New Jersey should have never shut down (Opinion)

It’s clear now that the dust has settled and most of the country is on a path to reopen, NJ is far behind. Part of the problem is the Governor refuses to acknowledge the failure of his administration to protect seniors in nursing homes and the general public. He panicked and more people died than would have if he had a plan.

He’s a crisis actor refusing to hear facts that refute extending the shutdown. He’s got our cops focused on the fake crime of not wearing a mask and social distancing outside in a park. We are already hearing stories of a rise in domestic violence and suicides. If you’ve been out on the roadways you know first hand that speeders are clearly in control. All this on the backdrop of civilized nations around the world showing that a total shutdown wasn’t necessary to ‘flatten the curve’ and save lives.

Look at the actual results in Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea and Sweden. No complete shutdown. No ‘testing forever’ policy, and in at least two cases, schools stayed open.

The other thing that South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore have in common is that they've been able to keep most factories, shopping malls and restaurants open. Singapore has even kept its schools open at a time when nations around the world are shutting down classrooms.

 

Japan is another Asian country notable for its response. Although Japan has more than twice the population of South Korea and also has strong ties to China, it has recorded only a fraction of the cases that South Korea has — just over 1,000 as of Thursday. Japan hasn't been testing nearly as widely as South Korea, but it appears to have fended off significant community transmission by quickly investigating any flare-ups of cases, identifying who exactly is infected and then monitoring their contacts. - Jason Beaubien's article npr.org

The facts are here for all of us to review. Why is Governor Murphy not listening? Is this really about public health? The evidence shows that’s not even close to true.

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

More from New Jersey 101.5: