Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) called for a government takeover of all private hospitals on Tuesday night as a way of alleviating “pressures” that they are facing from the outbreak of the coronavirus, which originated in China.
Omar wrote on Twitter, “Here is maybe a radical idea to deal with some of the pressures our healthcare system is facing: All private hospitals should be made public for the duration of the virus.”
Here is maybe a radical idea to deal with some of the pressures our healthcare system is facing:
All private hospitals should be made public for the duration of the virus.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) March 25, 2020
Omar did not elaborate on how her call for a government takeover of private hospitals would solve anything.
The far-left Democrat’s call to takeover private hospitals comes as nearly every country around the world is dealing with the coronavirus, which has killed over 19,000 worldwide in just over two months.
The outbreak erupted out of China after the communist nation initially lied about the extent of the outbreak and tried to cover it up.
The Wall Street Journal earlier this month highlighted how China tried to cover it up back in December:
For almost three weeks, doctors struggled to connect the dots between [patient 1] and other early cases, many of them [Wuhan market] vendors. Patient after patient reported similar symptoms, but many, like her, visited small, poorly resourced clinics and hospitals. …
When doctors did finally establish the [Wuhan market] link in late December, they quarantined [patient 1] and others like her and raised the alarm to their superiors. But they were prevented by Chinese authorities from alerting their peers, let alone the public.
One of the first doctors to alert Chinese authorities was criticized for “spreading rumors” after sharing with a former medical-school classmate a test result showing a patient had a coronavirus. Another doctor had to write a self-criticism letter saying his warnings “had a negative impact.”
Even after Chinese President Xi Jinping personally ordered officials to control the outbreak on Jan. 7, authorities kept denying it could spread between humans—something doctors had known was happening since late December—and went ahead with a Chinese Lunar New Year banquet involving tens of thousands of families in Wuhan.
On Tuesday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) introduced legislation calling for an international investigation into China’s “cover-up” of the outbreak and demanding that China pay for all the damage that it caused the world.
“Since day one, the Chinese Communist Party intentionally lied to the world about the origin of this pandemic,” Hawley said. “The CCP was aware of the reality of the virus as early as December but ordered laboratories to destroy samples and forced doctors to keep silent. It is time for an international investigation into the role their cover-up played in the spread of this devastating pandemic. The CCP must be held to account for what the world is now suffering.”
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) also intends to introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
“The Communist government of China knowingly withheld critical information needed to combat the spread of the Chinese-born COVID-19 and to this day continues to spread lies and disinformation on the origin of the deadly virus,” Stefanik said in a statement. “There is no doubt that China’s unconscionable decision to orchestrate an elaborate coverup of the wide-ranging and deadly implications of coronavirus led to the death of thousands of people, including hundreds of Americans and climbing. This Resolution calls for China to provide compensation for the harm, loss, and destruction their arrogance brought upon the rest of the world. Simply put – China must, and will, be held accountable.”