WASHINGTON D.C. – I am writing to you mid-week to share an important Johns Hopkins University meta-analysis that meticulously looked at the data related to the global shutdown in 2020 related to the coronavirus pandemic.

As you recall, Dr. Anthony Fauci and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) insisted that the entire country, and indeed the world, shut down “for two weeks to flatten the curve.” Fast forward nearly two years later and many cities and states are still shut down in whole or part.  Florida, to its credit, saw the data early and completely opened for business last year.

The study is important because it found that lockdowns, school closures, border closures and limiting gatherings in the United States and Europe did nothing to stop the spread of COVID-19 and had no impact in reducing deaths caused from the pandemic. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch.

Worse, the study further found that the shutdowns did have “devastating effects” on the economy, families and students. Specifically, the report found the lockdowns “have contributed to reducing economic activity, raising unemployment, reducing schooling, causing political unrest, contributing to domestic violence, and undermining liberal democracy.”

The study goes on to conclude that the timing of lockdowns, and unintended consequences, likely played a larger role than expected in affecting mortality. “Lockdowns have limited peoples’ access to safe (outdoor) places such as beaches, parks, and zoos, or included outdoor mask mandates or strict outdoor gathering restrictions, pushing people to meet at less safe (indoor) places,” the study found. “Indeed, we do find some evidence that limiting gatherings was counterproductive and increased COVID-19 mortality.”