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Unclassified Pandemic Plan

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Peter Barus
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There is an "unclassified" document titled: "U . S. Government COVID - 19 Response Plan March 13, 2020" that details the structure and accountabilities of the "task force" now led by the VP. Its 100 pages are dense with organizational charts and so on. There is a chart showing the "phases" of the "crisis action plan." The headings are interesting:

Aggressive Containment according to the helpful definitions in the document, that was supposed to contain the virus at its source, in China. There is a long paragraph under "actions" that is all about "funneling" arriving passengers.

Well, that didn't work. And this tells the story:

Objectives
(1) Contain the outbreak at its source; (2) minimize domestic importation of additional cases; (3) limit the potential for a domestic epidemic; (4) prepare domestic response mechanisms; (5) begin outreach to state and local authorities to prepare for mitigation; (6) implement domestic quarantine of imported and repatriated cases and contacts; and (7) begin federal planning to prepare for mitigation.

Too little, too late.

Community Mitigation Activities this is the third "phase", number 2B"

One would expect that "mitigation activities" would deal with an escalation of some kind. You know, to follow on behind "prepare-- and "begin outreach-- and "begin federal planning to prepare for mitigation."

But this section seems to be about dealing with a full-on, domestic pandemic:

Actions

Continue to reinforce home isolation strategies and ensure that"most at risk and severely ill are able to receive care. Recommend"cancellation of almost all sporting events, performances, and public and private meetings"Consider school closures"nearly 100% telework for some, although critical public services and infrastructure may need to retain skeleton crews. Law enforcement could shift to focus more on crime prevention, as routine monitoring of storefronts could be important. Local health systems (e.g., public health and local healthcare facilities) may need to alter standards of care to "contingency"or "crisis"standards of care"

And that's it, folks. The cops are supposed to start "routine monitoring of storefronts." It "could be important."

The next section? That was the next section. There isn't any more. Oh, you mean "Phase 2C, Full Community Mitigation?" It only appears in the infographic showing the "phases" and their "triggers," under the "CDC Interval" called "Acceleration."

They skipped that last "phase." What comes next is this:

Preparing for Future Epidemic Trends Striking Balance Between Mitigation and Containment

What can we make of this abruptly-truncated plan, the plan that the VP is supposedly operating right now? The plan that starts with such dire pronouncements about "18 months" and successive "waves"?

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I'm an old Pogo fan. For some unknown reason I persist in outrage at Feudalism, as if human beings can do much better than this. Our old ways of life are obsolete and are killing us. Will the human race wake up in time? Stay (more...)
 

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