Learning Lessons from COVID-19 to Create a Better Federal Action Plan for Future Public Health Crises

Abstract

When the novel coronavirus arrived in early 2020, very few people were prepared to react and contain the virus from spreading rapidly. This lack of preparation impacted the American economy, leading to mass unemployment and a significant number of businesses and households suffering financially as a result. A weak governmental response, combined with lockdowns that were not comprehensive enough and ended prematurely, helped compound issues that hurt America physically and economically. Through the commissioning of Middle Tennessee State University’s Political Economic Research Institute, I look at metrics and statistics pertaining to the novel coronavirus and its impacts, to propose a unified federal action policy that keeps our nation as safe as possible, as prosperous as possible, and combats similar, society-destroying future crises as quickly as possible. The proposed federal plan responds quicker to the threat of incoming viral diseases, defines the essential businesses and sectors that would stay open during a six-week full shutdown period, and protects the most vulnerable citizens, while reopening the economy at the time when the American people can no longer afford to go without work.