Rep. Dan Bishop

Last month, North Carolinians were ordered to stay home to help slow the spread of coronavirus. Families and businesses have drastically changed their habits to do their part. This has come at great cost.

Businesses have been deemed non-essential and forced to close. Arbitrarily designated “essential” businesses remained open, allowing employees to keep working, but they too are hurting because we rely on everyone, every customer, every person and every worker in our community. People have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Our state is hurting, our people are suffering and our economy is beginning to falter. We have slowed the spread, and authorities say we are approaching the peak use of healthcare resources with plenty of capacity. The time is now to begin reopening our economy, plan our state’s recovery and resume our lives.

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Your job is essential, or it wouldn’t exist. Government must stop assigning that status. If ABC stores are essential, so certainly are churches. Instead, every business should be recognized as essential provided it can and does implement proper social distancing. In fact, most North Carolinians implemented social distancing voluntarily and were staying home to slow the spread. This was working, yet some localities couldn’t resist adding more restrictions — even curfews.

We are only beginning to count the cost of overreach. Since the order was issued, more than 500,000 North Carolinians have filed for unemployment. Nationwide unemployment is forecast to hit 30 percent, higher than during the Great Depression. The lack of economic opportunity will compound the stress felt during this crisis and lead to more suicide, drug addiction and domestic violence. Domestic violence reports in North Carolina this March were up 18 percent. Thousands of students will miss out on critical education, which will disadvantage them and our country for years to come. Our major employers and job producers are being pushed to the brink. This is not a sustainable path.

The stated purpose of Gov. Roy Cooper’s order was to prevent coronavirus from overwhelming our hospitals. But it has become clear that there is no such immediate danger. This can be seen in the widely followed IHME model — the one cited by the federal government — which now predicts peak North Carolina hospital bed need for coronavirus of 713, about ten percent of the 7,125 vacant beds available. The 567 available ICU beds are nearly 3.5 times more than the projected need of 165. Mecklenburg County hospitals also have announced conclusions that existing space is sufficient.

Although we must remain vigilant, our healthcare infrastructure is more than sufficient. But our economy cannot survive the devastating blow that comes with a continuing, mandated shutdown of commerce. We need not choose between them.

This virus will be part of our daily lives for 12 to 18 months until we have a vaccine, and during that time, we need a ‘new normal’ that doesn’t destroy our economy and tear at the fabric of our society. The key is disciplined adherence to common-sense safety strategies while we get North Carolinians back to work.

First, continue practicing social distancing in public, wash hands and avoid touching our faces or each other.

Second, employers should stagger or space employees to reduce risk, encourage wearing masks to protect customers and enforce keeping sick employees at home. Restaurants should limit seating and sanitize surfaces incessantly. Large-scale events should remain suspended for a time, and public transportation should limit passengers. Schools should remain closed for the balance of the year, but churches must be permitted to congregate with care.

Third, we must continue to prioritize building up medical capacity and testing availability. This must include serologic testing to identify and notify those immune from reinfection, while those at greatest risk — the elderly and those with underlying conditions — should take extra precautions.

We must be measured and responsible, but North Carolinians are ready to begin the process of returning to our lives. We have work to do, in this place where all North Carolinians are essential, the State “where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great.” In that community, we must now help each person, family, business and town get back on their feet. We can do this. Let’s get to it.

Congressman Dan Bishop represents North Carolina’s 9th District.