With new COVID cases in Texas routinely surpassing 10,000 per day, it is crucial that we re-evaluate how the pandemic is being handled. When lock downs were first imposed in March, less than 1,000 new cases were being confirmed each day. We were told that the lock downs were necessary to “flatten the curve.” But the only thing that the lock downs have flattened is our economy, and with it, the wallets of hard working Texans who have seen their livelihood destroyed.
Clearly, the lock downs haven’t worked.
Other states are once again turning to lock downs in the face of a new surge of cases, but Texas should not follow the herd. Texas should set an example for the rest of the nation, just as we have done in creating an economy that is the envy of the nation.
The Texas economy has prospered because the state government has not imposed restrictive regulations and onerous taxation on the citizenry. We have been free to produce and trade. Until the lock downs.
The proper response to the surge in COVID cases isn’t the shuttering of business and more economic devastation. The solution is to apply principles that have proven effective in stopping the spread of the virus: test, isolate the infected, and contact trace.
Taiwan, a nation of 24 million people, has had less than 750 COVID cases during the entire pandemic. Texas is confirming about 750 new COVID cases every two hours. Taiwan has rigorously applied the principles of test, isolate, and contact trace. Texas hasn’t.
We can stop the spread of the novel virus (or similar viruses in the future) and enjoy our economic liberties. All it takes is the courage to do what is right and go against the herd. And to do that, we must re-evaluate our pandemic response.