Las Vegas Mayor Slams 'Total Insanity' of Shutdowns: 'We MUST Reopen' Now
Mayor Carolyn Goodman says 'nonessential' business designation 'makes no sense'
© press
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (D) has slammed the shutdown of "nonessential" businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic, demanding that "we must reopen" now.
Mayor Goodman, a Democrat, blasted the coronavirus crisis measures as "total insanity."
Goodman argues that shutting businesses down is "total insanity."
"This shutdown has become one of total insanity in my opinion, for there is no backup of data as to why we are shut down from the start,” Goodman raged during a city council meeting.
"No plan in place for how to move through the shutdown or how even to come out of it."
While arguing it was time to reopen the city, Goodman cited experts she has spoken with, saying that the coronavirus or a derivative will simply “be part of what we work through going forward.”
© press
“We cannot keep our heads in the sand and think it’s going to go away,” Goodman said.
“We’re adults with brains who can know what to do to wash our hands, to take all precautions not to spread this disease.”
The mayor claimed experts have told her the novel coronavirus which triggered the intentional economic shutdown, is not going away.
Therefore, she says crippling the economy is a consequence of an unnecessary delay.
“It’s not going to be going away this month, next month, and much like the flu and other viruses that have impacted populations around the world, this virus, or a derivative thereof, will be part of what we work through going forward,” she said.
“Tragically, we have already lost, to this virus, 128 individuals in Nevada,” Goodman said, offering her condolences to the friends and families of the victims.
“But let me tell you, with a population of 3.2 million living in Nevada, those whom we have lost represent less than a half of one percent of our population, which has caused us to shut down our entire state and everything that makes Nevada unique.”
Mayor Goodman then emphasized the economic impact on the community due to the lockdown measures, which is translating into hopelessness.
“These are families that no longer have the ability to buy food for their children and other loved ones,” she said.
“Pay their bills. Pay their rent. Pay their mortgage. Pay their car payment.
"Or enjoy the life that they had prior to this shutdown.”
“Small businesses and those on week-to-week paychecks have been forced to close,” Goodman continued.
"Entire savings that were invested in these small businesses are being lost or are have already been lost.
"Hotels and restaurants, our entire tourism and convention industry business, has been shut down.
"It makes no sense. It makes no sense.”
© press
"From my perspective, we must open our city,” the mayor continued.
"We must open Southern Nevada, and we must open the state of Nevada.
"We can not live, going forward, with the medical and health industry telling us that this virus is going to be around longer than a month or two, maybe even a year.”
"We cannot keep our heads in the sand and think it’s going to go away," Goodman added.
"We are adults with brains, who can know what to do, to wash our hands, to take all precautions not to spread this disease.
"But we cannot put our heads in the sand and think it’s going to go away,” Goodman argued.
"From my perspective, I am asking, open the city, open Clark County, open the state.
"For heaven’s sake, for being closed is killing us already and killing Las Vegas, our industry, our convention, and tourism business that we have all worked so hard to build.
"The longer we wait to do this, the more impossible it will be to recover and return to the home we all know and love.”
Las Vegas mayor on coronavirus shutdown:
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) April 16, 2020
“It makes no sense.”
She calls for Vegas and all of Nevada to reopen. pic.twitter.com/uf5Wf3g2Wn
A recent study from Oxford Economics found that Nevada and Florida are among the states most vulnerable to an economic shock from the pandemic, due to factors like much of the population is older than the age of 65 and the local economy depending on retail sales and tourism.
City manager Scott Adams told The Las Vegas Review-Journal that the city will face a deficit of nearly $150 million over the next 18 months due to closures.
It could receive an estimated $160 million in aid from the congressional stimulus bill, but Adams told the outlet that it is unclear when funding will arrive.
“If there’s ever a time where the old saying, ‘show me the money,’ applies, it’s right now,” Adams said.
