Hogan’s reopening plan is too ‘vague’; let’s go back to work now
Gov. Larry Hogan’s reopening plan is vague and will cost Maryland workers millions more in lost jobs and wages. Could anyone who got to page 26 of the Maryland Strong Plan figure out when they might go back to work? No, because it was too vague; every category speaks of “certain” shops and “some” businesses (“Maryland Gov. Hogan outlines three-stage plan to reopen businesses when coronavirus abates,” April 24).
Governor Hogan essentially says: I’ll let you know when you can go back to work later; in the meantime, just stay home and keep washing your hands. Do you suppose anyone in the government has done a cost-benefit analysis on that plan? How many more “furloughs” and missed checks and missed rent payments? How many lives do you think it will save? Many have wondered about doing a cost-benefit analysis at the beginning of this debacle. How about choosing some dates and doing an analysis of proposed actions from this point forward?
Mr. Hogan proudly reopened Laurel hospital and 6,000 “surge” beds recently, but there must not be a desperate need if Anne Arundel Medical Center is furloughing 1,000 people. How many beds are filled in Maryland? Meanwhile, what are we going to use 500,000 tests for? Mass testing is pointless, since it only proves if someone has the disease when they are tested. The governor could test 6 million Marylanders and then do it again tomorrow and perhaps find a few cases, but it is much more practical to test people with symptoms, and there will not be 500,000 more of those.
It would be really great if Governor Hogan would tell the truth on the numbers. Maryland has 6 million people and 20,849 cases as of Wednesday; that means 3% of the people have caught it — that we know of. The New York City study would suggest that about 100,000 Marylanders probably have had it if you could count the asymptomatic people. Of the 20,849 cases, 985 have died. So the recovery rate of tested cases is 95% and of the likely higher number of 100,000, the recovery rate would be over 99%.
So let me say that another way: You have about a 3% chance of getting the coronavirus with symptoms, and if you do catch it, you have a 95% chance of recovering. And adding in the asymptomatic, you have an additional 10% chance of getting it, but you won’t know it. There are no cures, and a vaccine could be two years away, if ever. It’s time to get back to work. Now.
Stephen Fisher, Edgewater