Rep. Cheney: No Economy With Overrun Hospitals, Dying Americans

Wyoming's lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives echoed calls to slow the coronavirus spread in the United States, even if that means economic harms.

"There will be no functioning economy if our hospitals are overwhelmed and thousands of Americans of all ages, including our doctors and nurses, lay dying because we have failed to do what's necessary to stop the virus," U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney tweeted Tuesday morning.

Cheney's tweet echoed Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner, who said the desire to get Americans back to work is understandable. Most of the U.S., including Wyoming, has implemented some sort of policies to keep Americans at home. The hospitality industry throughout the U.S. has come to a halt or slowed considerably.

In a Monday press conference, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is a country that's "not built to be shut down."

"American will again, and soon, be open for business. Very soon. A lot sooner than three or four months that somebody was suggesting."

Health experts from Casper to World Health Organization officials have cautioned that without taking measures to "limit the curve," hospitals could quickly become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

CDC data as of 11:30 a.m. March 24 lists the total number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. at 44,183 with 544 deaths.