They were definitely intentionally ignoring the peril, and minimizing it. Then and now. The problem with the ‘testing argument’ is that too much time has passed. Tests per thousand or per million are irrelevant without a third variable—time. So the current thing is for the President to say, we have done more than any nation including South Korea and Birx will say, that’s right. And she is. But they have had less time involved. Clearly the death rates make clear the impact of a quicker, per capita testing and tracing scheme.
But you don’t have to take my word for it. Take the VP’s. Remember his visit to the Mayo Clinic and their policy about masks he ignored? Here’s what he said:
“As vice president of the United States I’m tested for the coronavirus on a regular basis, and everyone who is around me is tested for the coronavirus,” he said, citing guidelines from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that indicate wearing a mask can prevent those who have the virus from spreading it unwittingly.“
All of America would appreciate the same conditions to get rid of masks and walk freely. Why does he get to? Massive testing regime. No other conditions. Lesson is clear, testing equals freedom.