The President of the United States has declared a national emergency in response to the spreading Coronavirus pandemic. Trump made the press conference announcement on Friday, March 13.
The declaration of a national emergency will allow the government to dispense $50 billion toward the outbreak.
Some of the measures the government will make include waiving certain mandates at hospitals and critical care units so that more physicians can be on-call, hospital stays can be longer, and emergency rooms can have flexible regulations to respond to the crisis more efficiently.
Trump also said that four million Coronavirus test kits and drive-thru tests will be provided at locations across the country. Locations will be announced on Sunday night.
In the meantime, Google is working with the government to come up with an online portal where people can take a pre-test assessment to see if they need to get a swab test.
Trump’s administration said that the pandemic would eventually end but the declaration of a national emergency would help it end sooner.
Meanwhile, warehouse retail stores, such as Costco, Target and Walmart, and even online retail, such as Amazon, have been sold out of water, hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and sprays, rubbing alcohol, bleach and any product that is known to kill germs and bacteria.
Movie theaters, theme parks and shopping malls are also seeing a reduction in business as they announce closures and adjusted schedules. Several schools are now offering classes online and closing campuses.
Interestingly enough, House Democrats proposed a Coronavirus bill that would enable Americans who would be out of work due to the spread of the virus to receive paid leave. No word yet if that will be a real possibility.
Live entertainment venues Live Nation, AEG, CAA, WME, Paradigm and UTA announced that large scale events will be postponed through the end of March.
“At this time, we collectively recommend large scale events through the end of March be postponed,” reads a statement from Live Nation Entertainment. “This recommendation is specific to the US and countries deemed level 3 by the CDC. We continue to support that small-scale events in these regions follow guidance set by their local government officials.”
One good thing that is coming out of all of this is that more people are getting time to rest and spend time with their families. Also, Trump has postponed student loan payments until further notice. No interest should be charged during this time.
Stay safe out there!
