Nikki Fried: Time is up for bold action on coronavirus

Fried-Podium
The only choice left to make is not if, but when to act – before it’s too late for action at all.

Two months ago, we were celebrating the dawn of a new decade. One month ago, while a new virus ravaged China and made its way eastward, we were in the throes of Florida’s annual Legislative Session, barely considering its spread in Washington state. Even two weeks ago, we went about our daily lives, becoming suddenly aware of the threat infecting and killing people no longer far off our shores, but here at home.

Today has arrived, and we are out of time to stop that threat. Doing so is up to us, given the negligent federal response enabled by deception from the White House.

A leading scientific model shows that without stronger action than voluntary social distancing, COVID-19 will hospitalize nearly 200,000 Floridians, despite there being only 33,000 hospital beds available — with the medical point-of-no return coming just two weeks from now. The deaths of thousands of Floridians may follow in the coming months.

Fortunately, public health experts agree on the way to stop this threat: staying home.

No Governor in recent history would have expected to make the decision that California, Illinois, and over a dozen other states have made in the past few days, ordering their residents to stay in their homes, and closing non-essential businesses. These decisions are not without enormous economic impact. But they were necessary for one reason: to save lives.

It’s not easy to be in charge. But being in charge demands bold action and decisive leadership at the best of times, let alone when facing down the worst pandemic in a century. History will judge the action, or inaction, taken right now to protect lives.

State leaders have our limits. As Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, I’m focused on ensuring millions of Florida’s children don’t go hungry while schools are closed, securing our food banks and food supply chain from farms to grocery shelves, and protecting consumers from scams and fraud in this vulnerable time.

I recognize the difficult decisions Governor Ron DeSantis has already had to make. But there are things only a Governor can do. That’s why last week, I asked the Governor to implement a statewide “stay-at-home” order, just as twenty states have now done.

Floridians should be asked to sacrifice together, staying home and allowing only essential business, first responder, and healthcare operations to continue, for a reasonable time. This is critical to flattening the curve of transmitting this virus that is twenty times deadlier than seasonal flu.

This is not a radical or partisan idea. This is what states have already done, with Republican governors in Ohio and Maryland, and Democratic governors in Louisiana and Nevada. This is what’s necessary to prevent Florida from becoming not only the next New York, but the next Italy, with skyrocketing illnesses, overwhelmed hospitals, and much harder decisions over who lives and dies. Doctors, epidemiologists, and the U.S. Surgeon General agree on this.

The Governor’s piecemeal approach of closing some beaches, some businesses, and some communities won’t work. Too many Floridians are still, in the Governor’s words, “doing jello shots” off each other’s stomachs. Our world-famous beaches remain as packed with people as ever. And the virus continues to spread unchecked.

To be clear, a “stay-at-home” order in Florida would require economic support for businesses both small and large. But for the businesses I’ve spoken to, the current approach is yielding uncertainty and confusion. They’d rather know what’s coming, so they can plan for their businesses and employees. And as our national economy is dragged into a global recession, economic support will be necessary regardless, particularly for small businesses, middle and working-class families, and low-wage workers.

It comes down to this: when you get sick, your doctor doesn’t tell you to only take half of your medicine – you take the whole prescription, otherwise you might not beat the illness.

Right now, we need to take our whole prescription, make the sacrifice together, and ask Floridians to stay home, for now.

In the 19th century, conservative British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli said “action may not bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”

The time is now for the Governor to take bold action with a statewide “stay-at-home” order. The only choice left to make is not if, but when to act – before it’s too late for action at all.

___

Nikki Fried is Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet.

Guest Author


3 comments

  • GWP Concreteman

    March 24, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    The GOVERNOR is the INCIDENT COMMANDER under a State of EMERGENCY. The Commissioner of Agriculture is not following the INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM for effective communication. MISINFORMATION and UNAUTHORIZED STATEMENTS contribute to CHAOS and DISORDER that are harmful to the citizens of FLORIDA. The Commissioners behavior is actually alarming and should be stopped immediately. fema.gov/coronavirus……disasterdistress.samhsa.gov.

    • C Helton

      March 24, 2020 at 9:24 pm

      I get it that there is an official protocol during an official emergency situation. However, what is the protocol when the INCIDENT COMMANDER is not following the urgent and consensus recommendations of epidemiologists on the need to impose stricter strategies to protect our medical workers who are most at risk for contracting the virus (whom we desperately need to save all of us) and save lives of the public, and time is of the essence? It seems like a patchwork system of stay at home orders, as is now, provides more CHAOS and DISORDER than a statewide order. Although projections of those who will need hospital care are uncertain, Commissioner Fried’s estimates are well within the scientifically based estimates and are not MISINFORMATION, and frankly, there have not been state AUTHORIZED STATEMENTS about the dire state of consequences if we do nothing more. We are only a week to three away from being Italy or New York whose medical professionals are faced with deciding who lives and dies due to lack of medical services. I tend to give Commissioner Fried a pass on going outside the “rules” because what she said is imperative. It is pretty clear that the US government is not prepared to assist Florida adequately in this crisis. We need leadership right now. Sometimes leaders have to look at the situation and decide if it is important enough a time to go outside the rules and politics.

      Governor Desantis seems to be a smart man who is open to looking at science in making decisions. Right now he has an opportunity to save Florida lives, but the window of opportunity is closing fast. That is what Commissioner Fried communicated. I think that it was spot on and sorry if it did not go through chain of command. I vote for saving lives rather than rules that don’t seem to work in a once in a century pandemic.

      As for the argument that not all counties in Florida have Covid-19 cases, so why put them into a statewide stay at home order, it is very probable that they are under tested because they have fewer medical resources. They mostly rely on neighboring counties for more serious emergency cases, so, if they are adjacent to a larger county, they are at the same risk as their neighboring county for not getting medical services they may need. A stay at home order would save their lives, also.

      Also, Florida has a higher average age, so we may well need even more medical services than other states. That is just another reason we need more statewide protections and for Governor Desantis to act.

  • John Kociuba

    March 26, 2020 at 4:46 am

    Dear Floridians ~

    Re: Nikki Fraud & Demorat Dog Party

    Okay. Search engine “John Hopkins University COVID 19 Tracker” and remember there’s 7.8 billion people on earth.

    Florida has 21.3 MILLION people! 1900 COVID 19 cases. I repeat. Florida has 21.3 MILLION people and 1900 COVID 19 cases! Yes! For the unimaginably stupid people. Florida has 21.3 MILLION people and only 1900 cases!

    DEMOCRATS WANT TO DESTROY AMERICA AND YOUR FAMILIES! THEY ARE DEVILS! COMMUNISTS! THEY DESPISE GOD AND YOUR HOLY SOUL! WHAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?

Comments are closed.


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