After Weeks Of School, Business Closures, What Do Public Health Experts Think?

Published: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 - 2:17pm
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A month ago today, two of Arizona’s former top public health officials in office during the H1N1 flu pandemic wrote an op-ed in the Arizona Republic. They called for officials to strike a balance as they address the then-oncoming crisis.

Seeing that the coronavirus would likely become a pandemic, former Maricopa County Public Health Director Bob England and Will Humble, former director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, warned against going too far in taking measures to control the virus’ spread. They wrote “Sometimes the control measures can do more harm than the disease you’re trying to prevent.” 

So now that schools have been closed for weeks, restaurants have their chairs stacked on top of tables, bars are closed, and so are gyms, coffee shops and countless other small businesses — and so many people are working from home or out of a job altogether — what do they think? 

The Show connected with England and Humble again. England is now Pima County’s interim health director, and Humble serves as the executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association. 

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