“If we do not stop the expansion of the coronavirus pandemic right now, within the next few months, we will face a catastrophe that will be much worse than the current situation,” Barry said in an article in The New York Times.
The expert believes that it is necessary to take “very harsh measures”, including, if necessary, “complete quarantine in most of the country.” Adhering to “social distancing”, wearing masks, washing hands and isolating oneself remain critical elements of containing the pandemic, but “the virus has spread so widely that these actions alone will not be able to steer the infection curve down fast enough.” Barry recalled that the United States is currently experiencing the world’s highest increase in the virus infection rate. For example, on a single day in mid-July, Florida reported 15,000 infections, while Germany, which has a population four times the population of Florida, had only 159 cases.
To safely reopen schools and get a shattered economy back on its feet, we must bring our infection rates down to European levels, Barry said. This requires at least limiting the number of people gathering together and closing sources of increased infection. But this may not be enough, and a “full quarantine” will be required – such as the one that was established in mid-April.
Barry noted that in the United States, the goals set by medical experts have not been achieved. In particular, the quarantine should have continued until a sharp decline in new infections was recorded, and only then should the states be opened. “If we did it right the first time, today we would contain almost 100% of the growth of diseases, and thousands of lives would be saved. This is our second chance, ”Barry warns. “We won’t get a third chance.”