More people died of suicide in a single Tennessee county last week than of the coronavirus across the entire state, according to one local official.
Knox County Regional Forensic Center examined nine suspected suicides in under 48 hours last week, Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs said, according to the Tennessee Star.
“Is what we are doing now really the best approach? How can we respond to COVID-19 in a way that keeps our economy intact, keeps people employed, and empowers our people with a feeling of hope and optimism, not desperation and despair?” Jacobs asked.
State Department of Health data shows six people have died of the coronavirus in Tennessee as of Sunday morning.
“Thus far, our reaction to COVID-19 has been to sacrifice the global economy,” Jacobs said. “The truth is: a sick economy produces sick people.”
The U.S. economy has been severely slowed by the rapid spread of the virus, which has led to the shuttering of millions of restaurants, bars, and other nonessential businesses across the country.
Shock poll: Talarico ties Paxton in Texas Senate race, threatening GOP stronghold
GOP infighting over Trump’s voter ID bill erupts as top senator calls strategy ‘fantasy’
CA Neighbors Furious as Alleged Anti-Trump HOA Gets Ultimate Revenge in Lead Up to July 4
Priceless Video: ICE Guards Have to Protect Rioters from Female Employee Raging After They Hit Her Car
Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce reported MSG wedding plans call for 1,000 guests, street closure at MSG: source
Heartbroken father blasts ‘broken’ system that let family massacre take his children before they could reunite
MS Now’s Longest-Running Anchor Is Out As Struggling Network Pivots to More Reliance on Podcasts
House GOP’s SAVE Act rescue plan hits resistance from conservative holdouts
Trump’s massive GOP faith bloc raises red flag on Iran deal: Trust him, not his team
Socialists take fight west, target Colorado in latest bid to oust Democratic Party establishment
Fetterman unleashes on ‘dirtbag’ wing of Dems after far-left victories: ‘Orgy of socialism’
Trump supporters rip Amy Coney Barrett after Supreme Court setbacks
A California dog rescue hid a grim secret: more than 100 dogs buried beneath it
DuckDuckGo’s AI Assistant Claims Trump and Vance Have Died from Rabies
CBS crew attacked by multiple men near Chicago museum, suspects arrested: police
A record 3.3 million U.S. citizens made unemployment claims earlier in March, reported the Labor Department last week.
Several localities in Tennessee have issued “safe at home” orders, and Republican Gov. Bill Lee has said he is not ruling out the possibility of a statewide lockdown similar to those in New York and California.
Earlier this week, President Trump predicted a rise in suicide rates across the country if the U.S. economy continues to slide.
“You have tremendous responsibility. We have jobs. We have … people get tremendous anxiety and depression, and you have suicides over things like this when you have terrible economies. You have death probably in far greater numbers than the numbers we are talking about with regard to the virus,” Trump said.
Trump has pledged to get the U.S. economy up and running again in a matter of weeks, saying he is hopeful federal health guidelines and restrictions could be loosened by as early as Easter, April 12.
Story cited here.
