Bill Gates says we need a nationwide shutdown for at least 10 more weeks to fight coronavirus: 'The window for making important decisions hasn't closed'
- Bill Gates estimates the US needs at least 10 more weeks of nationwide shutdown to minimize the human and economic toll of coronavirus.
- "The window for making important decisions hasn't closed," he argues in a new Washington Post op-ed.
- Gates also thinks we can get a vaccine in less than 18 months, which would be the fasted a vaccine has ever been developed.
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Bill Gates is calling for a "consistent nationwide approach to shutting down" in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus, arguing that at least 10 more weeks of national shutdown are required to minimize the impact of the epidemic.
In a new Washington Post op-ed published Thursday, Gates criticized the fact that some states have not yet ordered restrictive stay-at-home orders.
California was the first state to order residents to stay home in mid-March, and such orders now apply to nine in 10 US residents. But five states still haven't ordered residents to stay home, and seven states only have orders in place for certain regions.
"Any confusion about this point will only extend the economic pain, raise the odds that the virus will return, and cause more deaths," Gates writes.
To curb the spread of the virus, Gates argues, the US will also have to rapidly speed up testing, prioritizing healthcare workers. Gates praises New York state, which has recently ramped up to more than 20,000 tests per day.
Finally, Gates is calling for a "data-based approach" to rapidly developing a vaccine. He believes we could have one in under 18 months, which he notes would be the fastest a vaccine has ever been developed, but argues that the federal government - not private companies - must lead the charge.
Read Gates' full op-ed at The Washington Post.
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