Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s 30-Day Coronavirus Plan: Shut Down Air Travel, Mortgage Moratorium

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) released an aggressive plan on Friday–a “30-day plan to help get America back to normal” in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. It includes the shutdown of international and domestic air travel, the closure of U.S. borders, a moratorium on all mortgages and utilities, and rigorous quarantine enforcements for individuals who have tested positive for the virus.

The Florida senator highlighted eight aggressive policy proposals he believes the U.S. needs to embrace to quickly and adequately address the coronavirus crisis head-on.

“Americans are scared because of the uncertainty the Coronavirus has brought. Small businesses are closing, people feel isolated and there’s no end in sight. But we can beat this,” Scott said in a statement.

“There are a series of steps we can take right now that, if everyone cooperates, can end the spread of the Coronavirus in the U.S. If we take these actions, we can significantly stop the spread of the virus and return to our normal, daily lives,” he added.

While some of his proposals, like encouraging everyone to “stay home to the extent possible,” have already been embraced by officials in other states, Scott is also pushing more drastic measures nationally, such as mandatory temperature checks for individuals entering public buildings, a moratorium on financial obligations like mortgage payments and rent, and the suspension of air travel.

Per his press release:

• Everyone stay home to the extent possible.
• Shut down all air travel – international AND domestic.
• Close U.S. borders to everyone except American citizens and Legal Permanent Residents.
• Require every individual to have their temperature taken before they enter a public building. If anyone has a high temperature, they cannot enter.
• Place a moratorium on all financial obligations (including rent, credit card payments, mortgages, utilities).
• Implement robust county-level testing with same-day results.
• If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they are mandated to quarantine. States must rigorously enforce quarantine rules.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should provide hospitals with a list of all drugs potentially available to patients either through Right to Try or Compassionate Use. The FDA should provide hospitals with a list of all drugs that show promising off-label therapeutic use for COVID-19.

Scott previously called for proper social distancing measures and the closure of U.S. borders, telling Fox News on Monday, “We’re either going to go the path of South Korea or we’re going to go the path of Italy.”

“I think we’re going to go the path of South Korea because we have to get this testing up this week. We need to be able to do rapid tests. We’ve got to secure our borders; I think that’s got to happen,” he said.

The U.S. had more than 19,600 confirmed cases of the virus as of Saturday morning.