Dear America: stopping community spread of COVID is the ONLY way out of this until vaccine: That requires: 1) massive screening; 2) testing all who screen positive; 3) quarantine of positives and their social contacts; 4) stopping new infected entries.

All discussion of ventilators; anti-viral therapy; unproven drugs ... that's all stuff after it's too late ... after there is an infection. We have stop new infections.

Life will not return to normal until we can identify every individual case; track down who infected them and track every person potentially exposed.

Until there is a massive federal effort to screen, test and quarantine, you can KNOW that the federal government is not committed to stopping the spread. This will have to include screening everyone that enters the US and probably quarantining them.

Without a screening/testing program, social distancing will be required indefinitely. Until vaccine, which even if developed now, is at least a year away from becoming effective. Probably more like 2 years or more.

In the face of this reality, we have to look at the federal effort to allow americans to have shelter and eat when millions and millions cannot earn a living. On a scale of 1 to 100, at the moment the federal response is perhaps a 1. Or a zero.

Even before this, we had many facing food insecurity, lack of health care, inadequate shelter. This issue is RIGHT NOW moving from the poorest 1/3 to perhaps 2/3 of the country.

The federal response thus far has been expanded unemployment benefits which aren't being delivered because state agencies are overwhelmed; a tiny tax refund for those that qualify that hasn't been delivered; and grants to businesses for payroll - also largely undelivered.

Unemployment benefits or business grants/loans, in order to arrive in american's pockets, require endless forms, effort, bureaucracy, delay, etc. These hurdles will limit their benefit to a tiny few and any support will arrive too late for most.

So, you will KNOW that the federal government is serious about helping americans survive during social distancing when Congress passes a bill that provides direct payments to americans.

Trickle down or pass-through support IS NOT GOING TO WORK.

Bush gave direct stimulus support to Americans in 2001 and 2008, so we know how to do this. Dems in the house have pushed for this. Death Panel Mitch McConnell, however, has resisted so far and will continue to do so.

Long term, the only solution to this is vote every Republican that has enabled this disaster out of office.

Short term, however, we can demand that Congress comes back in session, and WE CAN DEMAND SOLUTIONS: screening, testing AND DIRECT, IMMEDIATE SUPPORT FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES. Dirk out.