Isa Elayyan
Noam more
Phi 60
4/22/20
Monitoring the Spread Corona Virus in the United States
Abhijit Naskar, a neuroscientist and author, provides that, “Crisis either causes regress or progress depending on the will of the people.”( Naskar) He meant the action of humankind during a crisis determines the level at which they can be affected. In the past, the world has experienced tragedies such as pandemics, natural disasters, and wars. As a result, there were massive losses of lives and properties. Currently, there is an outbreak of the coronavirus. It causes a large number of viruses that causes that lead to illnesses such as common cold, kidney failure, severe acute respiratory syndrome, and pneumonia. (Peiris, 2431-2441). Coronavirus is highly contagious. Thus, ideal measures are needed to curb its spread and control the outbreak. To monitor the spread of the virus in the U.S., one of the most affected countries, the U.S. government needs to play a more significant role in enforcing a nationwide lockout with strict controls on non-essential businesses and individuals. ( Anderson 931-934)
Utilitarian principles provide that an action can be defined as a right or a wrong based on their consequences. Milton defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the belief that “steps are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. This theory, however, in this particular action undermines what the government is trying to achieve in its effort to curb the spread of coronavirus. The Utilitarian approach is essential in any country since it protects people from the adverse impacts of particular actions. In this case, it promotes moral theories such as Kantianism, utilitarianism, and virtue theory. The ethical theories support desirable standards of behavior and life (Nozick, p28). The utilitarian approach is meant to ensure that people live happily, and in turn, it reduces terrible things that can cause unhappiness and pain. The argument is instrumental in providing curb behavior, habits, and actions that could lead to grief and suffering among people in a nation affected by a crisis. The theory can effectively be applied in the United States to curb the spread of the coronavirus. A lockdown can be regarded as an ideal move to curb a bad thing, which is the spread of the virus. The counties that have implemented these preventions have seen the number of coronavirus cases go down. Not all states are currently on the same page as each state varies in how they respond to staying at home orders (The Associated Press). Thus, dedicated lockdown measures should be implemented in each state, depending on how the level of infection. Notably, some of the states such as Washington and New York are adversely affected by the virus than others. Hence, the government needs to provide those states with the lifesaving equipment they need and not send them to each other on a bidding war. In this case, the spread of the virus will be effectively curbed and controlled. Therefore, the ideal lockdown measures should be implemented in cases like Wuhan estate in china that was able to beat this virus.
Besides, not all states are on the same page when it comes to lockdown directives. While some states have already ensured total lockdown to their citizens, others have not, and people are going their regular businesses outside their homes. This presents a challenge in the monitoring of the virus in those counties. (Gershman (2020) provides that the state of affairs is undermining the effectiveness of the fight against the outbreak. Infections are high people keep on moving in and out of their homes due to lack of stringent lockdown measures (Gershman, 2020).
Furthermore, the government needs to provide those states with the lifesaving equipment they need that will help them combat this virus. Having the right medical equipment is critical in such a moment. Having the right medical equipment and resources enhanced the ability and capability of healthcare facilities and states at large to handle the fast increasing of coronavirus patients. However, healthcare facilities of some of the states are overwhelmed by the massive number of patients, and thus, they have been forced to seek help from others (Emanuel, 2020). This has presented a situation where states are at “war,” which each other as they try to acquire the necessary medical equipment and resources. This undermines the overall focus of the nation in the fight and monitoring of the coronavirus (Gershman, 2020). Uniform governance policies should be applied in all states and liberty principles suspended in this particular period. This will minimize “war” between states and enhanced the collective effort of the American nation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Liberty principles and socialism goes hand in hand, and they allow people to engage in actions and behaviors that can undermine the battle against coronavirus. These actions should be greatly discouraged in the fight against coronavirus. Besides enacting a lockdown, the government should strive to provide necessary lifesaving equipment to states that in need and thus, curb the war and enhanced the collective monitoring efforts of the virus in the American continent.
Conclusively, a responsible and effective government is critical when tragedies strike in a nation. Notably, the government of the United States should come in strongly to effect ideal measures in the fight against coronavirus. Notably, not all states need to be on the same page. Hence, they need a collaborative union in the fight against this pandemic. In addition to this, the government of the United States should strive to ensure that total lockdown measures are implemented in all states. This will ensure that people are not being infected with the virus while in public spaces. Besides, the government should play a central role in proving the needed medical and lifesaving equipment to states that are in need. This will curb the “wars” between states and enhanced the collective effort of all states in fighting the pandemic.
Works Cited
Anderson, Roy M., et al. “How will country-based mitigation measures influence the course of the COVID-19 epidemic?.” The Lancet 395.10228 (2020): 931-934.
Peiris, Joseph SM, et al. “The severe acute respiratory syndrome.” New England Journal of Medicine 349.25 (2003): 2431-2441.
Emanuel, Ezekiel J., et al. “Fair allocation of scarce medical resources in the time of Covid-19.” (2020).
Friedman, Milton, and Rose Friedman. Free to Choose: A Personal Statement. 2008. p1-327 Retrieved from https://b-ok.org/ireader/1192988
Gershman, Jacob “A Guide to State Coronavirus Lockdowns.” (2020). Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/a-state-by-state-guide-to-coronavirus-lockdowns-11584749351
Nozick, Robert. Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Basic Books, 1974. p1-361. Retrieved from https://b-ok.org/ireader/965169
The Associated Press “Calling Trump: When Connections Help Steer Virus Supplies” (2020). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2020/04/11/us/politics/bc-us-virus-outbreak-calling-trump.html