Ossoff Supports Shutdown if ‘Public Health Experts’ Recommend It

Georgia U.S. Senate Democrat candidate Jon Ossoff said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” said he would support shutdowns in Georgia amid the coronavirus pandemic if recommended by “public health experts.”

Partial transcript as follows:

BASH: So, let’s talk about the virus, which is obviously overshadowing everything in this country, including your race. The White House Coronavirus Task Force said that Georgia, your state, is — quote — “in the early stages of full resurgence,” and that this is the moment to dramatically increase mitigation. So, would you support harsher restrictions in Georgia, like closing restaurants and businesses temporarily?

OSSOFF: I think we should follow the expertise of public health experts, like those of the CDC, which is based here in Georgia. And if that is the consensus of the public health community, we need to take that advice very seriously. And politicians need to recognize the limits of our own knowledge and wisdom. Epidemiologists who dedicate their careers and their training to studying the spread of infectious disease are qualified to advise us on the correct mitigation procedures. And the problem we have had all year is that politicians have been suppressing and ignoring public health advice. It’s time to trust the experts, listen to public health professionals in a public health crisis.

BASH: So, if they said shut things down temporarily, you would be all for it?

OSSOFF: If the CDC and its leadership gave a strong indication that those kinds of stronger mitigation measures are necessary to save lives and contain the spread of the virus, it would be malpractice for politicians to ignore that advice.There are more than 2,000 Americans dying per day. The spread is out of control. And the problem is, we have ignored the public health experts. So, I will be listening to them and not to political consultants, pollsters, or folks who are looking out for their own financial interests, like my opponent.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN