Statement on Repealing Health Protections to “Reopen” the Economy

Dr. Aaron Milstone, a pulmnonogist currently treating Covid-19 patients issues this statement:

"Before rolling back health protections like the stay at home order Governor Lee should use the power of the state government to scale our ability to quickly identify new cases, break chains of transmission, and protect first responders and health care workers from infection. These are recommendations by the CDC that we agree with. We can only address the economic crisis by first addressing the health crisis." said Milstone.

Covid19 can spread asymptomatically, showing no symptoms, for weeks and is highly contagious, more than the typical flu, and there is no cure or vaccine. What will happen to our economy when more employers become responsible for employees or patrons getting sick or worse dying?


Physical separation policies like the stay at home order is slowing the spread of Covid-19 and that is mitigating the strain on hospitals, health care workers, medical supplies, and ultimately helping protect lives and the economy.


Rolling back health protections that require physical separation too soon, without first addressing the actual health crisis, only gives the virus more fuel and places to spread.


Governor Lee, to re-open the economy, you must use the power of the government to scale protection for first responders and health care workers from infection, scale contact tracing and isolation that breaks chains of transmission when they are discovered, and finally scale regular routine, rapid testing because a test today only shows whether you are infected TODAY, and that does nothing to determine whether you get infected tomorrow at work. We need systems for rapid testing, isolation and protection to open the economy safely."