII. And when many people believe we will charge right through recession into a full-blown depression . . .

. . . Perhaps we need a new plan to stave off disaster — something faster, cheaper, more accepted, and with longer-term anti-viral benefits.

So here is one: While the world’s scientists labor to find ways of killing or disabling the virus, or energizing the human immune system to fight the virus, or preventing the damage the virus does in the body, perhaps the real solution lies in preventing the transmission of the virus.

The real solution is to prevent transmission of the virus.

According to the Harvard Medical School Corona Virus Resource Center, “The time from exposure to symptom onset (known as the incubation period) is thought to be three to 14 days, though symptoms typically appear within four or five days after exposure.

“A person with COVID-19 may be contagious 48 to 72 hours before starting to experience symptoms. Emerging research suggests that people may actually be most likely to spread the virus to others during the 48 hours before they start to experience symptoms.”

Unfortunately, the quarantine method has powerful, economic disadvantages, causing some to declare, “The cure is worse than the disease.”

But there is another way to prevent transmission.

THE VIRUS IS TRANSMITTED BY:

Droplets. When an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks, droplets with the virus fly into the air from their nose or mouth.

Anyone who is within 6 feet of that person can breathe those droplets into their lungs.

Airborne transmission. Research shows that the virus can live in the air for up to 3 hours. When you breathe air that has the virus floating in it, it gets into your lungs.

Surface transmission. Another way to catch the new coronavirus is when you touch surfaces that someone who has the virus has coughed or sneezed on. You may touch a countertop or doorknob that’s contaminated and then touch your nose, mouth, or eyes.

The virus can live on surfaces like plastic and stainless steel for 2 to 3 days. To stop it, clean and disinfect all counters, knobs, and other surfaces you and your family touch several times a day.

The least expensive, easiest to use, most immediately effective way to prevent virus transmission is face masks. Better than social distancing. Faster than waiting for a cure or a vaccination.

The incubation period for COVID-19 is up to 14 days.

COVID-19 would end in 2 weeks if everyone wore a face mask .

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COVID-19 would end in 2 weeks if everyone wore a face mask.

Face masks, even those that are not the gold standard N-95s, can prevent the virus from circulating through the air.

Face masks also would help prevent the virus from landing on surfaces. The virus does not live long on human skin, so an infected person merely touching a surface would have only a transient effect. It’s the coughing, sneezing, and breathing that transmits the virus to surfaces upon which it can live a long time.

The N-95s protect the wearer and those nearby. The “lesser” masks offer less protection for the wearer, but still are effective in protecting those nearby.

If everyone would wear a mask whenever outside their own home, the transmission line of the virus would largely be cut, and even being in large crowds would be much safer.

In a sense, face masks have a similar effect as “herd immunity” whereby not everyone is protected, but enough people are protected so that the virus loses its ability to find victims.

Universal mask usage would cause a quasi “herd immunity” effect.

THE SOLUTION:
People should:

1. Be required by law to wear masks in public, and
2. Be able to acquire masks, easily and inexpensively.

The federal government should fund the mighty manufacturing capability of the United States to:

–Produce trillions of masks that meet medically approved standards (Even cheap, cloth mask would help prevent the broadcast of droplets.)
–Distribute the masks free or at negligible cost, and pay every food, drug, clothing and other retail stores, and online retailers for inclusion in all shipments, plus airlines, busses and other transportation methods.
–Create kiosks in busy areas for free distribution

Based on what we know now, this all could be done faster and perhaps even more effectively than the creation and distribution and use of a vaccine, that might or might not be effective for any given length of time, or adopted by enough people.

Wearing a mask could become the life-giving, fashion statement of 2020.

Wearing a mask would be patriotic (for the right wingers),  and it would help the poor (for the left wingers), and it would have a minimal cost (for the debt hawks) and be far less inconvenient and intrusive (for the libertarians and the ultra-religious).

You even could attend a movie wearing a mask (for those suffering from island fever).

When enough people do it, social pressures will compel the rest. Not wearing a mask would be akin to defecating on the sidewalk — bad manners in the worst possible way.

Wear a mask. Wear a mask. Wear a mask. If you do, we can open the country.

COVID-19 would end in 2 weeks if everyone wore a face mask.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell
Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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THE SOLE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE.

The most important problems in economics involve:

1. Monetary Sovereignty describes money creation and destruction.
2. Gap Psychology describes the common desire to distance oneself from those “below” in any socio-economic ranking, and to come nearer those “above.” The socio-economic distance is referred to as “The Gap.”

Wide Gaps negatively affect poverty, health and longevity, education, housing, law and crime, war, leadership, ownership, bigotry, supply and demand, taxation, GDP, international relations, scientific advancement, the environment, human motivation and well-being, and virtually every other issue in economics.

Implementation of Monetary Sovereignty and The Ten Steps To Prosperity can grow the economy and narrow the Gaps:

Ten Steps To Prosperity:

1. Eliminate FICA

2. Federally funded Medicare — parts A, B & D, plus long-term care — for everyone

3. Provide a monthly economic bonus to every man, woman and child in America (similar to social security for all)

4. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone

5. Salary for attending school

6. Eliminate federal taxes on business

7. Increase the standard income tax deduction, annually. 

8. Tax the very rich (the “.1%”) more, with higher progressive tax rates on all forms of income.

9. Federal ownership of all banks

10. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99.9% 

The Ten Steps will grow the economy and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and the rest.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY