Indiana Senator Mike Braun says it’s imperative for government officials to establish a near-term plan to lift the Coronavirus lockdown and establish a realistic target date for a “smart re-opening” of the U.S. economy.
“The one thing I’ve consistently heard from business owners the country and in the Hoosier state is that if we don’t do some type of a ‘smart re-opening’ – especially in the least risky and least densely populated areas of our state and our country – we’re going to run the risk of causing permanent, lasting damage to private businesses and the broader economy at large,” Braun said in an interview with WIBC’s Hammer and Nigel.
“If we don’t do something soon, it’s going to be a much harder come back and we’re going to have permanent supply and demand destruction that we won’t get back in the short runs.”
Regarding a specific time-frame for lifting restrictions, Senator Braun said President Trump intends to announce a task force of business leaders and “healthcare entrepreneurs” to broadly and responsibly examine how to go about reopening the country.
“I think you’re going to see that getting discussed beginning tomorrow and continuing over the next week to 10 days, and more than likely, May 1st is going to be the President’s national guideline for states to begin lifting restrictions,” said Braun. “But it’s the governors’ prerogative ultimately [for when to reopen],” he added. “There can’t be a Federal mandate on this. State governors will have the ability to either adhere to the guideline or act according to the specific needs and challenges of their individual states.”
Sen. Braun expressed hope that a coordinated effort to re-open the economy would not fall prey to political gamesmanship.
“We can’t let this become a blue state versus red state display of partisan politics,” said Braun. “It needs to be rooted in reality, common sense and what each state is experiencing in the trenches.”
In that respect, the Senator noted that many states are actually fairing much better in their battle against the COVID-19 pandemic than originally projected.
“You’ve got places with heavy population centers such as Texas and California that are beating the odds as a result of things like distancing, sheltering at home and increased attention to hygiene practices, said Braun. “But it’s obviously going to be a much harder road back for the governors in the Northeastern states.”
Senator Braun offered some additional perspective on what the state of Indiana needs to focus on as the country moves towards lifting restrictions. Hear Hammer and Nigel’s full interview with Sen. Mike Braun by clicking the link below.
https://omny.fm/shows/hammer-and-nigel-show/senator-mike-braun-talks-coronavirus
