Coronavirus response requires cooperation, not overreaction

The 2005 avian flu outbreak prompted the Bush administration to develop a national pandemic response strategy, which the Trump administration is diligently following and improving upon. 

As former senior U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) officials, whose service spans both administrations, we believe the public should be reassured by the federal government’s readiness to lead our response to the new coronavirus outbreak. 

Indeed, if all governments, communities, businesses, families and individuals across the country work together, we are confident that the United States is well prepared to handle this type of biological threat. 

HHS Secretary Alex Azar, also a former Bush official, was intimately involved in the development of the 2005 pandemic strategy. And in his role as head of the president’s coronavirus task force, Vice President Pence is wisely following the collaborative approach urged by 2005 HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt in coordinating closely with both the private sector and local government leaders. Congress also is building on years of pandemic preparedness by providing essential new bipartisan funding support. 

However, we have observed decisions being made elsewhere that do not seem to follow the recommendations of experts. In the past week, companies including Google and Apple have pulled out of major domestic conferences. Goldman Sachs, CNN and Twitter have restricted or halted business travel in the United States and elsewhere. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has many online tools to help employers make reasoned, educated decisions. 

These actions have been taken despite no federal guidance calling for restrictions on travel within the United States or on holding large events. The private sector has an important role to play in containing outbreaks such as these — and it has an essential role in preventing misguided fear and panic that can burden our public health infrastructure and unnecessarily harm the economy.    

Just as the federal government has a playbook to follow in these situations, so too should the private sector adhere to a simple set of principles in helping us minimize the damage from this viral outbreak:  

Amplify official sources of information. Companies should be using their channels to communicate official sources of information, such as the CDC. The immediate health risk to the U.S. public for COVID-19, the disease caused by this coronavirus, is currently low. 

Don’t overreact. Canceling meetings or restricting domestic travel when contrary to government guidance can inadvertently sow panic and unnecessarily harm the economy. It is important to remember that, as of now, there have been no federal restrictions on meetings or travel in the United States.

Prepare to be helpful. If the situation escalates, every industry has a constructive role to play in the national response. Companies should develop plans for how they will contribute to a serious public health emergency through charitable support, equipment or the provision of expertise. International business cooperation in the development of vaccines and the sharing of best treatment practices is also essential.

A responsible private sector response is crucial because the key lesson we learned from the avian flu experience is that handling a nationwide public health emergency requires an extraordinary degree of collaboration with all the major stakeholders: state and local governments, community leaders, business leaders, individuals. If we are not working together, we risk coming apart at the precise moment when national unity is most important.

Rich McKeown was the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) chief of staff during the George W. Bush administration; he co-founded and formerly was CEO of Leavitt Partners, a health care consulting firm based in Salt Lake City.

Jack Kalavritinos was HHS’s head of intergovernmental and external affairs during the Bush and Trump administrations and is now senior director for APCO Worldwide, a global public affairs and communications firm headquartered in Washington.