Trump shuts barn door after horses have left: Europe travel ban

[iluvatar5150]

And by contrast, the previous dear leader did nothing in the case of the H1N1 virus until after 1000 people had died.

Not true, but I caught a bit of Rush today, too. That was hardly the only thing he got wrong.

2009 flu pandemic in the United States - Wikipedia

 

[SummerMadness]

The US hasn't been behind. On the contrary, the epidemic has not his the US as hard as it has most of the rest of the industrialized world, and that was in large part due to the ban on travel from China. This is why it was necessary to extend the travel ban to most European countries. As the President pointed out:

"Our team is the best anywhere in the world. At the very start of the outbreak, we instituted sweeping travel restrictions on China and put in place the first federally mandated quarantine in over 50 years. We declared a public health emergency and issued the highest level of travel warning on other countries as the virus spread its horrible infection.

And taking early intense action, we have seen dramatically fewer cases of the virus in the United States than are now present in Europe.

The European Union failed to take the same precautions and restrict travel from China and other hot spots. As a result, a large number of new clusters in the United States were seeded by travelers from Europe."

And this attitude is exactly the point. Thinking that you protect the United States with an isolationist approach to the world is the main reason your economy is now cratering. Leading would be sending your scientists and resources to help with other labs, you would also institute a program for widespread testing like South Korea as this would allow you to isolate the virus more effectively. Travel bans, especially with all the exceptions they've made is just bad policy and outright incompetence. Stans for mediocrity are not going to work this go-round.

 

[Cimorene]

He's caused absolute chaos, added in to a global pandemic.

 

[Nithavela]

OK. There are 1000 official cases in the whole country right now. In four weeks, I am willing to state that at least 25 states will have 1000 official cases. Or... if the administration still has its head up its butt with respect to testing, 1000 presumptive positive cases.

That will be the case in 1-2 weeks.

 

[Nithavela]

And this attitude is exactly the point. Thinking that you protect the United States with an isolationist approach to the world is the main reason your economy is now cratering. Leading would be sending your scientists and resources to help with other labs, you would also institute a program for widespread testing like South Korea as this would allow you to isolate the virus more effectively. Travel bans, especially with all the exceptions they've made is just bad policy and outright incompetence. Stans for mediocrity are not going to work this go-round.

Trump is basically setting up Europe as a scapegoat. When the US gets sweeped by the disease, his followers will be very angry with europe.

 

[DamianWarS]

On a separate but related note (I don't think we need yet another thread):

"He [Trump] said he would seek to provide "unprecedented" action that would allow sick workers to stay home and still be paid."

Here in the civilized world we call that "sick leave". not "unprecedented"

Sick leave still has its limits (that some may have already exhausted), unprecedented seems to invoke something beyond those limits and federally funded.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Trump is basically setting up Europe as a scapegoat. When the US gets sweeped by the disease, his followers will be very angry with europe.

Well, no, it's China that warrants the blame for it. Yet so much of the press is willing to let China off the hook.

 

[Nithavela]

Well, no, it's China that warrants the blame for it. Yet so much of the press is willing to let China off the hook.

Na, China is starting to get the shmooze treatment because they were so great and tough and contained it. The fact that they suppressed the warnings about the disease until it was already out of control is getting buried.

 

[SimplyMe]

There's a difference between confirmed cases and confirmed sustained community spread outbreaks, though. There are probably more genuine outbreaks than we know about, but some areas are still going to be more strongly hit, and so far they seem to be Washington, California, and New York. Less to worry about if you're not in a hot zone.

The issue is, without testing, people who don't realize they were exposed are getting sick -- we're identifying those who have the virus after they've been out and infected others. It seems pretty obvious you are going to have at least a couple of outbreaks in Texas (minimum of Dallas and Houston) where people went to events where there were thousands of people. And we're seeing this same type of thing happening in other states. Someone early reported a Bike Fest in Florida, which attracts hundreds of thousands, where a person attended who had the virus.

We keep seeing this over and over, in various states and cities. Before it is over, there will be plenty of "hot zones." Remember, no one has any immunity to this virus.

 

[SoldierOfTheKing]

Na, China is starting to get the shmooze treatment because they were so great and tough and contained it. The fact that they suppressed the warnings about the disease until it was already out of control is getting buried.

The President caught flack merely for speaking of a "foreign virus". The Secretary of State called it the Wuhan virus and we heard that the term was racist. That the press is blatantly rehashing the talking points of the Chinese government does not seem to embarrass them at all. Apparently we're not even supposed to say anything to suggest that this pandemic originated where it did in fact originate...

 

[evoeth]

Well, no, it's China that warrants the blame for it. Yet so much of the press is willing to let China off the hook.

China took drastic measures like locking down domestic movements, scanning everyone for fever constantly, and forcibly quarantining those with fever at special made testing and quarantine centers. They managed to hit the inflection point in the infection rate as a result. No other country has yet to do that.

We owe them a solid for taking the most drastic measures to date to slow this down.

 

[Nithavela]

The President caught flack merely for speaking of a "foreign virus". The Secretary of State called it the Wuhan virus and we heard that the term was racist. That the press is blatantly rehashing the talking points of the Chinese government does not seem to embarrass them at all. Apparently we're not even supposed to say anything to suggest that this pandemic originated where it did in fact originate...

China is currently spreading propaganda that the virus came from another country into the wuhan food market, that they did everything right to contain it and that now the scary foreigners are the evil guys because they aren't as efficient at containment.

 

[Kentonio]

Trump going on about Obama and swine flu is beyond pathetic. You're in the early phases of a pandemic, how about focus on how to protect America and its citizens and stop with all the finger pointing and whining? Does Trump even understand that he's the President of the United States with all the responsibilities that brings?

 

[Kaon]

USA citizens won't get it, no matter how many warnings are given because we are humans - and we take every opportunity possible to repeat our destructive history.

How often in history do humans listen to the people that warn or foretell? Usually we let them die, disappear or go away. Then, we complain as if no one warned us.

USA was warned of overinflated markets and artificially low interest rates, and the Federal Reserve injecting money/buying the US out of financial demise. The markets have barely reached -20% to be marginally corrected... It needs to drop another 20% before Q3 or it will crash. Nevermind epidemiological warnings considered woo that is now reality, and pieces of events that connect.



We are to blame for it all; Trump is just exploiting his role... we antagonize the people who tell us we are on fire.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

By what definition of "quickly?"

Again, my father-in-law is in bed with pneumonia in the SF Bay Area this minute and can't get tested. He's in his mid 70s and at high risk and we just don't know right now.

Meanwhile, Tom Hanks gets screened because he visited a GP with cold symptoms. In Australia.

Clearly the Liberal Elites put more value on Tom Hanks than your father.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

You know, it’s not really about him anymore. The entire US public is at risk of contracting a deadly disease we don’t yet know how to deal with, in part because of his inaction.

I’m tired of this persecution complex people seem to have where we’re all supposed to feel sorry for the president having a tough job. I’m glad it seems like he’s finally waking up from his delusion that everything is fine and he’s doing a fantastic job. Everything is not fine, he’s doing a terrible job and I hope he’s elected out of office this November.

Oh, Trumps inaction caused all the cases in China? Trumps inaction has caused Italy to go on full lockdown? Trumps inaction has caused the Iran to fail? Funny how these countries have nothing to do with Trump, and have had cases a lot longer than the US, and they still don’t know what to do, but it is all on Trump. Sad.

 

[Bobber]

Took a plague to do it, but Donald finally got his closed borders.

Curious. Do you not liking Trump about ANYTHING people, do you still feel the borders should be wide open for everyone to come in?

 

[TLK Valentine]

Curious. Do you not liking Trump about ANYTHING people, do you still feel the borders should be wide open for everyone to come in?

Still pushing that narrative, eh?

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Oh, Trumps inaction caused all the cases in China? Trumps inaction has caused Italy to go on full lockdown? Trumps inaction has caused the Iran to fail? Funny how these countries have nothing to do with Trump, and have had cases a lot longer than the US, and they still don’t know what to do, but it is all on Trump. Sad.

Only America’s response is Trump’s fault. Really, I’m not sure I even totally blame him. It’s not all his fault he’s kept himself in a bubble of delusions and lies and is basically impervious to new, contradicting or unflattering information. That and his inability to be a voice of calm, collected reason in a time of crisis make him entirely unfit to lead a nation. But we’ve known that already.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

Curious. Do you not liking Trump about ANYTHING people, do you still feel the borders should be wide open for everyone to come in?

Very few people actually believe the “borders should be wide open for everyone to come in”.

Also, this virus is literally everywhere. Everyone is a potential carrier, and it didn’t come in with foreigners. Ironically, other countries are looking at us as the dirty ones they don’t want coming in and infecting their people.

You can stop using this virus to push your right wing political agenda anytime now. Thanks.