Sen. John Kennedy called for the federal government to reopen the economy even though doing so may lead to a spike in coronavirus cases.
The Republican senator from Louisiana, one of the hardest-hit states, urged the government to restart the economy, warning that it’s on the brink of collapse, during a Wednesday night interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson.
“We’ve got to open this economy. If we don’t, it’s going to collapse,” he warned. “If the U.S. economy collapses, the world economy collapses. And trying to burn down the village to save it is foolish. That’s a cold, hard truth. No. 2: Yes, we shut down, but the shutdown did not stop the spread of the virus. I wish it had. But it’s too late for that.”
Kennedy also acknowledged that regardless of when social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders are lifted, the nation will likely have to endure a spike in COVID-19 cases because people will be in closer contact with each other.
“When we end the shutdown, the virus is going to spread faster,” he admitted. “That’s just a fact. And the American people understand that.”
He also urged the government to open the country in a “smart” way, which, according to him, would focus on areas that haven’t been hit as hard.
“So when we open up — and we’re going to have to, and somebody’s got to make the call — we got [to] be smart about how we do it,” Kennedy explained. “Don’t open up in the middle of a hot spot. Encourage your elderly and those with preexisting conditions to stay quarantined and provide them financial support. Wear masks. Try to socially distance. Use technology without violating privacy to try to track the hot spots and track people who have been exposed. Test as much as we can. Make sure that we got healthcare capacity.”
He added, “This is like choosing between cancer and a heart attack.”
