A letter to President Trump signed by at least 500 physicians warned of "exponentially growing negative health consequences" from measures taken to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus across the country.
The top signature was from Dr. Simone Gold, a California emergency medicine specialist. In an interview with The Hill, she said she didn't want to be seen as political, and was merely concerned about the negative medical impacts of the shutdown. The Hill reported that Jenny Beth Martin, the cofounder of Tea Party Patriots, helped organize the effort to get the letter to the White House.
Authority to begin or end the shutdowns rests with state and local officials.