The good senator's rationale for saying something so batshit is that with more cases of the virus the faster Alabama will build herd immunity. Now, perhaps if he was just some crank in the Alabama Legislature you could ignore what he said. But then you find out he's also on the state's coronavirus task force and you just want to tear your hair out. Oh, and Alabama just set a new record for positive cases today, with 2,164.
Source: Daily Beast
A Republican member of the Alabama state Senate serving as a member of the state’s coronavirus task force says he’s not fazed by a recent surge in confirmed cases. In fact, he would “like to see more people” contract the virus in order to build herd immunity.
Sen. Del Marsh made the remarks to local reporters on Thursday when asked if he was concerned about a spike in COVID-19 cases. The state recorded 2,164 new cases on Thursday, setting a daily record. Hospitalizations have also climbed, with the number of coronavirus-related hospital stays reportedly doubling over the past two weeks.
The Alabama Department of Public Health has reported 11,000 new cases in just the first nine days of July.
“I’m not as concerned as much as the number of cases—and in fact, quite honestly—I want to see more people, because we start reaching an immunity as more people have it and get through it,” Marsh said. “I don’t want any deaths, as few as possible… so those people who are susceptible to the disease, those with pre-existing conditions, elderly population, those folks, we need to do all we can to protect them. But I’m not concerned.”
Checking Wikipedia to find out who this lunatic is, they list a slew of recent greatest hits. And surely this latest bit of foolishness will soon be added.
In May 2019, he voted to make abortion a crime at any stage in a pregnancy, with no exemptions for cases of rape or incest.[2]
In May 2019, he co-sponsored a bill to change Alabama's ethics laws to allow lobbyists to give unlimited gifts to lawmakers. Also on the bill were measures to decriminalize bribery and to redefine key terms of the ethics laws in order to loosen their power to prevent corruption.[3]
In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Marsh proposed using $200 million of CARES Act relief for the building of a new state house. $1.8 billion was given to the Alabama state government to be used for expenditures caused by the pandemic.[4]
Sen. Del Marsh (R) Anniston, says he wants to see more people get #coronavirus to build up an immunity. I asked was he concerned about Alabama's latest surge in cases. pic.twitter.com/omb2GVg9Ev
— Reshad Hudson (@ReshadHudson) July 9, 2020
