Covid 19 National Emergency/

NATIONAL EMERGENCY
COVID-19

“I’m officially declaring a national emergency… We will defeat this threat. When America is tested, America rises to the occasion.”

Pres. Trump speaking from the Rose Garden on March 13. As of March 12, 1,600+ people from 46 states and the District of Columbia have COVID-19. The President expects 1.4M more tests to be available within the next week and another 5M within a month.

COVID-19 Timeline

• Dec 31, 2019: World Health Org. (WHO) informed of pneumonia-like coronavius in Wuhan, China
• Jan. 21, 2020: 1st U.S. case confirmed
• Jan 30, 2020: WHO declared it a global “public health emergency“
• Feb 29, 2020: 1st U.S. death confirmed
• March 11, 2020: WHO characterized it as a “pandemic“
• March 13, 2020: Pres. Trump declared it a “national emergency“

Three Effects Of The Emergency Declaration

• Access to up to $50B in federal money to aid communities affected by the outbreak.
• Activates FEMA. For example: FEMA can disperse aid (tests, medicine, food, supplies) to states & localities.
• Provides more flexibility by waiving licensing laws so healthcare workers can provide care across state lines or “telehealth” (provide care remotely).

“These kind of things generally run out in a few months. Hopefully, we’ll make it several weeks — eight, nine, whatever weeks. But I can’t give you a number because it depends on how successful we are.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on the stakes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.

MORE MONEY: Last week, Pres. Trump signed a $8.3 billion emergency funding bill to combat COVID-19, but that money will soon run out. Congress is *reportedly* on the verge of agreeing to another federal stimulus package.