Coronavirus lockdowns include bans on “elective” surgery, even though many hospitals are mostly empty. By banning elective surgery, states not only deprive suffering people of healthcare, but also cause layoffs of healthcare workers.More than 30,000 Virginia healthcare workers have been furloughed or laid off. Many hospitals are “hemorrhaging cash” due to the loss of patients, and some could go bankrupt.Virginia is not alone in having empty hospitals. New York is the state hardest hit by the coronavirus, and over 22,000 New Yorkers have died of the disease. Yet, even it has many hospitals that are growing empty due to New York’s ban on elective surgeries. As the Syracuse Post-Standard notes, “Instead of being swamped with coronavirus patients, Syracuse’s three hospitals are awash with empty beds,” and the three hospitals in that region of New York State “have seen a 41 percent decline in their combined number of patients.”
Source