Tuesday’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response: Gov. Sisolak, Mayor Goodman Capture Headlines With Opposing Public Policy Perspectives
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
On Tuesday, you did not see more polar opposite public policy perspectives on the COVID-19 pandemic than the statements from Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman.
In the morning, Goodman spoke on a network news show and repeated her position that it’s time “to get our people back to work.” Goodman told MSNBC’s Katy Tur: “Let’s go forward and open up the city.” Goodman had used the term, “insanity,” to describe the move to shut down businesses deemed non-essential by the state.
Later in the day at a press conference, Sisolak said he could not provide a firm date on a re-opening date. “You’ve heard me say this a lot over the past couple of weeks: that the people of Nevada – the lives of Nevadans – are more valuable than profit. That remains true, but I also understand what the cost has been to our State, your families, your businesses, and our economy.” Later during the media session, Sisolak called it a “balancing act.”
Goodman’s policy of re-opening the economy right now is reckless. LVSportsBiz.com understands the millions of dollars of revenues lost in Nevada and the thousands of workers who are staying home instead of working. It’s painful to see.
But re-opening the economy would lead to more coronavirus infections and inevitably, more deaths, in Nevada.
LVSportsBiz.com supports Sisolak’s approach. Here were his words: “Here’s the reality. We are seeing fewer cases and deaths than were predicated by many of the models early in the outbreak. That means social distancing and other measures are working. Flattening the curve is only beneficial if we can keep the curve flat. And the factors that helped us flatten the curve, like staying home, practicing aggressive social distancing and frequent hand washing, are still critical to our success. This virus isn’t gone. We have flattened this curve because of our human behavior.”
Indeed, it’s our human behavior of physically isolating ourselves, of practicing social distancing and of wearing face coverings when entering places with other people like stores that have helped the numbers in favor of our health.
The sports industry will face its most difficult challenges in trying to reintegrate fans into the sports venues they loved to go to. LVSportsBiz.com has reported on this extensively during the past few weeks.
Our health is precious.
I know. Three years ago it was taken away from me in a heartbeat. But I was lucky. I survived.
It was a raw emotional reckoning that health is priceless.
I understand people want their old lives back. This pandemic will inevitably destroy some businesses.
Businesses can be re-built, though. Eventually, the Nevada economy will move through phases to re-open.
It will happen. Nevada will be re-built.
We need patience more than ever before.
Your health, guard it like your life is on the line. It’s your most precious possession.
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