A10 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020 LATIMES.COM/OPINION
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ravel to and fromthe U.S. has
been curtailed. Major sports
leagues have suspended their
games. Conferences and con-
certs have been shut down, and
in some places large gatherings have been
banned outright. Disneyland is closed in-
definitely. Universities have sent students
home and moved classes online. Employers
have asked their workers to stay out of the
office, and government offices have closed
to the public. People have been cautioned to
remain 6 feet away from each other. The U.S.
economy has gone from solid to suspect al-
most overnight.
Normal life has been upended, and will
remain so for the foreseeable future, as the
United States struggles to get ahead of the
novel coronavirus pandemic. It’s going to be
disruptive and costly in ways we have yet to
imagine. And while the extraordinary mea-
sures mentioned above may seem extreme
to those in areas with few reported cases,
they are in fact rational. The reality is that
that we are still unprepared for the spread
of a microbe we don’t fully understand.
True, only 1,323 cases of COVID-19 and 38
deaths from the disease had been reported
in the U.S. as of Thursday. But public health
experts believe that the true infection rate is
orders of magnitude greater because of the
shortage of diagnostic tests.
Just to give one stark example of the
testing inadequacy: California — a state
with nearly 40 million people, 198 confirmed
COVID-19 cases and documented communi-
ty transmission — had conducted only 1,
tests as of Thursday. It’s staggering to imag-
ine how far and wide the infection may have
spread undetected.
Public health officials believe the battle
to contain the novel coronavirus has been
lost and the strategy now must be to slow
the rate of infections — to flatten out the
curve, in public-health speak — so that a
surge of cases doesn’t overwhelm health-
care systems. Doing so could buy time until
flu season has ended, which will free more
capacity in the system to respond to
COVID-19, and until new medicines to treat
sick people become available.
To get a clear idea of why delaying the
spread of COVID-19 cases is so important,
we need only to consider what’s happening
in Italy. In just a few weeks, that country’s
infection rate exploded from a few cases to
thousands. Now the entire country is in
quarantine, and the Italian healthcare sys-
tem is stressed nearly to the breaking point.
Avoiding that fate is going to require con-
siderable cooperation, preparation and pa-
tience — though not panic. More than ever,
we wish we had a president equal to the
challenge of competently and rationally
guiding the nation through a crisis. We do
not, however, and President Trump’s
address to the nation Wednesday night il-
lustrated once again his penchant for miss-
ing the point, misstating facts and blaming
others. He continued to underplay the seri-
ousness of the outbreak while at the same
time failing to calm Americans. He sparked
fears both among public health experts and
among Wall Street investors, who sent stock
tumbling Thursday in their worst day since- The leadership vacuum makes it all the
more essential that state and local officials
step up to make the difficult but essential
decisions needed now to protect their com-
munities in the days ahead.
And many have done so. In California,
state and local officials have for the most
part taken appropriately cautious mea-
sures to limit public events and encourage
changes in behavior to reduce contagion,
while not overreacting with massive clo-
sures. So far, elected officials haven’t recom-
mended that people hole themselves up at
home, aside from those who are sick or at
higher risk of becoming so. Nor have they or-
dered schools or businesses shut down. We
hope it won’t come to that. If COVID-19 is
contained soon, the wholesale shuttering of
commerce and society could do more long-
term harm than the virus itself.
But there are numerous things that busi-
nesses and schools can do now to make
more drastic steps unnecessary, and many
already have done so voluntarily. For exam-
ple, schools can limit assemblies and regu-
larly sanitize their facilities. And businesses
can allow employees, where feasible, to do
their work from home. Not everyone can do
their jobs remotely, but limiting the number
of people coming into a centralized location
reduces the opportunities for infection to
spread, and that makes everyone safer.
We hope that a year from now we look
back on this moment as the point at which
the U.S. got the upper hand in the co-
ronavirus outbreak. But for now, it seems
wise to plan for the long haul — for more in-
fections, more cancellations, more social
distancing, and more bad economic news —
and to respond by changing our lives cau-
tiously, calmly and responsibly.
Living with coronavirus
T
he world facesa humanitarian
crisis of historic proportions —
and one that doesn’t involve the
coronavirus. Over the last dec-
ade, global displacement of peo-
ple from their homes due to war or political
instability has grown from about 44 million
to more than 71 million, which the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
says far surpasses the estimated 60 million
people displaced by World War II.
Much of that sudden growth is the result
of the horrific Syrian civil war, which has
sent 6.7 million people fleeing their homes,
many of them squatting in the neighboring
nations of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
And that doesn’t include most of the 800,
people who fled Idlib Province in recent
months as Turkish and Syrian forces (with
Russian help) waged war in northern Syria.
But it is not just Syria. Millions of people
have also fled violence and instability in Af-
rica, including 2.3 million people uprooted in
civil-war-torn South Sudan alone. Af-
ghanistan, where the U.S. has been mired in
war for a generation, accounts for another
2.7 million displaced people.
Anti-Muslim policies in Buddhist-domi-
nated Myanmar have uprooted more than 1
million Rohingya,many of them now living
in squalor in neighboring Bangladesh. Cor-
ruption, economic hardship (propelled in
part by climate change) and deadly gang ac-
tivity in Central America have sent hun-
dreds of thousands of people fleeing. The
economic meltdown and political crisis in
Venezuela has similarly pushed an esti-
mated 4 million people out of the country.
Such massive displacements create not
only humanitarian problems, but also politi-
cal ones. The uprooting of people around
the Mediterranean has put particular stress
on Turkey, which hosts some 4.1 million ref-
ugees; Germany, with about 1 million ref-
ugees; and Italy and Greece, where most of
the flow of humanity arrive. Nationalism
fanned in part by the refugee displacements
has propelled far-right political movements
in Hungary, Austria, Italy and elsewhere in
Europe. Donald Trump tapped into fear of
immigrants to win the presidency four years
ago, and is banking on the issue to help his
reelection bid in November.
So what’s the answer to this crisis, which
has gone on for so long it has become ac-
cepted as part of the global backdrop? More
countries accepting more refugees for per-
manent resettlement is necessary, including
the United States, where the Trump admin-
istration has essentially shut the door to
most refugees. Robust funding of relief ef-
forts is crucial, but difficult. The U.N. ref-
ugee office estimates it needs about $8.6 bil-
lion a year to address the crisis but receives
only about half of that in donations, primar-
ily from the United States, the European
Union and about a dozen individual coun-
tries and private and institutional donors.
But stabilizing at-risk countries and re-
gions to keep people from fleeing in the first
place is crucial. Bolder and stronger inter-
national leadership to mediate peace agree-
ments in conflict areas would help. In Cen-
tral America it has long been recognized
that a more robust and inclusive economy, a
clampdown on corruption, effective crimi-
nal-justice systems and responsive demo-
cratic institutions would go a long way
toward alleviating many of the push factors.
But those problems and their solutions
have been known for years, and despite spo-
radic efforts by the U.S. and other regional
governments, results have been mixed, ac-
cording to a November report by the Con-
gressional Research Service.
Unfortunately, these crises are only go-
ing to get worse, experts say — driven by cli-
mate change that is making parts of the
world too hot for human life, exacerbating
droughts, changing where crops can be
grown and intensifying floods and storms.
The world has tried to craft plans to address
global warming, but the best efforts have
turned out to be woefully insufficient, a
problem worsened by President Trump’s
dangerous decision to withdraw the U.S.
from the 2015 Paris Agreement, and his
adoption of policies aimed at increasing the
production and use of fossil fuels.
The refugee crisis is one we’re inflicting
upon ourselves, with wars, destabilizing re-
gional power politics, racism, religious intol-
erance and xenophobia, and our collective
failure so far to marshal the necessary re-
sources to save the global environment from
the human activities that cause climate
change. We have no one but ourselves to
blame — and yet only we can solve the prob-
lems. We’d best get at it, and quickly, before
the human condition worsens.The forgotten refugee crisis
In light of this dreadful
pandemic, I am sure public
health and government
officials have their hands
full. However, I believe it is
past time that robust
social-distancing practices
are broadly put into effect.
Minimizing bodily (even
respiratory) interaction is
— along with conscientious
hygiene including hand
washing and no close con-
tact — the onlymeans our
society has to reduce this
contagion.
Western University of
Health Sciences has, on its
own, ended classroom
activities and other sizable
campus activities, as are
increasing numbers of
other institutions. I would
advise the entire region
and even the country as a
whole to do so as well.
It would be helpful if
such directives were made
by officials — now. Let us
not panic, but prepare and
prevent however possible.
Daniel R. Wilson, M.D.
Pomona
The writer is president
of Western University of
Health Sciences.::I’ve read so many ver-
sions and variations on
hand-washing songs that
help people make sure they
are really and truly spend-
ing the necessary 20 sec-
onds washing hands with
soap and water to protect
against spreading the
coronavirus.
I’ve decided to embrace
my public hand washing to
spread a message of hope
that we can work together,
not only to face this virus,
but to embrace a healthier
future with a strong sense
of responsible and caring
leadership back in place.
So when I wash my
hands in public, I am sing-
ing out loud “This Little
Light of Mine,” a gospel
song that came to be an
anthem of the civil rights
movement in the 1950s and
1960s. People sang this and
other spirituals during the
civil rights movement as a
way of expressing unity as
they fought for equal rights
and freedom for everyone.
We can sing to declare
that we are going to get
through this together.
Pamela Briggs
Los AngelesFirst a hunch,
now a travel ban
Re “Trump halts travel
over virus,” March 12A week before President
Trump addressed the
nation from the Oval Office
about the coronavirus, he
urged us to go to work and
expressed his “hunch” thatthe virus would just go
away.
Now that it is evident
that this is a serious prob-
lem, he is listening to scien-
tists. Hopefully, this sig-
nals that he will start ad-
mitting when experts know
more than he does and
allowing them to help
make decisions that will
save lives.
Unfortunately this is
just not who our president
is, and he is not likely to
change his behavior.
Trump’s conduct empha-
sizes how important it is
for us to elect leaders who
will act in the best interest
of the country and not just
a few people.
When the coronavirus
was beginning to spread in
the United States, Presi-
dential Medal of Freedom
recipient Rush Limbaugh
said on his radio program
that COVID-19, the disease
it causes, was like the com-
mon cold. The president
had downplayed the co-
ronavirus up until his Oval
Office address.
Now, we are in panic
mode. We need to put
political differences aside
and listen to the real ex-
perts.
Edward A. Sussman
Fountain Valley::When addressing the
nation at a time of crisis,
American presidents have
historically risen to the
occasion and projected to
the people a sense of pre-
paredness, decisiveness,
resolve and empathy.
Think of Abraham Lincoln
at Gettysburg, Franklin D.
Roosevelt after Pearl Har-
bor and George W. Bush
after 9/11.
Trump’s speech to the
nation, on the other hand,
reminded me of a hostage
being forced to read a
script.
This is a man who
seems incapable of feeling
empathy and cannot
understand and appreci-
ate the fears and concerns,
both medically and eco-
nomically, of most Ameri-
cans regarding the co-
ronavirus. Trump views
everything through the
lens of how it affects him
and who can he blame if
anything goes wrong.
A wise person once said,
“Crisis doesn’t change
people; it reveals them.”
Gary Vogt
Menifee::Iceland, like Great
Britain and Ireland, is an
island. There are fewer
cases of COVID-19 in Ice-
land, and fewer deaths.
There is no “chunnel”
connecting Iceland to
continental Europe.So, why is Iceland in-
cluded in the travel ban
between most European
countries and the United
States, while Great Britain
and Ireland are not? Could
it possibly be that there are
three Trump golf proper-
ties in those countries?
Brian Lipson
Beverly HillsA coronavirus
wage increase?
Re “The coronavirus stim-
ulus,” editorial, March 12There is nothing that
will stop the oncoming
recession. Airline profits
are already in free fall.
Related travel businesses
are being similarly hit. And
in the worst sign of all:
Costco is running out of
toilet paper.
The one solution that
will at least lessen the blow
of the recession for our
poorest and most threat-
ened citizens is to raise the
minimum wage. This puts
money into the hands of
people who will spend it,
since they already spend
everything they earn.
This does not raid the
U.S. Treasury or the Social
Security Trust Fund. In
fact it puts more money
into the U.S. Treasury and
Social Security, as both will
reap taxes on the new
income.
Republicans and busi-
nesses will cry foul that
these actions will only
worsen our problems. They
claim this every time the
minimum wage is raised,
and their dire predictions
are always wrong. It’s time
that we do something that
actually works.
Paul Weissman
Pasadena::President Trump’s
proposed payroll tax cut,
supposedly to help employ-
ees and small businesses
affected by the co-
ronavirus, is simply a cruel
slight-of-hand trick.
It doesn’t take a tax
expert to know that a
payroll tax cut will not help
someone who was laid off
because of the virus. If one
is laid off, obviously there is
no tax to cut.
Even more insidious is
that his proposed cut will
benefit corporations that
will no longer have to pay
their half share of the pay-
roll tax. Still worse, the tax
cut would drastically affect
Social Security.
Much greater and tar-
geted impact would come
from using those billions
instead to fund paid sick
leave, free virus testing and
treatment and subsidies to
small businesses whose
revenue has been affected
by a drastic loss of custom-
ers.
Ken Goldman
Beverly HillsSexism and
Sen. Warren
Re “Elizabeth Warren was
caught in the electability
trap,” March 1 1Hello? Was a woman
not the Democratic presi-
dential nominee in our last
election?
Gender bias is not why
Sen. Elizabeth Warren did
not win any Democratic
primaries or caucuses and
had to drop out after Super
Tuesday; rather, it was her
outlandish campaign
ideology.
Saying otherwise is, in
fact, sexist. When will
people admit the facts and
stop wallowing in victim-
hood?
Dianne Marlin
Long Beach::While I agree with much
of the essay about the
“electability trap” that
caught Warren, I believe
that as long as our society
is trying to control wom-
en’s bodies, we will not be
ready for a woman presi-
dent.
Laura Solomon
PasadenaThe tipping point
Re “Locked down in Italy by the coronavirus,” Opinion,
March 12David C. Unger, who is under lockdown in Italy,
emphasizes that the exploding number of COVID-
cases has overwhelmed the Italian healthcare system to
the point that it can no longer adequately serve the
population.
As the head of an urgent healthcare clinic through
many emergencies over the years, I can take a somewhat
longer view of our current situation with the coronavirus
and what is ahead. In this emergency there are echoes of
past crises in the rapid onset, the swift and
indiscriminate spread, and the dire but avoidable
consequences.
I have worked with some of the very best planners and
innovators in these crisis situations, and I urge us all now,
as planners, to imagine that the tipping point is now
upon us or has passed. Fortunately, what has worked in
some of the worst of these crises will work again. We
certainly do need extra vigilance now so we are not
wanting later.
We know where the resources are most needed right
now — for hospital and clinic personnel, technical
capacity and open collaboration between the sectors of
our healthcare systems to support best practices.
Staffing cannot be curbed until a full and clear end to the
crisis is at hand.
Mark Dreskin, M.D.
Los AngelesMiguel MedinaAFP/Getty Images
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