News Editor’s Roundup: Government Response to Coronavirus Accellerates

BY JACK CROWE

March 16, 2020

Welcome to the National Review News Editor's Roundup — a weekly newsletter in which I'll relay the most important stories of the upcoming week in a digestible format that will prepare you for where the news cycle is headed without bogging you down. This newsletter will include everything from the "1A" mainstream story that has the political world buzzing to those stories that are being neglected by the wider media but are nonetheless important to National Review readers. I hope you enjoy, and don't hesitate to send feedback to jcrowe@nationalreview.com. —Jack Crowe

THE RESPONSE OF GOVERNMENT AGENCIES and private businesses to the coronavirus outbreak has accelerated at breakneck speed since panic over the global pandemic — which has now infected some 88,000 people outside of China — began in earnest last week.

On Sunday night, New York City mayor Bill De Blasio announced the closure of the nation's largest public-school district until April 20. New York's school children join over 30 million kids nationwide who will be staying home from school today and every weekday for the foreseeable future as states and localities seek to prevent children, who are not at great personal risk from the virus, from spreading it to older relatives and neighbors. De Blasio has also closed the city's bars and restaurants, which will continue to provide take-out options for the millions of New Yorkers who remain shut in their houses and apartments. Ohio governor Mike DeWine similarly closed the state's bars and restaurants and Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker followed suit.

At the federal level, the response continues to gather momentum as each new directive builds on the last, becoming more restrictive of and disruptive to the daily lives of Americans. The CDC issued new guidelines Sunday that call for limiting gatherings to under 50 people for at least the next eight weeks. And Vice President Mike Pence said over the weekend that the White House will announce new social distancing recommendations on Monday. The Fed, meanwhile, announced an emergency rate cut Sunday night, slashing benchmark interest rates to zero and marking the first time in history that the central bank has resorted to two emergency rate cuts between meetings.

While Americans across the country hunker down in their homes, the nation's senators, 48 of whom are over the age of 60 and thus more vulnerable to the virus, will remain in Washington. The Senate will hold a procedural vote Monday afternoon on a bill to reauthorize FISA laws and likely won't get around to voting on the coronavirus spending bill, which was passed by the House over the weekend, until Wednesday or Thursday. Lawmakers will also be kept busy in the coming week as they negotiate a second stimulus bill to contain the economic fallout wrought by the outbreak. The details of the bill and the timing of its passage remain largely unknown.

Fed Announces Unprecedented Second Emergency Rate Cut, Stocks Plunge in Response

The Fed made history Sunday night by announcing a second emergency rate cut between quarterly meetings. The central bank slashed benchmark interest rates to zero, after previously cutting rates by 50 basis points earlier this month, and relaunched its bond buyback program in a bid to calm markets that are still reeling from the coronavirus outbreak. The move comes after President Trump repeatedly harangued chairman Jerome Powell in public and private for what the president sees as his failure to respond adequately to the global pandemic by immediately cutting rates. Global markets plunged Monday morning despite the Fed's move, with futures markets falling 5 percent ahead of the opening bell in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal)

Coronavirus Deaths Worldwide Exceed Those Inside China

The spread of the coronavirus passed a symbolic milestone over the weekend as the number of cases outside of China eclipsed the number of cases within the country where the virus originated. As of Sunday, about 3,300 deaths from the illness were recorded outside China, while China itself has reported about 3,200 deaths, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Also, the 81,000 total cases diagnosed inside China have been eclipsed by the 88,000 reported in the rest of the world. The World Health Organization announced Friday that the epicenter of the pandemic, which originated around an open air meat market in Wuhan, has shifted to Europe. (Wall Street Journal)

NYC Mayor Shutters All Bars, Restaurants and Closes Nation's Largest Public-School District

The closure of the nation's largest public-school district until at least April 20 is one of the clearest signs yet that the nation's public-health authorities believe drastic and sustained action must be taken to stem the spread of coronavirus. The lives of some 1 million schoolchildren and their parents will now be thrown into turmoil as the city shuts down. New York's thriving hospitality industry will suffer a massive blow from the mayor's decision to restrict all bars and restaurants to take-out service. So will the hospitality industries of Illinois and Ohio, which have also been temporarily shuttered as of Sunday evening. (New York Times)

Biden Vows to Choose Woman as His Vice President

Joe Biden, who has established himself as the presumptive Democratic nominee, said during Sunday night's one-on-one debate against Bernie Sanders that he would pick a woman as his running mate. Biden's vow to select a woman as his running mate prompted Sanders to concede that he would "in all likelihood" do the same — in the off chance that he captures the party's nomination. The debate also featured heavy sparring over the virtues of various health-care systems in responding to a threat such as the present coronavirus pandemic. Sanders argued that the outbreak proves the necessity of a single-payer system while Biden countered that Italy, which has such a system, has been overrun by the virus.

Washington Post: Trump says he's 'strongly considering' pardoning Michael Flynn

Trump said Sunday that he is considering pardoning former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Washington Post: Public health experts say stay in. Devin Nunes and other defiant officials say, 'It's a great time to just go out.'

Even as public-health officials urge Americans to stay home, the economic impacts of social distancing have spurred some politicians to encourage people to "go out," countering the precautions that experts say will ease the ultimate burden and death toll caused by the novel coronavirus.

Among those is Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), who suggested Sunday that healthy people visit local restaurants and bars.

"There's a lot of concerns with the economy here because people are scared to go out," Nunes said on Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures." "But I will just say one of the things you can do if you're healthy, you and your family, it's a great time to just go out, go to a local restaurant. … Let's not hurt the working people in this country that are relying on wages and tips to keep their small business going."

ABC News: Fake coronavirus testing kits seized at Los Angeles airport

LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities warned consumers Saturday about fake home-testing kits for the coronavirus after customs agents intercepted a package at Los Angeles International Airport filled with vials labeled as COVID-19 test kits.

The parcel arriving from the United Kingdom this week was declared as purified water vials valued at nearly $200. But when U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspected it they discovered the labels referring to the new virus that began in China and has spread globally.