Apr 2nd 2020
COVID-19 Testing – Deciphering the voice of authority
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the media as U.S. Army personnel look at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, which will be partially converted into a hospital for patients affected by the coronavirus outbreak, March 23, 2020. (Mike Segar/Reuter)
In the years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the general public paid more attention to the elections and affairs of the federal government rather than local and state governments. But as the virus carved itself a path across the globe in early 2020, the initial response from the United States Federal Government and President appeared to downplay the severity of the disease as the number of test kits available to Americans infected by COVID-19 was small. Due to public pressure, many local and state officials stepped up to the challenge and to provide comfort and leadership to their respective counties, states and cities.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California and Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York were among the first state officials to take steps toward statewide lockdowns and restrictions related to the coronavirus. This trend continued throughout the US and, suddenly, Americans were turning toward their state governors for guidelines and leadership about COVID-19 prevention tactics, rather than looking toward the federal government.
This trend of putting faith in local and state officials was and is not isolated to the United States. Local and state officials in Spain, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, England and Germany all have given their citizens guidelines on COVID-19 protection. While many people across the world typically put the majority of their trust in the federal government, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems as if local and state officials are earning citizens’ trust.