Covid-19 is undoubtedly a public health emergency
Introduction
Covid-19 is undoubtedly a public health emergency and global pandemic. This report shows the U.S. government’s political intervention in different sectors during the crisis. It portrays the role of various industries in the country’s wellbeing and offers a public health recommendation suitable for the crisis.
Healthcare
Between January and March 2020, the federal government committed judgment and inaction failures in response to the novel coronavirus, at least comparably to some of the other countries facing the pandemic before the United States (Wallach & Myers, 2020). “Judgment” failures comprised of communication or statements uttered by political figures, whether officially or unofficially. For example, in January, the government ensured Americans that the disease was not a significant risk and that it was under control. Before the end of the month, however, the Seattle region had already seen a considerable community spread (Wallach & Myers, 2020). Some state and local government officials mainly described the disease as of low threat, even discouraging citizens from changing their social and economic lifestyles. These communication mistakes may have slowed the rate of response, especially regarding social distancing, traveling, and other social gatherings. “Inaction” failures, on the other hand, consist of mistakes committed by the government regarding testing, travel ban, and other activities that could have reduced the spread. The government’s insistence on the adequacy of traditional testing facilities is a significant matter in this inaction. That insistence meant few confirmed cases until the expansion of the testing capacity, which revealed much higher infection rates. The slow pace of imposing international travel restrictions further left the country porous, with infected persons freely entering the country.
Education
The coronavirus pandemic has seen widespread closure of schools throughout the United States. Probably, these closures are more extensive than any such incidences in history. Some of the realities exposed by these closures are the financial and resource inequalities between jurisdictions and among students (Rodriguez, 2020). While some parents can provide their children with technology and the internet for online learning, some cannot. That means that some students will go through the crisis without losing much education, while others will suffer significantly. One of the policy failures arguably exposed to this crisis is the lack of the education system to have created a back-up online instruction system to ensure that students can continue learning outside of the classroom.
Equity
As highlighted above, the institutional capacity of school districts and parents during the crisis is different. Boston, for instance, has already set up hotspots where students and families can access the internet and read online (Rodriguez, 2020). Other districts may not have the finances to create similar facilities. These differences have significant implications on equity, mainly because education is a vital ingredient in employment. In the future, families and school districts that are currently capable of proving resources, opportunities, and support for their children may lead the less advantaged ones in employment and income.
Economy
The U.S. government has ordered the closure of businesses in its attempt to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Restaurants, bars, schools, and other prominent economic agents have come to a halt following the outbreak. Huge employers like Apple, Ford Motor Company, Walt Disney, and Boeing have closed their leading establishments following government directives and guidelines, especially regarding social distancing. That means that low and medium-income earners, who rely on these businesses for survival, now expect the government to supplement their incomes. It also means that aggregate demand has significantly fallen as peoples’ purchasing power has declined.
Consequently, the government has raised its spending, reaching 4 trillion U.S. dollars recently (Balz, 2020). Airlines and other companies continue to receive government bailout to increase their withstanding capabilities during the present recession. These initiatives come with an increase in federal debt.
The role of “the country’s health.”
Food & Agriculture
Apart from the farm business, the agricultural sector contributes significantly to food-related industries such as foodservice and manufacturing. These sectors combined to constitute a significant part of the workforce (USDA, 2020). The field, for instance, was responsible for 22 million jobs in the year 2018 (USDA, 2020). Since people spend significantly on agro-related foods (13 percent of average household expenditure), the industry also forms a significant part of GDP. For instance, it contributed 1.05 trillion U.S. dollars in the year 2017 (USDA, 2020). The distribution of jobs in this sector includes fruits and vegetables, animal foods, meat and poultry, sugar and confectionery, and beverages. Business closures following the coronavirus outbreak, therefore, will considerably affect the economy given the vast economic output in these industries.
Automotive
The production, wholesaling, retailing, and maintenance of motor vehicles constitute the automotive industry. One can split the sector into two broad categories: manufacturers and dealers. As of February 2020, these general sectors had 2.064 million and 996,500 employees, respectively (Statista, 2020). With the coronavirus outbreak, most manufacturers have stopped making new cars, and the trend may persist if conditions do not change (Statista, 2020).
Entertainment
The entertainment industry consists mainly of the production and distribution of film and television shows. It is a burgeoning business in the U.S. almost exclusively identified with Hollywood. Together with arts and recreation, the sector employs about 2.4 million people in the country (Data USA, 2020). With estimated job growth of 0.6 percent, the industry is an attractive employment hub (Data USA, 2020).
Conclusion and Recommendation
Covid-19 has proved beyond doubt that it is a global pandemic. This report highlights its impact in various sectors and the corresponding political interventions. The report highlights some shortcomings in the government’s responsiveness (the initial testing capacity) as well as its positively addressed areas such as the rise in government spending. As a public health professional, the appropriate advice would be to divert finances currently bailed out to airlines and other businesses (which are less urgent now) into more urgent projects such as constructing and equipping hospitals.
References
Balz, D. (2020). Government is everywhere now. Where does it go next?. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/pandemic-government-role/
Data USA. (2020). Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://datausa.io/profile/naics/arts-entertainment-recreation
Rodriguez, R. (2020). Time to fix American education with race-for-space resolve. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/04/the-pandemics-impact-on-education/
Statista. (2020). Number of U.S. automotive industry employees between February 2010 and 2020, by sector. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/276474/automotive-industry-employees-in-the-united-states-by-sector/
United States Department of Agriculture. (2020). Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy/
Wallach, P., & Myers, J. (2020). The federal government’s coronavirus response—Public health timeline. Retrieved 1 May 2020, from https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-federal-governments-coronavirus-actions-and-failures-timeline-and-themes/