Sheltering-in-Place : Life Over Livelihood

Governors in 5 U.S. States have ordered the millions of people in their jurisdiction to shelter-in-place; choosing life over livelihood on their behalf.

The first to implement the drastic measure in waging the war against the Covid-19 infectious disease was the San Francisco Bay Area, as the number of community-transmitted cases quickly rose to about 350. Apparently alarmed by the projection that as many as 25 million individuals could be hit with the Covid-19 disease In California, Governor Gavin Newsom eventually gave the order to make shelter-in-place restriction mandatory in the entire state.

In less than a day thereafter, Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, Governor Jay Robert “J. B.” Pritzker of Illinois, Governor Philip Murphy of New Jersey, and Edward “Ned” Lamont Jr, gave the same order in separate announcements. All five governors agree that at the end of the day, the health and well-being of their respective constituents can be best protected, if people are forced by law to stay home. The only time they will be allowed to go out is if they need to buy food or medicine, but will be subject to vetting by local law enforcers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported Saturday (March 21, 2020) that the confirmed cases of Covid-19 infection across 168 countries around the globe has reached 234,000, to which 9,840 resulted in fatalities. As of this writing the numbers have once again risen to 284,566 confirmed cases with at least 11,868 deaths.

Shelter-in-Place Restrictions can Slow Down the Rapid Rise

The U.S. is fast becoming one of the worst-hit countries, as the numbers have quickly climbed to 19,624 confirmed cases and 260 deaths. Mainly because many ignored warnings coming from the WHO, the CDC and later from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) that the contagion has reached a stage where it can be transmitted by way of close person-to-person encounters and interactions, whether in public or private places.

As many of the American population took light of advisories about distancing from each other by at least 3 meters apart , the numbers of confirmed cases rose rapidly. Not a few of the people with whom the infected had socialized and/or came in close contact with, also tested positive with the novel coronavirus. Cases of infection rose exponentially because for every person that gets infected, it is quite likely that he or she had transmitted the disease to several others in recent physical social interactions.

Death tolls also increase, presumably because health care facilities are swamped, while patients needing medical attention far outnumber the medical staff and crew.

The NIAID Warned Things Will Get Worse if People Will Not Strictly Adhere to Social Distancing Measures

In seeing how the American public still went about their ordinary lives without observing social distancing measures, the head of NIAID, Dr. Anthony Fauci, kept imploring all Americans to limit having contact with others in order to slow the rapid rate with which new cases of Covid-19 infections transpire.

Dr. Fauci warned that

“The worst is yet to happen as the Covid-19 crisis could very well continue into the summer.” “It is how people respond to that challenge, will determine what the ultimate endpoint will be.”

Based on a report released by researchers at the Imperial College London, a computer modeling used in analyzing the current state of the Covid-19 crisis in the U.S., predicted that an estimated 2 million Americans could die if strict social distancing measures will not be enacted.

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