COVID-19 is rampant in the US among the general population. Isolation efforts have failed due to test deployment delays and limitations.



Many further deaths are now inevitable. To minimize the final total, we must immediately implement universal social distancing, as other nations are currently doing, following the example of Italy. Non-essential businesses (except groceries and medical facilities) need to close immediately. At this stage of spread, every day of delay may mean hundreds or thousands of additional deaths.

But a lockdown order doesn't seem to be coming, for the same reason testing and isolation failed: The institutions we count on to manage communicable disease outbreaks have been hollowed out by the current administration, and are no longer capable of decisive action.



We'll have to do this ourselves.



We can't let COVID-19 continue to ride an unchecked wave of St. Patrick's Day revelry in crowded bars. Beginning Tuesday, March 17, the undersigned employees will not report to public workplaces. We will instead stay home to increase social distancing, and reduce the spread of this pandemic. Employers are highly encouraged to proactively close their businesses and sign on to this petition as well.



This will hurt. A lot. Many of us are hourly employees without paid leave, or small business owners with limited or no reserves. Congress, we'll be counting on you to make us whole economically, quickly - way better than this - after we've implemented the social distancing protections that government is failing to impose.



But we can't wait any longer. We see we're not getting a lockdown, so we're staging a stay-in.

#COVIDstayin

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