By James Firman | 3.25.2020
On
Monday evening, elected officials at the state level and others expressed a willingness to sacrifice older
Americans to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to “get back to work” and stave off
an economic collapse.
These
comments offer a false choice that is cruel, callow, and insinuates that anyone
past age 70 is past their expiration date. We believe our nation is capable of
addressing both issues simultaneously—and must do so quickly in order to save
lives.
As I wrote last week,
older adults, especially those with chronic health conditions, are the most
vulnerable to experiencing severe complications from COVID-19. But it is everyone’s responsibility
to slow the outbreak and protect ourselves and our older loved ones, neighbors,
and friends.
We
should not act as if the pandemic offers only “either-or” choices. We do not
have to choose either to protect people’s health or to protect the economy.
This kind of thinking is divisive and distracts us from taking proven actions
to address the crisis.
At
NCOA, we believe in our nation’s qualified public health experts, and we urge
all government officials to follow their advice and counsel.
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