Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick suggests letting people over 70 die and the Maricopa County medical director wouldn’t close public spaces until hospitals are crowded with coronavirus patients.

Sure, letting people die is one way of handling the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s a question of values. Save the U.S. economy at any cost. And in Patrick’s case, anyone over 70 is expendable.

"My message is that let's get back to work, let's get back to living,” Patrick told Fox News, arguing that grandparents like him don’t want to sacrifice the country’s economy. “Let's be smart about it and those of us who are 70-plus, we'll take care of ourselves. But don't sacrifice the country."

Why wait until hospitals are overwhelmed?

Sorry, seniors. The Republican lieutenant governor's underlying message is that America needs to go back to work, and you’ve already lived your life.

And Arizona would be screwed. About 17% of the state’s 7.2 million residents are people over 65.

But everyone else would be dangerously out of luck under Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, Maricopa County medical director.

She told the Phoenix City Council Monday that closing public spaces like bars, restaurants, gyms and libraries was premature.

Instead she would force closures and shelter-in-place orders only after the health-care system was nearing capacity and on the brink of not being able to treat all patients.

Sure, that’s one way to handle the pandemic.

Do nothing. Let people die. And when hospitals are overwhelmed then try to figure things out?

It's a matter of values: Life vs. money

Arizona and other states have closed bars and restaurants. The governors of California and New York have gone further, ordering people to stay at home to slow the pandemic that has killed thousands worldwide and hundreds in the U.S.

The U.S. was totally unprepared. The country still doesn’t have enough COVID-19 test kits, and nurses and doctors everywhere are pleading for protective gear like gloves and masks.

COVID-19 isn’t a minor cold, as some have trivialized it. Thankfully, many do recover on their own. But too many others don’t.

How to handle something this devastating is complicated. I can appreciate the desperation and unwillingness to see people lose their jobs – it has hit my family, too. It’s heartbreaking to see the economy shuttering.

We must consider ways to minimize the financial hit. The country is inevitably going into a recession, as almost every economist has pointed out.

But at this point second guessing people’s lives over the economy is pure madness.

Arizona did the right thing by closing bars and restaurants. Phoenix did the right by closing other public spaces. It must be done statewide.

No, the U.S. must not let seniors die to save the economy, as Texas's lieutenant governor suggests.

And no, Arizona must not let hospitals get overwhelmed with coronavirus patients before asking people to stay home, as Dr. Sunenshine suggests.

Waiting to do nothing until everyone is infected with the virus would be too late – for everyone.

Elvia Díaz is an editorial columnist for The Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1.