หากพูดถึงมหาเศรษฐีที่รวยติดอันดับที่ 1 ของโลก อย่างต่อเนื่องหลาย 10 สมัย ในยุคนี้ คงจะเป็นใครไม่ได้นอกจาก Bill Gates ผู้ก่อตั้ง Microsoft ระบบปฏิบัติการบนคอมพิวเตอร์ส่วนบุคคล ที่ใช้กันทั่วโลก อย่าง Windows และโปรแกรมประจำออฟฟิศยอดฮิตอย่าง Word, Power Point, Excel ฯลฯ เขาเป็นผู้มีอิทธิพลอย่างมากด้านการเงิน
There’s no question the United States missed the opportunity to get ahead of the novel coronavirus. But the window for making important decisions hasn’t closed. The choices we and our leaders make now will have an enormous impact on how soon case numbers start to go down, how long the economy remains shut down and how many Americans will have to bury a loved one because of covid-19.
Through my work with the Gates Foundation, I’ve spoken with experts and leaders in Washington and across the country. It’s become clear to me that we must take three steps.
This is a recipe for disaster. Because people can travel freely across state lines, so can the virus. The country’s leaders need to be clear: Shutdown anywhere means shutdown everywhere. Until the case numbers start to go down across America — which could take 10 weeks or more — no one can continue business as usual or relax the shutdown. Any confusion about this point will only extend the economic pain, raise the odds that the virus will return, and cause more deaths.
Second, the federal government needs to step up on testing. Far more tests should be made available. We should also aggregate the results so we can quickly identify potential volunteers for clinical trials and know with confidence when it’s time to return to normal. There are good examples to follow: New York state