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    The COVID-19 pandemic has reached record levels of daily cases in America as infections spike in the Midwest and throughout the country. I’m writing this on October 30, and as of yesterday, the U.S. recorded a record 90,000 new coronavirus cases, with over 1,000 deaths (CDC, 2020). I know I personally have lost the impact of such high numbers as the pandemic has progressed, but it is important to remember that these aren’t just numbers. Each death represents a lost mother, cousin, brother, friend, or other loved one. The rise in cases has centered around the Midwest and rural areas, with North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Montana leading the country in cases per 100,000 (COVID, 2020). These states have seen explosive growth as the state leaders remain hesitant to respond with more aggressive measures or mask mandates. This is despite the ease of mask use compared to other measures and multiple studies supporting the efficacy of mask use (Brooks, 2020). Side note: a CDC survey found mask use to be the lowest among adults ages 18 to 29, so wear your mask (Hutchins, 2020). While the Midwest has seen some of the greatest coronavirus spikes, nearly all of the country has seen an increase in cases, with 47 states reporting an increase in daily cases (COVID, 2020). Cases have also exploded in Europe, causing France and Germany to issue new national lockdowns (Coronavirus, 2020). These lockdowns differ from the lockdowns enacted by various states, as these are lockdowns of people rather than just businesses. For example, lockdowns in France are enforced by police who are authorized to issue fines if one is out of the house without an excuse form to go to work, school, or other essential places (What, 2020).
    Some argue that these stricter mandates (i.e. temporary lockdowns, mask requirements, restaurant/bar closures) are unnecessary, ineffective, and harm the economy more than they help the situation. In contrast, some argue these mandates are necessary to reduce cases and relieve stress from overwhelmed hospital systems. Already hospitals in states like North Dakota and Idaho are being forced to hold their patients in the waiting room for longer amounts of time and send them further away as local hospitals fill up (Rural, 2020). What happens if cases continue to rise and the hospitals further away fill up? According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, deaths in America could exceed 500,000 if mandates are not re-imposed (Projections, 2020). Stricter mandates could reduce death and case counts, reducing the impact of the virus until a vaccine is found. Stricter mandates have been shown to be effective in a variety of locations, as exemplified by the lockdowns ordered in New York, New Zealand, and the state of Victoria in Australia.
    These lockdowns would inarguably damage the economy in the short-term if the government did not intervene with another stimulus package. However, according to the Federal Reserve Bank’s Neel Kashkari, the economic recovery from the pandemic will be much slower without lockdowns, with far more business failures and high unemployment for the next year or two. He argues this is because the course of the virus will determine the course of the economy, and that there won’t be a robust economic recovery until America gets control of the virus (Here’s, 2020). Countries like China, Australia, New Zealand, and Vietnam, which have all but eliminated the virus from their nations, are back open for business. Year over year (comparing Q3 2019 to Q3 2020), China’s economy grew 4.9% in the 3rd quarter, Vietnam’s economy grew 2.62% in Q3, and America’s economy shrank 2.9% in Q3 (GDP, 2020).
    America needs to change what it’s doing and get a handle on the virus, or it will fall further behind nations that have. Even still, President Trump has been hesitant to order lockdowns or national mandates, and he argues that if Joe Biden is elected, he will destroy the economy with mandates. However, according to Moody’s Analytics and JP Morgan, a Joe Biden presidency with Democrats controlling Congress, stricter mandates, and government support would ultimately result in a stronger economy (Macroeconomic, 2020) and higher stock market (JPMorgan, 2020) than that of a Trump presidency.
With coronavirus cases approaching exponential growth, it has become clear that America’s response must change. The situation will only become more dire as winter approaches and people are more likely to congregate indoors, so our leaders must act now by issuing stricter mandates along with further economic support. If we fail to act now, the health of Americans and the economy will be imperiled much further into the future.

References

Brooks, J. T., Butler, J. C., & Redfield, R. R. (2020). Universal Masking to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission—The Time Is Now. JAMA, 324(7), 635-637. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.13107

CDC COVID Data Tracker. (2020, October 30). Retrieved from: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_dailytrendscases

Coronavirus: Macron declares second national lockdown in France. (2020, October 29). Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54716993

COVID in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count (2020, October 30) Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html

COVID-19 Projections. (2020, October 30). Retrieved from: https://covid19.healthdata.org/united-states-of-america?view=daily-deaths&tab=trend 
GDP Annual Growth Rate. (2020, October 30). Retrieved from: https://tradingeconomics.com/vietnam/gdp-growth-annual
Here’s How to Crush the Virus Until Vaccines Arrive. (2020, August 7).  Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/07/opinion/coronavirus-lockdown-unemployment-death.html

Hutchins HJ, Wolff B, Leeb R, et al. COVID-19 Mitigation Behaviors by Age Group — United States, April–June 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1584–1590. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6943e4

JPMorgan Says Biden Victory Could Mark a Stock Market Shift. (2020, October 5). Retrieved from: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-05/jpmorgan-says-a-biden-victory-could-mark-a-shift-in-stock-market
The Macroeconomic Consequences: Trump vs. Biden. (2020, September 23). https://www.moodysanalytics.com/-/media/article/2020/the-macroeconomic-consequences-trump-vs-biden.pdf
Rural Idaho Hospitals Are Feeling The Pressure As Coronavirus Cases Fill Up Beds. (2020, October 30). Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/2020/10/30/929402241/rural-idaho-hospitals-are-feeling-the-pressure-as-coronavirus-cases-fill-up-beds

What are the lockdown rules in place across Europe? (2020, October 29). Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-53640249