U.S. REP. GREG MURPHY: Together we can defeat coronavirus

Sunday, March 22, 2020 -- This should not be a political issue. We are in completely uncharted territory. Federal, state and local government leaders, Republican, Democrat and Independent alike, have made and will make mistakes during this crisis. The health and well-being of our citizenry is far too important for partisan bickering that will impede us from tackling this enormous challenge. As a physician, I can assure you that the coronavirus does not discriminate between rich or poor, black or white or Republican or Democrat.

Posted 9:44 a.m. Mar 22, 2020 — Updated 10:19 a.m. Mar 22, 2020

EDITOR’S NOTE: U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy represents North Carolina’s Third Congressional District. He is a former member of North Carolina House of Representatives from Pitt County. He has been a practicing physician for more than 30 years in Greenville.

As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I have never seen anything like COVID19 and what it is doing to America. This novel coronavirus obviously spreads very rapidly, as our nation has seen since it arrived within our borders. As I have said repeatedly in the last few weeks, we must take this pandemic very seriously, but we should try to refrain from panic.

We must push education and the dissemination of good information. Even though we are in such an unprecedented time in American history, I have been encouraged by actions taken by federal, state and local leaders.

Back in January the president took decisive action by stopping all travel to and from China. We were the first nation to do so and many attacked him for his actions. But if he had not done so, I fear we would look very much like Italy today. In addition, the Administration of President Donald Trump restricted travel to the United States for foreign nationals who have been in Europe within 14 days, which appears to be the center of the pandemic now. We have also shut down all non-essential travel with Canada. More travel bans may be necessary in the coming days as this decreases transient human contact.

I have talked extensively about “flattening the curve” so we do not exhaust our medical system’s resources. If we are able to spread out those affected over a period of time rather than a sudden spike, we are much more likely to be able to handle the medical needs of the ill and infirmed. There will not be a vaccine for at least a year but there are several drugs that are studied closely to lessen the symptoms and course of the disease.

(Molly Mathis/The Daily Reflector via AP)

I will say that the impact of halting travel from highly affected countries cannot be highlighted enough. It is a simple fact, but worth emphasizing: the most effective way to prevent the spread of a highly contagious disease is to limit the opportunities for people who have the virus to transmit it—particularly with the Coronavirus, which can hide its symptoms, or lack thereof, for several days up to two weeks.

Last week President Trump also declared a national emergency, which has allowed him to use the full force of the federal government to attack this problem. In doing this the president redirected $42 billion in existing funding to prevent further spread and help those who have been affected and infected by this contagion.

Congress has also taken important steps to address this outbreak. The first funding package Congress passed on March 4 provided $8.3 billion for state and local health departments, and small businesses, as well as several other directives for small business. A second spending package, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, was passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president on March 18. This action provides free COVID19 testing for all Americans, paid sick leave, expanded food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requires health care facilities to provide additional protections for its employees. A third funding package is currently in the works, funding of which could exceed $1 trillion, which will likely be the last major action Congress will pass for the time being.

Yet even with these massive measures taken by the government, we cannot stop the spread of this virus unless each and every one of us take individual responsibility and practice the habits suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization.

We are a nation built on individualism but we must recognize that our individual actions can affect the life and welfare of other human beings. This means we should all frequently wash our hands, refrain from touching our faces, work from home if we can and only leave the house to go to the grocery store or pharmacy. Social distancing will help us flatten the curve so we don’t overwhelm our healthcare resources. If we take these preventative measures, we will ultimately get through this.

I cannot express how important it is to emphasize that this should not be a political issue. We are in completely uncharted territory. Federal, state and local government leaders, Republican, Democrat and Independent alike, have made and will make mistakes during this crisis. The health and well-being of our citizenry is far too important for partisan bickering that will impede us from tackling this enormous challenge. As a physician, I can assure you that the coronavirus does not discriminate between rich or poor, black or white or Republican or Democrat.

This is not to say we cannot have spirited discussions about what the correct path should be moving forward. After all, this is the one of largest domestic crises that has ever faced America. It will require robust debate, severe discernment and probable reluctant agreement about how best we should move forward. We need intelligent people at the table attacking this problem from every angle.

Unfortunately I have seen social media blow up with finger pointing and the blame game. This is not the time to attempt to score political points and politicize this calamity. Right, left or center, this affects everyone and it is time to put our differences aside and realize, that despite our many differences, we are first a nation that cares and cares about each other.