Much confusion and fear regarding the pandemic we now face has led to increasing chaos and uncertainty, both in our marketplaces and on Wall Street. The old divisions in our society, between Republican and Democrat has not served us well. Neither will dividing ourselves between those who value the health of our economy over the health of our populace. What is missing from this debate is that these goals are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, our survival as a tourist destination depends on our visitors feeling safe. That safety can only be achieved when we manage to suppress, rather than just mitigate the CoVid virus. Here are the steps we must take to achieve suppression:
1) We need to truly apply social distancing during our national shutdown, not just for ourselves, but all those around us. This means not only limiting our outings, but also limiting the number of orders on Amazon or food delivery services. Though some orders inevitably will be necessary, cutting down on unneeded orders will help protect delivery drivers that are exposed to potential infection with each and every delivery.
2) We must avoid hoarding of any particular product we purchase. This hoarding results in barren shelves, which in turn results in other shoppers going to several stores to find what they need, rather than just one store. Again, this increases their likelihood for contagion and prolongs the pandemic.
3) We must centralize accurate tracking of CoVid positive patients and use this information for targeting further testing. When we find a patient that is positive, all members of that household should be offered testing to better detect which individuals are infected.
4) Any household where CoVid positive patients have been found should be offered grocery delivery services and free telemedicine to eliminate their need to venture out into the community while they are in quarantine for observation.
5) Hotel rooms should be procured to voluntarily quarantine CoVid positive patients from their loved ones if they so wish. This would limit further exposure of the other members of the household and hopefully reduce their likelihood of converting positive. Furthermore, it will avoid unnecessary waste in setting up temporary housing the way of trailers or tents. Again, the sooner we suppress CoVid, the sooner we can return to the vibrant economy we recently had, so the hotels will actually benefit as much as the community in the application of this abundant resource.
6) Outpatient surgery centers should be used for labor and delivery purposes, but the same strict limitations of accompaniment currently used at hospitals should continue to apply. This would provide expectant mothers with the best chance to avoid CoVid infection while still providing their obstetricians with a reasonably safe venue for the delivery to take place.
7) Hotel space should also be offered to any and all medical staff, from the physicians to the janitorial staff, so they can protect their families from the additional risk they are taking on by working in the hospital. This should be separate from housing for CoVid positive patients. Such additional living space may be necessary for traveling nurses or physicians as well.
8) The shutdown should not be lifted all at once, but gradually, as more of our population has tested positive for antibodies against CoVid-19, but test negative for the actual virus. This would indicate the individual has already convalesced through a CoVid infection and likely has immunity. The lifting of the shutdown should also be predicated on us having reliable access to relatively effective treatment and diagnostic testing.
Hopefully, our leaders through this pandemic will see the wisdom in implementing these steps. If you share my perspective, rather than worry about the future, take an active role in our recovery by reaching out to your state assembly member, state senator, governor and clark county councilman. I have included links to do so below:
For more information please visit https://nvhealthresponse.nv.gov/