House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) called for “common sense” measures to combat COVID-19 after spikes in cases in certain states including Texas, Florida, Arizona and California. The top Republican dispelled the possibility of another complete shutdown of the economy.
Though the extent was not predetermined, a spike in cases was inevitable. As Leader McCarthy points out, protests only exacerbated the increase in COVID cases. These mass protests do not adhere to any CDC guidelines and put both attendees, and those who interact with them, at risk.
“I think we’ve learned from this [COVID-19]. You go for the most vulnerable, we have better data, better testing, we have better tracing. We have better therapies for it,” Leader McCarthy said. “I do not believe a complete shutdown of the economy is a smart thing to happen overall for the health of everyone. We know to look at the most vulnerable. We know to shut down the bars. That doesn’t mean that 100% of everything is open, but in those places that people will not keep social distancing, we’ve got to make sure we have protections there.”
"If you look at the unemployment insurance the addition of the federal government-- it's really hurting small business especially restaurants and others when people are making more money being off work than on work. We need the incentive to go back to work," says @GOPLeader. pic.twitter.com/LKBzsnkYwP
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) June 29, 2020
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The top Republican said he is optimistic about the future of the virus, even in light of the spike in cases:
“I see things as optimistic because I’m an American. I see that we learn something from this virus every single day.”
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