Editor's note: Bradley Blankenship is a Prague-based American journalist, political analyst and freelance reporter. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

On Tuesday the United States reported 2,157 daily COVID-19 deaths – a level not seen since May – and reported about 170,000 new infections. With the Thanksgiving holiday this week and Americans traveling to reunite with family at pre-pandemic levels, infections are only expected by health experts to increase and put more strain on a health system already reaching its limits. For its part, and already almost a year into managing the coronavirus, the federal government – the current Congress and administration – appears to have learned very little.  

Politicians, almost exclusively in the Republican Party, are decrying new virus-related restrictions that they estimate will severely impact the economy. While it is not entirely incorrect, the binary between handling the virus and building back the economy is indeed a false one. The fact is that the economy actually depends, not even in part but entirely, on the management of the public health crisis. This is true for the short-term as well for the long-term, as many economists across the political spectrum have pointed out.  

The rapid opening up strategy pushed by the Trump administration in April that undercut the efforts of successful state governments led to a larger than expected uptick in jobs, at least at the beginning, but the resurgence of the virus in extreme force is sure to make these jobs disappear yet again – and maybe never reappear – as new lockdowns and restrictions loom.  

But make no mistake, it does not mean that more lockdowns and restrictions are not entirely needed. If not, there will be an unmitigated spread of the virus that will result in untold deaths, incapacitation and permanent disability – all of which also carry an immense economic toll.  

This time around restrictions must be supported more enthusiastically and aimed at fully containing and controlling the spread of the virus and not aimed at reopening for political purposes, especially now that the 2020 presidential election is over.  

America's handling of the situation now will also determine at least some long-term economic consequences. For example, it stands to reason that the United States will attract less foreign investment well into the future after its terrible management of the coronavirus situation. Investors will be less likely to take risks in a country that has poor public health infrastructure and political will. This would only be confirmed if a second opportunity, one that now includes nearly a year of prior experience, is missed. 

Most importantly, these lockdowns will be utterly meaningless if not accompanied by disaster relief. It should be noted as well that allowing workers to go unemployed was a political choice and not a necessity. Other countries managed to employ, with varying degrees of success, some form of a government-subsidized furlough scheme and the United States has still not gotten on board.  

Powerful members of Congress, like Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, discuss a fictitious disincentive to work stemming from federally-sponsored enhanced unemployment insurance (UI) – but workers would have obviously rather kept their jobs and the security they entail. With this UI scheme as the only viable option now, because of the choices they initially made, these benefits, which expired on July 31, must be restored at the very minimum. 

In fact, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a new stimulus bill, the so-called HEROES Act, on May 15 and Republican-controlled Senate has taken multiple vacations, including one now. All federal benefits are set to expire on December 31 and tens of millions of Americans in the crosshairs – facing potential homelessness, joblessness and even food insecurity.  

It's not just the Senate that is gumming up the response to the virus on the economic front, but also the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin recently announced that he does not plan on extending several key emergency lending programs beyond the end of the year and has asked the Federal Reserve to return the money backing them, some $450 billion. 

The programs include ones that support the markets for corporate bonds and municipal debt and those that extend loans to midsize businesses. Investors were banking on these programs staying afloat as the virus continues to pose economic risks. And with the second wave of the virus ripping through the country coupled with the fact that no new stimulus is in the works, these risks are even more pronounced.  

This will make the financial market much more turbulent, even if the incoming administration of presumptive president-elect Joe Biden will try to reverse it (no doubt requiring congressional approval at that point). Binding the Fed's hands in buying up municipal debt will also force already struggling states and municipalities, many of which have balanced budget provisions, to make hard budget cuts – cuts to pensions, fire departments, schools, police forces and so on – with the reckoning of no stimulus bill being passed.  

Ironically the administration is finally seeing all of this. According to a report issued to states and obtained by the country's media, the White House coronavirus task force is urging a "significant behavior change" due to the "aggressive, rapid, and expanding" spread of the virus. The report goes on that there is community spread in over 2,000 counties in the country and states must implement measures to "flatten the curve to sustain the health system for both COVID and non-COVID emergencies." 

Local leaders and average Americans alike must, "Ensure masks at all times in public, increase physical distancing through significant reduction in capacity in public and private indoor spaces, and ensure every American understands the clear risks of ANY family or friend interactions outside their immediate household indoors without masks." 

This advice comes too little, too late; the politicization of public health measures will hardly be undone from this report that came at least eight months too late. It also bears little significance when the president himself is planning a post-Thanksgiving holiday party probably sans masks and social distancing. The federal government in its current form has learned remarkably little from its nearly year-long experience with the worst coronavirus outbreak in the world despite the many, many lessons sure to one day be explored by historians. 

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