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Across the world, the ongoing balance between protecting the population from pandemic health risks and protecting the economy from the consequences of closed business is now being discussed. In the United States, the debate has been poisoned by political attacks by parties.
Republicans want to quickly reopen businesses, while Democrats generally advocate tighter restrictions and additional stimulus measures to deal with the crisis. Part of the explanation for the divide between parties and politics is that Democratic voters live more in the poor metropolitan areas most affected by the pandemic.
For example, in the Latin American area of Washington Heights in northern Manhattan, 98 people died in a single retirement home in April. Even in Atlanta, New Orleans, and Detroit, for example, low-income areas have suffered the worst.
Various states, Texas and Ohio, among others, announced this week that they would open businesses again. Georgia has been more offensive in its strategy of reopening operations. Already on April 24, shops, restaurants and service companies were reopened. So far, 1,167 people have died in the state and 28,000 are confirmed to be infected. More than 1,100 new infected cases were reported this week.
120 restaurants in Atlanta, the state’s largest city, have said they refuse to open despite easing restrictions, considering the risk of new ones becoming infected.
Armed protesters in Michigan on April 15.
Photo: Paul Sancya / AP
Since mid-April, conservative activists have organized protests against the restrictions at the state level. Donald Trump has expressed his support for the protests, despite advocating for some of the restrictions that states have implemented. On Twitter, Trump has capitalized that states like Michigan and Minnesota must be “released.”
Criticism of Trump’s handling The pandemic has escalated after new reports revealed that Trump ignored dozens of alerts from intelligence services about the dangers of the virus in January and February. In early March, Trump said those who feel sick should still go to work.
After the US economy collapsed in the spring, Donald Trump tried to blame Democrats for the economy. Their support for protests across the country should be seen in a broader political context. Trump wants to convince voters that the blame for the economic crisis is not due to his own mistakes, but to the Democrats’ trade restrictions.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Photo: AP
This week, armed and masked protesters in Michigan stormed the state building where they called Governor Gretchen Whitmer “Hitler” and called the decision to close businesses “tyranny.”
For Trump, these protests are about not only on state politics but also on national political debate. Popular Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has been named as one of the people Joe Biden is considering to nominate as a vice presidential candidate.
Its national profile has been strengthened by leadership during the pandemic, with Michigan being one of the hardest hit states. Whitmer has 63 percent confidence in a state that Donald Trump must win to be reelected in November. It may have something to do with Trump’s harsh criticism of her.
At the same time, the risks of the protests have been made clear. In North Carolina, a conservative activist, Audrey Whitlock, who organized protests in April, has been infected with the virus and is now in quarantine. However, she says she will continue to demonstrate as soon as the quarantine ends.
In the United States, more than 1.1 million people have been confirmed to be infected with the virus. 66,605 people have died.
Read more: Armed protesters reached the Michigan Senate
