PUSH THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE TO 12.8%, A NUMBER NOT REACHED
SINCE THE 1940s.
HERE WE GO.
>>> JOINING US NOW IS THE
GOVERNOR OF DELAWARE, JOHN
CARNEY, WHO YESTERDAY ISSUED
SEVERAL EXECUTIVE ORDERS
PERIODING TO THE SPREAD OF THE
CORONAVIRUS, INCLUDING THE
CLOSURE OF ALL NONESSENTIAL
BUSINESSES AND POSTPONEMENT OF A
THE STATE’S PRESIDENTIAL
PRIMARY.
PRIMARY. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US,
GOVERNOR, WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
SAYING ABOUT YOUR STATE AND
WHERE IT’S HEADED?
DO YOU FORESEEING BEING ABLE TO
REOPEN EVERYTHING MAGICALLY AT
EASTERTIME?
EASTERTIME? >> FIRST OF ALL, A BIG THANK YOU
TO MY FORMER COLLEAGUES IN THE
HOUSE AND SENATE FOR GETTING
TOGETHER TO PASS THAT
LEGISLATION LAST NIGHT, AND ALSO
A BIG THANK YOU FOR THE HEALTH
CARE WORKERS HERE IN DELAWARE
AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR WHAT
THEY’RE DOING.
THEY’RE DOING. THE SITUATION ON THE GROUND HERE
IN DELAWARE IS GETTING WORSE.
WE’RE SEEING MORE CASES, OUR
HOSPITALIZATION RATE IS NOT AS
GREAT AS IT IS IN SOME OF THE
OTHER STATES.
OTHER STATES. THAT’S A GOOD THING.
SO THE FOCUS REALLY IS TO FOLLOW
THE ADVICE OF THE SCIENTISTS,
THE DOCTORS, DR. FAUCI AND
OTHERS, THAT IS TO FLATTEN THE
CURVE.
CURVE. SO TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF THE
VIRUS HERE ON THE FRONT END,
REALLY TO PROTECT HOSPITAL
RESOURCES ON THE BACK END.
PART OF THAT.
MAYBE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF
THAT IS PROTECTING OUR SENIOR
CITIZENS, THE MOST VULNERABLE
POPULATION, AND THE ONES MOST
LIKELY TO BE HOSPITALIZED, WHO
NEED THOSE SERVICES AND THE VENT
LATORS IN SHORT SUPPLIED.
OUR FOCUS IS ON TWO THINGS,
MAKING SURE WE HAVE THOSE
RESOURCES, FREEING UP HOSPITAL
BEDS, BEING PREPARED TO STANDS
UP A MOBILE HOSPITAL IF NEED BE,
AND THEN ON THE FRONT SIDE,
REALLY PUSHING OUT THE MESSAGE
TO STAY AT HOME, SHELTER IN
PLACE, ONLY GO OUTSIDE FOR GO TO
A PERMITTED OPEN BUSINESS, TO GO
TO THE GROCERY STORE, TO ASSIST
A PARENT OR FAMILY MEMBER.
REALLY THE MESSAGE IS STAY AT
HOME, SHELL NER PLACE, AND THEN
WE’RE WORKING ON THE BACK END
FURIOUSLY TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE
THE HOSPITAL RESOURCES WE MIGHT
NEED.
NEED. >>> WE WERE TALKING TO SENATOR
SCHUMER, WHO HAS GRAVE CONCERNS,
AS I THINK MOST HEALTH CARE
OFFICIALS DO, ABOUT THE
SHORTAGES THAT DOCTORS AND
NURSES ARE ALREADY SEEING IN NEW
YORK CITY.
YORK CITY. HOW DO YOU MAKE SURE THAT YOUR
STATE IS PREPARED AS HUMANLY
POSSIBLE SO YOU DON’T FACE THE
SAME SHORTAGES?
SAME SHORTAGES? >> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. SO WE THINK ABOUT ALL THE
DIFFERENT PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
AND THE LIMITATIONS THAT WE HAVE
THERE.
THERE. SO IT’S FIRST IT’S BEDS, THEN
ICU BEDS, THEN VENTILATEORS TO
SUPPORT THOSE BEDS, BUT THOSE
BEDS ARE WORTHLESS UNLESS YOU
HAVE THE WORKERS, THE
RESPIRATORY THERAPISTS TO
MONITORING THE BEDS, THE NURSES,
THE DOCTORS.
THE DOCTORS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE PROTECTIVE
GEAR, THE MASKS, SHIELDS, GOWNS
TO PROTECT THOSE EMPLOYEES.
AND SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE
DON’T THINK ABOUT, YOU HAVE TO
HAVE DAYCARE FACILITIES TO STAY
OPEN OR STAND UP ONES ON YOUR
OWN SO THAT IF THOSE PARENTS,
THOSE HEALTH CARE WORKERS HAVE A
PLACE FOR THEIR CHILDREN TO GO.
OTHERWISE THEY’RE NOT GOING TO
SHOW UP AT WORK.
SO WE’RE WORKING ON ALL THOSE
PIECES, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT IS THAT MOST LIMITING
FACTOR.
FACTOR. RIGHT NOW, IT LOOKS LIKE AS
THOSE ISSUES AROUND MAKING IT
POSSIBLE FOR HEALTH CARE WORKERS
TO GO TO WORK, TO GO TO THE
HOSPITALS.
HOSPITALS. AGAIN MY HAT GOES OFF TO ALL OF
THEM FOR THE GREAT WORK THEY ARE
DOING.
DOING. >> WE ARE MOST CONCERNED ABOUT
HEALTH CARE WORKERS GETTING
INFECTED AND CREATING A CYCLE.
THERE’S ALSO ASYMPTOMATIC
CARRIERS, WHICH IS SO
CONCERNING, BECAUSE YOU’RE
FLYING BLIND WITH NO TESTING.
WHAT ABOUT, IN YOUR STATE,
TRYING TO SEPARATE THE SICK FROM
THE CORONAVIRUS SIX?
SICK?
SICK? >> YEAH, THAT’S A REALLY BICK
ISSUE.
ISSUE. IT GOES BACK TO THE BEGINNING,
RIGHT?
RIGHT? WE HAVEN’T BEEN TESTING NEARLY
ENOUGH PEOPLE FROM THE START.
SO WE NEVER REALLY KNOW WHERE WE
ARE.
ARE. BECAUSE OF THE WAY -- THE NUMBER
OF DAYS IT TAKES BEFORE YOU SEE
SYMPTOMS, YOU CAN BE WALKING
AROUND AND DON’T KNOW THE VIRUS.
AND BY THE WAY, THE TESTS DON’T
REALLY WORK UNTIL YOU ARE
SYMPTOMATIC, SO GOING OUT AND
TESTING EVERYBODY DOESN’T MAKE A
LOT OF SENSE, IS WHAT THE
SCIENCE TELLS US.
WE’RE TRYING TO BE DRIVEN BY THE
SCIENCE.
SCIENCE. WE’VE STOOD UP A TESTING PROGRAM
IN EACH OF OUR COUNTIES.
IT’S EASIER TO DO IN A SMALL AT
A TIME LIKE DELAWARE.
WE DON’T HAVE QUITE ENOUGH TESTS
THAT WE NEED, BUT THAT’S RAMPING
UP AS WELL FORM THE BOTTOM LINE
IS WE DON’T KNOW WHERE WE ARE ON
A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.
WE’RE ALWAYS A COUPLE DAYS
BEHIND, SO WE HAVE TO ACT AND
PLAN AS IF THE SITUATION IS
WORSE THAN THE NUMBERS TELL US
ON A GIVEN DAY.
WE DO KNOW THE HOSPITALIZATION
NUMBERS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY
PEOPLE ARE THERE AND TURNING UP
IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
THAT’S A GOOD INDICATOR OF WHERE
WE ARE IN TERMS OF
HOSPITALIZATION RATES VIS-A-VIS
THOSE WHO ARE TESTING POSITIVE.
>> ALL RIGHT.
GOVERNOR JOHN CARNEY, THANK YOU
VERY, VERY MUCH.
>>> THE COVERAGE CONTINUES ALL
DAY HERE ON MSNBC AS THIS CRISIS
UNFOLDS.
UNFOLDS. THAT DOES IT FOR US THIS