Shut down, start over, do it right - An open letter to America’s decision makers

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by adawds

An open letter urges America’s decision makers to hit the reset button on COVID-19 reopening policies, arguing that rapid reopening without virus suppression will worsen deaths and suffering. It cites large U.S. mortality compared with Germany, South Korea, Australia, and Singapore and calls for immediate shutdown of non-essential businesses. The letter specifies urgent priorities: expanded daily testing, a workforce of contact tracers, greater PPE for essential workers, mandatory masking, limited restaurant service, stay-home guidance, and restrictions on non-essential interstate travel.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages82

Reading Time3 h 27 min

AccessFree to download

Key message and urgency

Evidence comparing national outcomes

Core public health requirements

Immediate shutdown and phased reopening

Leadership and accountability

FEDERAL ADVOCACY OFFICE: 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, 4th Fl. Washington, DC 20003 MAIN OFFICE: 1543 Wazee Street, Suite 460 Denver, CO 80202 Shut down, start over, do it right An open letter to America’s decision makers, on behalf of health professionals across the country. Dear decision makers, Hit the reset button. Of all the nations in the world, we’ve had the most deaths from COVID-19 . At the sametime, we’re in the midst of “reopening our economy,” exposing more and more people to coronavirus and watching numbers of cases--and deaths--skyrocket. In March, people went home and stayed there for weeks, to keep themselves and their neighbors safe. You didn’t use the time to set us up to defeat the virus. And then you started to reopen anyway, and too quickly. Right now we are on a path to lose nearly 300,000 American lives by December 1st. Yet, in many states people can drink in bars, get a haircut, eat inside a restaurant, get a tattoo, get a massage, and do myriad other normal, pleasant, but non-essential activities. Get our priorities straight. More than 117,000 Americans had died of COVID-19 by mid-June. If our response had been as effective as Germany’s, estimates show that we would have had only 36,000 COVID-19 deaths in that period in the United States. If our response had been as effective as South Korea, Australia, or Singapore’s, fewer than 2,000 Americans would have died. We could have prevented 99% of those COVID-19 deaths. But we didn’t. The best thing for the nation is not to reopen as quickly as possible, it’s to save as many lives as possible. And reopening before suppressing the virus isn’t going to help the economy. Economists have gone on record saying that the only way to “restore the economy is to address the pandemic itself,” pointing out that until we find a way to boost testing and develop and distribute a vaccine, open or not, people will not be in the mood to participate. Listen to the experts. Public health professionals have made clear that even after we’ve contained the virus by staying at home, in order to reopen American cities and towns safely, we will need: --Enough daily testing capacity to test everyone with flu-like symptoms plus anyone they have been in close contact with over the last 2 weeks (at least 10 additional tests per symptomatic person) . We currently have about half of the testing capacity we need to meet that threshold. The more people get sick, the more testing is required. --A workforce of contact tracers large enough to trace all current cases. That’s 210,000 more contact tracers than we had in April, but the number keeps going up as infections rise. Most states are far short of the number of contact tracers they need. In addition, we need more personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep essential workers like health professionals, emergency responders, and grocery store clerks safe. Shut it down now, and start over. Non-essential businesses should be closed. Restaurant service should be limited to take-out. People should stay home, going out only to get food and medicine or to exercise and get fresh air. Masks should be mandatory in all situations, indoors and outdoors, where we interact with others. We need that protocol in place until case numbers recede to a level at which we have the capacity to effectively test and trace. Then, and only then, we can try a little more opening, one small step at a time. You should bar non-essential interstate travel. When people travel freely between states, the good numbers in one state can go bad quickly. If you don’t take these actions, the consequences will be measured in widespread suffering and death. We need you to lead. Tell the American people the truth about the virus, even when it’s hard. Take bold action to save lives--even when it means shutting down again. Unleash the resources needed to contain the virus: massively ramping up testing, building the necessary infrastructu

FAQs

为什么作者要求“先停下再重来”？

作者认为在没有有效抑制病毒的前提下快速“重新开放”，会导致病例与死亡继续飙升，因此需要立即采取更强的公共卫生措施后再逐步开放。

信中提出了哪些关键的公共卫生措施？

信中强调要增加日常检测能力、扩大接触者追踪人员规模，并为一线必需工作者提供更多个人防护装备（PPE）。

作者建议采取哪些具体的社会行动与限制？

作者主张关闭非必要企业、餐饮改为外带、要求室内外互动场景普遍佩戴口罩、限制非必要州际出行，并在病例回落到可有效检测与追踪的水平前维持相关协议。

Oct 3, 2026

Uploaded by adawds