Trump is reluctant to declare an emergency after having repeatedly compared coronavirus with the flu
Who knows what this means, but it sounds good to me! https://t.co/rQVA4ER0PV
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 8, 2020
President Donald Trump is reluctant to declare an expansive emergency to combat the escalating coronavirus outbreak, fearful of stoking panic with such a dramatic step, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Instead, the president is expected to sign within days a more limited designation to allow the federal government to cover small business loans, paychecks for hourly workers and delay tax bills, the White House said Wednesday. An emergency declaration would go significantly beyond that move, bringing in the Federal Emergency Management Agency and freeing up funding and resources for states struggling to contain the rapidly spreading virus.
Trump’s concern at this point is that going further could hamper his narrative that the coronavirus is similar to the seasonal flu, said the three people familiar with the discussions. The administration is also negotiating with Congress over a stimulus package designed to cushion the coronavirus-hampered economy. But that calculation could change in the coming weeks.
“The president isn’t persuaded because [an emergency declaration] contradicts his message that this is the flu,” said a Republican who speaks to Trump. [Continue reading…]
For the first time in 11 years, the World Health Organization has declared a pandemic as a top US health official calls for “all hands on deck” to fight coronavirus.
A pandemic is defined as the “worldwide spread” of a new disease.
The US has more than 1,000 cases of novel coronavirus. And growing clusters of the disease are forcing many Americans to change their daily lives.
One of the biggest sports events of the year, the men’s Division I basketball tournament, known as March Madness, will be played with only family members and essential personnel in attendance, NCAA President Mark Emmert announced. The women’s tournament also will be played to largely empty arenas.
“While I understand how disappointing this is for fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how Covid-19 is progressing in the United States,” he said. [Continue reading…]
“We’re having to fix a problem that four weeks ago nobody ever thought would be a problem… You read about them from 1917… this came out of nowhere and actually it came out of China which is the way it works” pic.twitter.com/WUQpOPZAGw
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) March 11, 2020
The last pandemic was in 2009 and, contrary to Trump’s insinuation that all pandemics come from China, originated in North America.