Covid-19 is an international problem. It would be helpful if all the nations could unite to fight it. But national leadership, at the moment, is lacking, to put it mildly.
Here is the stance of the world's two major powers. China said it was probably started by American GI's. The Chinese government doesn't believe that, but it is convenient for the government if Chinese people do. The Don calls it the "Chinese flu" because his sources say it was a biological weapon that escaped the Chinese lab at Wuhan. American intelligence agencies don't believe that, but it is convenient to The Don that American people do. His own sources exclude intelligence agencies.
We got 10 million gloves, 18 million face masks and 95,000 masks from China through a pubic-private partnership Sunday. Jared Kushner was involved, but I can't find any record of The Don acknowledging where it came from.
After that it is all downhill. The Asian countries don't trust China; western countries don't trust The Don because he will either be wrong (cf. "Chinese flu") or any help he gives comes with an "I would like you to do us a favor, though."
What every crisis needs is calm, factual leadership from the top. What this one is getting is, "I haven't heard about testing," from The Don to governors. Fact check: Palm Beach County's testing center opens today; it is already booked through Thursday.
What it also gets is, ""How do you go from 10-to-20-to-300,000 (masks)?
Something's going on...Where are the masks going? Are they going out
the back door?" So when a lot of people die because The Don didn't understand and was distracted by ego, it will be the fault of doctors and nurses. Got it. Check. And all that time I thought it was the governors' fault.
That being the case, why does The Don occasionally abandon irrational impulses to declare victory by Easter or let the so-sad governors scramble for ventilators? Are Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx telling him fairy stories in which he is the noble prince who saves everybody and is beloved by all? (The only kind of story he likes.) If so, when they are interviewed, can we be sure they are talking to us, and not over our heads to reinforce the fairly tale for the flighty 4-year-old they have to manage?
Even on the national level, the credibility of real leaders needs to be discounted these days.
Apparently Taiwan's and South Korea's leaders have handled it better. From what I am reading they faced up to it early on.
ReplyDeleteHow is your granddaughter who lives in Taiwan doing?
Katie reports she is healthy but bored. She gets her temperature taken when she arrives at school in the morning and again after lunch. If the temp were high, she'd get a test (doesn't need a reservation). But night life is down to zero.
ReplyDeleteI see the CDC is mulling a recommendation for face coverings. Patterns for these abound on the Internet. Crafty people also sell them on Etsy. I ordered 9. Some for us, some for The Boy. His coffee joints are being allowed to stay open as "essential businesses," but only two employees per location.
ReplyDeleteI spoke with him Sunday, and he has been put back on the line making espresso and laid off more people. He seems very harried, depressed, and uncommunicative. He does the dirty work of layoffs and risks exposure from customers while the franchisee bitches about how being cooped up in his McMansion and losing money.
I have nothing to say that's going to make anything better. Just have to let him vent and hope he is processing this experience into something life-changing for the better down the road.
When I was at the grocery store last Saturday, I concluded that in fact there is a face mask surplus, evidenced that at least one out of every three shoppers was wearing one.
DeleteYes, these things are VERY plentiful on Etsy. I went through several selections until I found one that was cheap, American-made, and shipped quickly.
DeleteWhen I talked to my younger son on Sunday I asked how they were, and he said "okay". The way he said it made me think something was bugging him, so I used my mom prying talents. Turns out one of his girls had a slight fever and an upset stomach. And she had thrown up on her mom. Sounds like the 24 hour bug, since she was feeling better when I texted them yesterday. But nowadays it's a cause to worry. Hopefully no one else will get it.
ReplyDeleteOn a more cheerful note, one of my choir friends rang the doorbell and dropped off the new Easter season missalette and some daffodils on the step. Not that we're going to be singing for Easter. But we stood six feet apart and distance chatted for a minute until the cat tried to get out.
Haha! Cats wrecking social lives. I could write that book. So glad to hear your granddaughter seems to be OK. I only use my mom-prying talents so far. When I sense he just wants me to back off, I do. Then I go and worry my head off silently. Not the way I was raised, but the German-ness of being a Raber for 35+ years has kind of rubbed off.
DeleteThis particular son will always touch base if something is up, especially if it's one of his kids. Sometimes it takes a little doing to extract what the problem exactly is.
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