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Two Florida Teens Die from Covid-19 Complications, and Nationwide Lockdown Necessary for “Robust Economic Recovery.”
According to data posted by the Florida Department of Health, two Florida teens have died from Covid-19 complications. They were aged between 14 and 17, said the department. As a result, the total number of minors who have died from coronavirus in Florida is now seven.
The other deaths included minors aged 9 to 17. CNN’s Randi Kaye interviewed the Florida Education Association President, Frederick Ingram. Ingram called the deaths “tragic” and “part of what we are going to have to deal with as well when you talk about student and children’s mental health.”
“Their classmates are getting deathly sick. Grieving for a child can be traumatizing, especially in a school setting. This is devastating for a child trying to make his or her way through grade school,” said Ingram.
Cases among minors are skyrocketing in Florida, according to data released by the health department. To date, there are more than 38,000 cases among minors in the state. While schools plan to keep clean after reopening with carpet cleaners and other safety protocols, it likely won’t be enough.
Related: Child Hospitalizations Surge 23% in Florida As Schools Reopen
A top Federal Reserve official said the U.S. government needs to order a strict nationwide lockdown for a month or even longer in order to stem the spread of Covid-19.
“That’s the only way we’re really going to have a real robust economic recovery,” Neel Kashkari said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” Kashkari is the president of the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank.
“Otherwise, we’re going to have flare-ups, lockdowns and a very halting recovery with many more job losses and many more bankruptcies for an extended period of time, unfortunately,” said Kashkari.
While a lockdown could adversely affect the economy, a relatively brief lockdown might help things get better faster.
“I mean, if we were to lock down really hard, I know I hate to even suggest it. People will be frustrated by it, but if we were to lock down hard for a month or six weeks, we could get the case count down so that our testing and our contact tracing was actually enough to control it the way that it’s happening in the Northeast right now,” Kashkari said. “They had a rocky start, but they’re doing a pretty good job right now.”
Related: CDC Warns That COVID-19 Lockdowns Could Be Reinstated
