Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., says America must reopen “smartly, safely and soon.”
He made his comments in a column posted by Fox News on Tuesday.
Barrasso, who is also a doctor, says he agreed with the more than 600 physicians who wrote to President Donald Trump asking for help in ending the coronavirus-related shutdown.
“These medical professionals want the country to reopen as soon as possible, calling the shutdown a ‘mass casualty incident’ with ‘exponentially growing health consequences,’" he said.
“We cannot allow the cure to be worse than the disease. We closed down our country in order to bend the curve and make sure we had adequate medical resources. We have accomplished that goal in many places across America.”
He noted that as a result of the lockdown, “people have been forced to postpone important diagnostic and preventative medical procedures.” Barrasso said patients have been delaying doctors visits that could “detect life-threatening problems."
He pointed out many hospital emergency rooms have been empty because people stayed away if their symptoms were not related to COVID-19.
Barrasso added: “National headlines call attention to a deepening crisis in mental health care. Loneliness, family upheaval and financial pressures can increase stress, anxiety and unhealthy behavior. A San Francisco-area trauma center reports a year’s worth of suicide attempts in just the past four weeks.”
He maintained people should weigh all available information and reach their own conclusions.
But Barrasso warned that “The point is clear: Keeping states shut down will wreak havoc on the health of our society.”
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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