America’s Governors, Mayors, and CEOs Need to Step Up

For some of America’s governors, mayors, and corporate CEOs, it didn’t take long for them to realize that they will not be gaining any divine guidance from the Trump administration about what to do, or when to do it, in response to COVID-19. Messaging out of the White House has been an absolute disaster, starting with the president and trickling down to the various cabinet members,  department heads, and other sources of information at the federal level. Delusion on the president’s part, misinformation (whether deliberate or otherwise) from other federal officials, and a preoccupation with political correctness have combined to create a muddled, discombobulated mess in response to the virus.

Some of America’s governors, mayors, and CEOs did not wait for instruction from Washington, determining for themselves that drastic action is required to attempt to stop COVID-19 in its tracks. Now is not the time for timidity or self-restraint. We can actually learn a lot from China’s response, after its own disastrous initial reaction to the virus. Once the Chinese government determined what must be done, it just did it. Of course, it had the benefit of not needing to engage in any democratic debate on the subject, and it had mass surveillance capabilities unlike that of any nation on earth. But it also had a population willing to do what they were told.

Contrary to what many might think, America has that as well, because most of the country now understands what is at stake. Panic buying is evidence of that, all over the country. And our media is ensuring that news about the virus is crammed down our throats as the topic du jour. So, most Americas already understand that they must stay at home and curtail their normal activities in order to increase their chance of not contracting or spreading the virus. For those that do not, it is incumbent upon our leaders outside Washington to admit that this problem is not going away and that every day they wait to take action will definitely cost some people their lives.

The smartest thing that those governors, mayors, and CEOs can do is force people to stay at home and provide a means of enforcing it. This is not a popularity contest, it is about life and death. Those leaders who fail to understand what is at stake and take decisive action should be thrown out of office at the earliest opportunity because they are simply being small-minded, ill-informed, or selfish. Those CEOs who do not – this week – insist that anyone who can work from home, and those governors and mayors who do not close schools, curtail restaurants to home delivery only, and outlaw gatherings of more than 5 people, are guilty of a dereliction of duty.

Like many of you, I am really tired of leaders who do a delicate dance around critical issues and delay making important decisions because of expediency or the potential impact on their popularity. Why did China finally get a handle of this virus? Because it ended up acting swiftly and decisively, with the full force of its power. Why was South Korea successful in significantly slowing down the rise of the virus? Because it tested tens of thousands per day and acted accordingly. Why is Italy in its current virus-induced crisis? Because it did not. We have a small window of opportunity to have any hope of stopping the community spread of this disease. That window will run out in about two weeks.

*Daniel Wagner is CEO of Country Risk Solutions and author of the new book The America-China Divide.