vox--2020-03-22--DOJ asks Congress for broad new powers amid Covid-19. Schumer says, “Hell no.”

The Department of Justice ( DOJ ) has reportedly asked Congress for a host of new powers as the coronavirus spreads across the country , including the ability to ask judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergency situations and natural disasters .
The requests , first reported by Politico ’ s Betsy Woodruff Swan Saturday , come amid concerns the Trump administration is using the pandemic to implement major policy changes such as tighter border and asylum restrictions .
Given President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13 , the powers requested by the DOJ would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be granted .
However , the requests are unlikely to be approved — a bipartisan group of lawmakers has already signaled opposition to them .
In one document Politico obtained , the department suggested the US attorney general be able to ask the chief judge of any district court to stop court proceedings “ whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster , civil disobedience , or other emergency situation.
” The department ’ s proposal would also give judges the power to pause “ any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every stage of the justice process from pre-arrest to post-trial .
The DOJ reportedly argued that judges can already pause proceedings in emergency situations and that a congressionally-approved policy would just make processes more “ consistent.
” Also reportedly included in the request was a proposal to put a hold on the statute of limitations for criminal investigations during national emergencies and for a year after the emergencies end ; to expand use of videoconference hearings without defendants ’ consent ; to ban people with Covid-19 from applying for asylum ; and to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the travel ban list from applying for asylum .
Legal experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle quickly condemned the request .
Sen. Mike Lee ( R-UT ) tweeted “ OVER MY DEAD BODY ; ” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( NY ) wrote , “ Two Words : Hell No ; ” and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “ Absolutely not ” — a sentiment Sen. Rand Paul ’ s ( R-KY ) chief strategist , Doug Stafford , agreed with .
The DOJ did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from Vox .
The Trump administration has an opportunity to make sweeping policy changes during the pandemic Trump ’ s declaration of a national emergency is a major boon to states struggling to respond to the crisis because it frees up $ 42.6 billion in federal funds that can be used for testing , medical facilities , and other supplies .
But a national emergency declaration also gives Trump access to more than 120 broad powers , many with few restrictions .
On Friday , the Trump administration cited coronavirus concerns as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ permanent residents from entering the US along the northern and southern borders , with few exceptions .
The decision affects asylum seekers , who officials are directed to turn away at the border rather than taking them to a detention center for processing their claims .
“ When held at border facilities , these migrants were spreading the virus to other migrants , to [ Customs and Border Protection ] agents and border health care workers and even the United States population as a whole , ” said US Health and Human Services @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear , however , exactly how the policy will work in practice .
Mexico said last week it will not accept people returned from the US who are not Mexican or Central American , and instead , Immigration and Customs Enforcement would need to use chartered planes to return migrants to their home countries .
Trump has also used the crisis caused by the virus to promote ideas of a tax credit for companies bringing manufacturing from China back to the US ( a favorite initiative of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ temporary payroll tax cut , and an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve .

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reportedly asked Congress for a host of new powers as the coronavirus spreads across the country, including the ability to ask judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergency situations and natural disasters.
The requests, first reported by Politico’s Betsy Woodruff Swan Saturday, come amid concerns the Trump administration is using the pandemic to implement major policy changes such as tighter border and asylum restrictions. Given President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, the powers requested by the DOJ would likely be in effect should its request be granted. However, the requests are unlikely to be approved — a bipartisan group of lawmakers has already signaled opposition to them.
In one document Politico obtained, the department suggested the US attorney general be able to ask the chief judge of any district court to stop court proceedings “whenever the district court is fully or partially closed by virtue of any natural disaster, civil disobedience, or other emergency situation.” The department’s proposal would also give judges the power to pause “any statutes or rules of procedure” at every stage of the justice process from pre-arrest to post-trial.
The DOJ reportedly argued that judges can already pause proceedings in emergency situations and that a congressionally-approved policy would just make processes more “consistent.”
Also reportedly included in the request was a proposal to put a hold on the statute of limitations for criminal investigations during national emergencies and for a year after the emergencies end; to expand use of videoconference hearings without defendants’ consent; to ban people with Covid-19 from applying for asylum; and to, in effect, bar people from the travel ban list from applying for asylum.
Legal experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle quickly condemned the request. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) tweeted “OVER MY DEAD BODY;” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) wrote, “Two Words: Hell No;” and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted “Absolutely not” — a sentiment Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) chief strategist, Doug Stafford, agreed with.
Agree — Doug Stafford (@dougstafford) March 21, 2020
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Vox.
The Trump administration has an opportunity to make sweeping policy changes during the pandemic
Trump’s declaration of a national emergency is a major boon to states struggling to respond to the crisis because it frees up $42.6 billion in federal funds that can be used for testing, medical facilities, and other supplies.
But a national emergency declaration also gives Trump access to more than 120 broad powers, many with few restrictions.
On Friday, the Trump administration cited coronavirus concerns as a reason to bar any non-citizens or lawful permanent residents from entering the US along the northern and southern borders, with few exceptions. The decision affects asylum seekers, who officials are directed to turn away at the border rather than taking them to a detention center for processing their claims.
“When held at border facilities, these migrants were spreading the virus to other migrants, to [Customs and Border Protection] agents and border health care workers and even the United States population as a whole,” said US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar.
It’s unclear, however, exactly how the policy will work in practice. Mexico said last week it will not accept people returned from the US who are not Mexican or Central American, and instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement would need to use chartered planes to return migrants to their home countries.
Trump has also used the crisis caused by the virus to promote ideas of a tax credit for companies bringing manufacturing from China back to the US (a favorite initiative of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich), a middle-class tax cut, a temporary payroll tax cut, and an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve.


vox--2020-03-22--“We are desperate”: Trump’s inaction has created a crisis in protective medical gear

A long foreseen shortage of personal protective equipment ( PPE ) — including masks , N95 respirators , and gowns — is crippling health workers ’ ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States .
And as doctors and nurses are forced to reuse gear in ways that put themselves and patients at risk of infection , they ’ re begging the Trump administration to use readily available legal tools to solve the crisis .
In a joint March 21 letter to President Trump , the American Medical Association , the American Hospital Association , and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ immediately use the Defense Production Act to increase the domestic production of medical supplies and equipment that hospitals , health , health systems , physicians , nurses and all front line providers so desperately need.
” The Defense Production Act of 1950 , originally signed during the Korean War , gives the president the authority to demand that businesses manufacture much-needed wartime supplies .
In this case , the supplies aren ’ t titanium artillery ; they ’ re equipment to protect frontline health workers from a highly contagious virus .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would order “ the diversion of certain materials and facilities from ordinary use to national defense purposes , when national defense needs can not otherwise be satisfied in a timely fashion.
” In other words , he would direct factories that typically make other goods to start making medical resources ASAP .
Although Trump tweeted March 18 that he had signed the DPA , he said he would only be using it in a “ worst case scenario in the future.
” And , when asked in a March 21 press briefing why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ manufacture and sell supplies in accordance with the DPA , he said , “ We have the Act to use in case we need it , but we have so many things being made right now by so many … they are volunteering.
” Yet the joint AHA-AMA-ANA letter makes it clear that current voluntary efforts are insufficient , and that the “ worst case scenario ” is already here .
“ Even with the infusion of supplies from the strategic stockpile and other federal resources , there will not be enough medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the projected COVID-19 outbreak , ” the letter reads .
“ We have heard of health care providers reusing masks or resorting to makeshift alternatives for masks.
” Interviews with doctors and nurses on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic show that there is no time for the confusion surrounding whether Trump actually plans to use the DPA .
“ We do not send troops to war with a gun to share between 20 individuals and when bullets run out , say ‘ Well , you need to figure it out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized by her hospital to speak to the media .
( Many nurses who spoke with Vox for this story had been told by their managers not to speak with the media . )
“ We need PPE now and for months to come , and we should not be reusing supplies .
It is against everything we have ever been trained as precautionary and scientifically proven as far as containment per diagnosis.
” The shortage is requiring health care officials to stretch their current @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways Doctors , nurses , and hospital administrators have been warning that they might run out of PPE for weeks now , but the warnings have become more urgent in recent days .
For many hospitals , running out of masks is no longer something that “ might happen.
” The shortage is here .
Among the resources running dangerously low are N95 respirators , the masks that cup the face closely and have been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health ( NIOSH ) to block the inhalation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to NIOSH guidance for extending N95 supply , hospitals should advise their staff to , “ discard N95 respirators following close contact with , or exit from , the care area of any patient co-infected with an infectious disease requiring contact precautions.
” But as the shortage worsens , reusing these masks is becoming the go-to method of preservation .
“ Initially , we had single-use N95 masks , ” says one nurse who has been treating Covid-19 patients at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis , Massachusetts .
“ Now we reuse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The eye shields she uses are also meant for single use , but nurses are being asked to wear the same eye shield for 12 hours .
“ We ’ re bringing them between different patient rooms , which isn ’ t exactly ideal , ” she says .
In cases where providers must reuse PPE such as N95s , the CDC recommends measures such as hand-washing before adjusting the masks and storing them in clean paper bags when not in use .
The shortage of hospital masks , gowns , and eye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providers and the patients they ’ re treating .
Reusing masks or wearing the same eye shield when treating multiple patients further contributes to the spread of Covid-19 at a time when the country desperately needs to be slowing down the rate of new infections , or “ flattening the curve.
” While it ’ s unclear exactly how many health providers in the US have been infected with Covid-19 so far specifically due to the reuse of PPE , Italy ’ s experience is telling .
Equipment shortages have also been dire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers have been infected .
In the US , the shortage is affecting small clinics and large , well-funded hospitals alike .
The nurse from Cape Cod Hospital , who shared that she and her colleagues had been reusing N95s , said , “ We are one of the more fortunate hospitals right now .
We have definitely not peaked in this area yet , [ but ] it ’ s only a matter of time before we run out of masks .
We definitely need more.
” Ani Bilazarian , 25 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City trauma center , says the protocol at her hospital is “ truly changing every hour of every day in terms of what we ’ re wearing.
” She says the original protective protocol for nurses at her hospital included wearing an N95 mask layered beneath another mask , layered beneath a disposable face shield , which was to be discarded after treating each patient .
“ Now it ’ s definitely getting more drastic , even just within the week , ” she says .
“ We got an email yesterday saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our entire shift , and that we should bring it home with us … that ’ s our one mask .
For I ’ m not sure how long.
” To avoid having to reuse N95 masks , many hospitals are allocating them only to staff members who are directly entering patient rooms — which , in turn , means limiting the number of staff members who enter patient rooms in the first place .
“ Before , if I forgot a medication or had to leave a patient ’ s room , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all of my PPE ] and put it all back on , ” says Bilazarian .
“ But we ’ re trying to combat that with innovative solutions .
We now have people outside the rooms — we ’ re calling them runners — who can go get you stuff .
So we ’ re definitely trying to limit the number of people requiring PPE and who need to be exposed at all.
” A spokesperson from the Boston Medical Center said his hospital is taking similar measures .
“ We ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into patient rooms and the number of times we enter and exit to preserve supply [ of PPE ] , ” he said .
“ We ’ re looking closely at alternate sources of supplies like construction shields , and thinking creatively to clean , disinfect , and reuse equipment to preserve supply.
” Other hospitals are limiting the use of N95s at all , turning instead to less protective options .
” The management is telling the nurses to wear masks that are not N95 , even though most of us would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ N95 , ” says another nurse , who works at Baptist Health in Miami .
“ We are trying to fight for what ’ s right but when the CDC says you can wear a bandana or scarf in the place of a mask , it ’ s hard , ” referring to the CDC ’ s guidance for optimizing the supply of facemasks .
It notes , “ In settings where facemasks are not available , HCP might use homemade masks ( e.g.
, bandana , scarf ) for care of patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some states are requiring dentists and veterinary clinics to donate surplus PPE to hospitals While health care workers are working to stretch their own supplies , some local officials are rallying other industries that use PPE to funnel it to local hospitals and clinics .
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown signed an executive order requiring all hospitals , ambulatory surgery centers , outpatient clinics , dental clinics , and veterinary clinics with surplus PPE supplies to notify the state ’ s PPE coordinator to arrange for a handoff .
Vets , dentists , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , to participate in the reallocation of this excess equipment to the nurses and doctors directly treating patients .
According to the executive order , any person found to be in violation would be subject to the penalties of a Class C misdemeanor .
As for industries that use PPE in other capacities , like construction and farming , the Oregon executive order “ strongly encourages ” — though does not mandate — that these individuals and entities “ cancel or postpone non-essential uses of PPE during the ongoing state of emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conserved and redirected to the state ’ s Covid-19 response.
” For the federal government ’ s part , Vice President Mike Pence has said that “ industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for health care workers to be protected from a respiratory disease , ” and is urging construction companies to donate their supply of N95s .
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act , which President Trump signed into law March 19 , includes protections for industries manufacturing personal respiratory protective devices — meaning that the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they sell the masks to health workers .
But as the AHA-AMA-ANA letter to Trump noted , protecting these companies from lawsuits is not enough — the government , they say , must use the DPA to directly order them to manufacture these supplies .
“ We need companies to be creative ” As the PPE shortage continues to affect more of our nation ’ s hospitals — and the DPA-ordered manufacturing remains in limbo — public officials like New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo are also calling on individuals and companies to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the CDC says that “ homemade masks are not considered PPE , since their capability to protect HCP is unknown , ” and suggests that “ homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front ( that extends to the chin or below ) and sides of the face.
” The homemade option is nonetheless listed as a last resort — and one that many hospitals are exploring .
Take for example , Dr. Mark Lewis , a hematologist and oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sewing tutorial on Twitter : Bilazarian , the New York trauma nurse , says she is grateful for the creative DIY solutions people are coming up with , but has doubts about whether they will be effective enough to protect providers like herself and the patients they ’ re caring for .
“ We have about 15 nurses out now from the ER , and more professionals are getting sick , ” she says .
“ For now , we are managing with the resources that we have , but we are increasingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not just PPE , but also ventilators , fluids , and pain medication as the virus intensifies , especially here in New York .
We have to ask , ‘ Is our frontline staff prepared to fill in the gaps in care when we need them ?
’ I hope so , but I ’ m not quite sure at this moment in time.
” To safely and adequately protect providers and patients as the pandemic inevitably spreads further , large-scale PPE manufacturing efforts are needed to resupply hospitals with the safest gear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distributing the gear— could take days and weeks that nurses and doctors don ’ t have to spare .
“ We are desperate , ” said another nurse who works at a New York hospital , who said she had spent her one day off running around collecting donations for PPE .
“ Please urge anybody who can donate any masks , but most importantly N95s , to do so.
” Caroline Hopkins is a Brooklyn-based health and science reporter .
She has written for National Geographic , the American Society of Clinical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SurvivorNet , and Women ’ s Health Magazine .
She has a master ’ s degree in journalism from Columbia University and can be found on Twitter at @ Ch_Hops .

A long foreseen shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) — including masks, N95 respirators, and gowns — is crippling health workers’ ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. And as doctors and nurses are forced to reuse gear in ways that put themselves and patients at risk of infection, they’re begging the Trump administration to use readily available legal tools to solve the crisis.
In a joint March 21 letter to President Trump, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and the American Nurses Association called on the administration to “immediately use the Defense Production Act to increase the domestic production of medical supplies and equipment that hospitals, health, health systems, physicians, nurses and all front line providers so desperately need.”
The Defense Production Act of 1950, originally signed during the Korean War, gives the president the authority to demand that businesses manufacture much-needed wartime supplies. In this case, the supplies aren’t titanium artillery; they’re equipment to protect frontline health workers from a highly contagious virus. In using the DPA, the president would order “the diversion of certain materials and facilities from ordinary use to national defense purposes, when national defense needs cannot otherwise be satisfied in a timely fashion.” In other words, he would direct factories that typically make other goods to start making medical resources ASAP.
Although Trump tweeted March 18 that he had signed the DPA, he said he would only be using it in a “worst case scenario in the future.”
I only signed the Defense Production Act to combat the Chinese Virus should we need to invoke it in a worst case scenario in the future. Hopefully there will be no need, but we are all in this TOGETHER! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020
And, when asked in a March 21 press briefing why he had not yet compelled companies to manufacture and sell supplies in accordance with the DPA, he said, “We have the Act to use in case we need it, but we have so many things being made right now by so many … they are volunteering.”
Yet the joint AHA-AMA-ANA letter makes it clear that current voluntary efforts are insufficient, and that the “worst case scenario” is already here.
“Even with the infusion of supplies from the strategic stockpile and other federal resources, there will not be enough medical supplies, including ventilators, to respond to the projected COVID-19 outbreak,” the letter reads. “We have heard of health care providers reusing masks or resorting to makeshift alternatives for masks.”
Interviews with doctors and nurses on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic, many of whom requested anonymity because they did not have permission from their hospitals to speak with the media, show that there is no time for the confusion surrounding whether Trump actually plans to use the DPA.
The shortage is requiring health care officials to stretch their current supplies in creative — and dangerous — ways
Doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators have been warning that they might run out of PPE for weeks now, but the warnings have become more urgent in recent days. For many hospitals, running out of masks is no longer something that “might happen.” The shortage is here.
Among the resources running dangerously low are N95 respirators, the masks that cup the face closely and have been approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to block the inhalation of 95 percent of small airborne particles.
According to NIOSH guidance for extending N95 supply, hospitals should advise their staff to, “discard N95 respirators following close contact with, or exit from, the care area of any patient co-infected with an infectious disease requiring contact precautions.” But as the shortage worsens, reusing these masks is becoming the go-to method of preservation.
“Initially, we had single-use N95 masks,” says one nurse who has been treating Covid-19 patients at Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis, Massachusetts. “Now we reuse our N95s five times before discarding.” The eye shields she uses are also meant for single use, but nurses are being asked to wear the same eye shield for 12 hours. “We’re bringing them between different patient rooms, which isn’t exactly ideal,” she says.
In cases where providers must reuse PPE such as N95s, the CDC recommends measures such as hand-washing before adjusting the masks and storing them in clean paper bags when not in use.
The shortage of hospital masks, gowns, and eye shields poses a health risk to both providers and the patients they’re treating. Reusing masks or wearing the same eye shield when treating multiple patients further contributes to the spread of Covid-19 at a time when the country desperately needs to be slowing down the rate of new infections, or “flattening the curve.”
While it’s unclear exactly how many health providers in the US have been infected with Covid-19 so far specifically due to the reuse of PPE or for other reasons, Italy’s experience is telling. Equipment shortages have also been dire there, and over 4,000 health care workers have been infected and over a dozen have died. Over 3,000 health workers in China were infected as well, with several deaths.
In Italy, 4,824 medics contracted #coronavirus, at least 18 doc died
In China, >3,400 medics were infected, at least 13 doc died
In Spain, 3,475 medics been infected, at least 1 nurse died
Yet in US, we're still not doing everything we can to protect our frontliners?!#COVID19 https://t.co/uHztLtnFq8 — Andy Biotech (@AndyBiotech) March 23, 2020
In the US, the shortage is affecting small clinics and large, well-funded hospitals alike.
The nurse from Cape Cod Hospital, who shared that she and her colleagues had been reusing N95s, said, “We are one of the more fortunate hospitals right now. We have definitely not peaked in this area yet, [but] it’s only a matter of time before we run out of masks. We definitely need more.”
Ani Bilazarian, 25, an ER nurse at a New York City trauma center, says the protocol at her hospital is “truly changing every hour of every day in terms of what we’re wearing.” She says the original protective protocol for nurses at her hospital included wearing an N95 mask layered beneath another mask, layered beneath a disposable face shield, which was to be discarded after treating each patient. “Now it’s definitely getting more drastic, even just within the week,” she says. “We got an email yesterday saying we have one mask to keep for our entire shift, and that we should bring it home with us … that’s our one mask. For I’m not sure how long.”
To avoid having to reuse N95 masks, many hospitals are allocating them only to staff members who are directly entering patient rooms — which, in turn, means limiting the number of staff members who enter patient rooms in the first place.
“Before, if I forgot a medication or had to leave a patient’s room, I would have to take off [all of my PPE] and put it all back on,” says Bilazarian. “But we’re trying to combat that with innovative solutions. We now have people outside the rooms — we’re calling them runners — who can go get you stuff. So we’re definitely trying to limit the number of people requiring PPE and who need to be exposed at all.”
A spokesperson from the Boston Medical Center said his hospital is taking similar measures. “We’re limiting the number of staff that go into patient rooms and the number of times we enter and exit to preserve supply [of PPE],” he said. “We’re looking closely at alternate sources of supplies like construction shields, and thinking creatively to clean, disinfect, and reuse equipment to preserve supply.”
Other hospitals are limiting the use of N95s at all, turning instead to less protective options.
Related Why lifesaving ventilators will be in short supply for the foreseeable future
”The management is telling the nurses to wear masks that are not N95, even though most of us would feel more comfortable and safer with the N95,” says another nurse, who works at Baptist Health in Miami. “We are trying to fight for what’s right but when the CDC says you can wear a bandana or scarf in the place of a mask, it’s hard,” referring to the CDC’s guidance for optimizing the supply of facemasks. It notes, “In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort.”
Some states are requiring dentists and veterinary clinics to donate surplus PPE to hospitals
While health care workers are working to stretch their own supplies, some local officials are rallying other industries that use PPE to funnel it to local hospitals and clinics.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed an executive order requiring all hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient clinics, dental clinics, and veterinary clinics with surplus PPE supplies to notify the state’s PPE coordinator to arrange for a handoff. Vets, dentists, and the like are ordered, by law, to participate in the reallocation of this excess equipment to the nurses and doctors directly treating patients. According to the executive order, any person found to be in violation would be subject to the penalties of a Class C misdemeanor.
As for industries that use PPE in other capacities, like construction and farming, the Oregon executive order “strongly encourages” — though does not mandate — that these individuals and entities “cancel or postpone non-essential uses of PPE during the ongoing state of emergency, so that the equipment can be conserved and redirected to the state’s Covid-19 response.”
For the federal government’s part, Vice President Mike Pence has said that “industrial masks that they use on construction sites are perfectly acceptable for health care workers to be protected from a respiratory disease,” and is urging construction companies to donate their supply of N95s. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which President Trump signed into law March 19, includes protections for industries manufacturing personal respiratory protective devices — meaning that the government will protect these companies from lawsuits if they sell the masks to health workers.
But as the AHA-AMA-ANA letter to Trump noted, protecting these companies from lawsuits is not enough — the government, they say, must use the DPA to directly order them to manufacture these supplies.
“We need companies to be creative”
As the PPE shortage continues to affect more of our nation’s hospitals — and the DPA-ordered manufacturing remains in limbo — public officials like New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo are also calling on individuals and companies to generate unconventional solutions.
NY has a critical need for PPE including gloves, gowns & masks
We need companies to be creative to supply the crucial gear our healthcare workers need. NY will pay a premium and offer funding.
Need Funding? 212-803-3100
Have Unused Supplies? 646-522-8477
SHARE widely. — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 20, 2020
In its guidance, the CDC says that “homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown,” and suggests that “homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front (that extends to the chin or below) and sides of the face.”
The homemade option is nonetheless listed as a last resort — and one that many hospitals are exploring.
Take for example, Dr. Mark Lewis, a hematologist and oncologist at Intermountain Healthcare in Utah, who shared a step-by-step sewing tutorial on Twitter:
So as has been widely reported, personal protective equipment (PPE) is running low for medical personnel during #coronavirus #Covid_19
Today my awesome pediatrician wife & my mother-in-law used at-home materials to sew masks
STEP-BY-STEP TWEETORIAL
1/ — Mark Lewis (@marklewismd) March 20, 2020
Bilazarian, the New York trauma nurse, says she is grateful for the creative DIY solutions people are coming up with, but has doubts about whether they will be effective enough to protect providers like herself and the patients they’re caring for.
“We have about 15 nurses out now from the ER, and more professionals are getting sick,” she says. “For now, we are managing with the resources that we have, but we are increasingly concerned for staffing and physical resources — not just PPE, but also ventilators, fluids, and pain medication as the virus intensifies, especially here in New York. We have to ask, ‘Is our frontline staff prepared to fill in the gaps in care when we need them?’ I hope so, but I’m not quite sure at this moment in time.”
To safely and adequately protect providers and patients as the pandemic inevitably spreads further, large-scale PPE manufacturing efforts are needed to resupply hospitals with the safest gear. But doing so — and then distributing the gear— could take days and weeks that nurses and doctors don’t have to spare.
“We are desperate,” said another nurse who works at a New York hospital, who said she had spent her one day off running around collecting donations for PPE. “Please urge anybody who can donate any masks, but most importantly N95s, to do so.”
Caroline Hopkins is a Brooklyn-based health and science reporter. She has written for National Geographic, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Daily News, SurvivorNet, and Women’s Health Magazine. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and can be found on Twitter at @Ch_Hops.
Do you work in health care? Vox wants to hear about your coronavirus experience. Fill out this Google form to share your story.


vox--2020-03-22--Athletes want the 2020 Olympics postponed. The IOC still won’t budge.

Athletes around the world are calling for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to be postponed until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control .
But thus far , the International Olympics Committee has held off on making any changes to its plans .
Currently , the IOC ’ s official position is that the Olympics will begin on July 24 , as scheduled .
March 12 saw the traditional lighting of the torch in Olympia , Greece , and although the torch relay was canceled after the second day due to the need to avoid crowds , the flame reached @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a lengthy interview with the New York Times on Thursday , IOC president Thomas Bach signaled the organizing body might be open to postponing the games , but that it would not make any such decision in the near future .
“ It would not be responsible in any way to set a date or take a decision right now , ” he said , “ which would be based on the speculation about the future developments.
” Bach has not set a date by which the IOC will have to make a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saying that he will not speculate , but he has remained firm in saying that he will not cancel them .
Because the games have not been officially postponed , athletes are stuck in a state of limbo .
They ’ re still expected to train for the games , but the gyms where they are supposed to train have mostly been shut down .
And Bach ’ s latest interview comes after weeks of messaging from IOC urging athletes to continue planning to attend the Olympics in July , coronavirus or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a letter to Olympians encouraging them to continue to train for the games “ with ‘ full steam ’ ” so that “ we , the Olympic community , can once more unite the whole world in a peaceful competition.
” On Wednesday , the New York Times reports , IOC officials held a two-hour conference call with Olympic athletes and national Olympic committees urging athletes to continue to train and characterizing coronavirus as “ not a deadly disease.
” Increasingly , Olympic committees and sports federations are speaking out against the IOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” stance , calling for the games to be officially postponed .
On Friday , USA Swimming issued an open letter to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee requesting that the games be postponed for one year .
“ The right and responsible thing to do is to recognize everyone ’ s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations , ” USA Swimming ’ s letter reads .
“ It has transcended borders and wreaked havoc on entire populations , including those of our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ followed suit on Saturday with another open letter .
“ We are all experiencing unfathomable disruptions , and everyone ’ s lives are being impacted accordingly , ” wrote the USATF .
“ The alternative of moving forward in light of the current situation would not be in the best interests of our athletes ( as difficult as that decision might be ) .
” USA Gymnastics has yet to make a statement , but it sent a survey to its members on Friday asking what its stance should be .
While the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reluctant to make an official request of the IOC , the Olympic Committees for both Norway and Brazil have issued statements calling for the games to be postponed .
And individual athletes and Olympians have begun to speak out as well .
“ This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics , ” said six-time Olympian and current IOC Athletes Commission member Hayley Wickenheiser in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday .
Wickenheiser , who is currently in training to become a doctor , went on , “ I think the IOC insisting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conviction , is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.
” “ For all of those athletes in the U.S. , but also globally , like in Italy and in China , who are on complete lockdowns , I think it would make it a fairer competition in Tokyo if the Olympics were postponed to give everyone the time they need to be ready , ” Laurie Hernandez , who won a gold medal in gymnastics in 2016 , told the New York Times on Saturday .
Meanwhile , a survey published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent of people do not expect the Olympics to go forward in Tokyo this summer .
But the financial cost of canceling the games would be substantial for Japan , which has already invested at least $ 12.6 billion into the 2020 Olympics .
In a video conference on Monday , Japan ’ s prime minister Shinzo Abe declared his commitment to hosting the games .
“ I want to hold the Olympics and Paralympics perfectly , ” he said , “ as proof that the human race will conquer the new coronavirus @ @

Athletes around the world are calling for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to be postponed until the Covid-19 pandemic is under control. But thus far, the International Olympics Committee has held off on making any changes to its plans.
Currently, the IOC’s official position is that the Olympics will begin on July 24, as scheduled. March 12 saw the traditional lighting of the torch in Olympia, Greece, and although the torch relay was canceled after the second day due to the need to avoid crowds, the flame reached Tokyo on Friday as planned.
In a lengthy interview with the New York Times on Thursday, IOC president Thomas Bach signaled the organizing body might be open to postponing the games, but that it would not make any such decision in the near future. “It would not be responsible in any way to set a date or take a decision right now,” he said, “which would be based on the speculation about the future developments.”
Bach has not set a date by which the IOC will have to make a final decision about postponing the games, saying that he will not speculate, but he has remained firm in saying that he will not cancel them.
Because the games have not been officially postponed, athletes are stuck in a state of limbo. They’re still expected to train for the games, but the gyms where they are supposed to train have mostly been shut down. And Bach’s latest interview comes after weeks of messaging from IOC urging athletes to continue planning to attend the Olympics in July, coronavirus or not.
On March 7, Bach issued a letter to Olympians encouraging them to continue to train for the games “with ‘full steam’” so that “we, the Olympic community, can once more unite the whole world in a peaceful competition.” On Wednesday, the New York Times reports, IOC officials held a two-hour conference call with Olympic athletes and national Olympic committees urging athletes to continue to train and characterizing coronavirus as “not a deadly disease.”
Increasingly, Olympic committees and sports federations are speaking out against the IOC’s current “wait and see” stance, calling for the games to be officially postponed.
On Friday, USA Swimming issued an open letter to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee requesting that the games be postponed for one year.
“The right and responsible thing to do is to recognize everyone’s health and safety and appropriately recognize the toll this global pandemic is taking on athletic preparations,” USA Swimming’s letter reads. “It has transcended borders and wreaked havoc on entire populations, including those of our respected competitors.”
USA Track and Field followed suit on Saturday with another open letter. “We are all experiencing unfathomable disruptions, and everyone’s lives are being impacted accordingly,” wrote the USATF. “The alternative of moving forward in light of the current situation would not be in the best interests of our athletes (as difficult as that decision might be).”
USA Gymnastics has yet to make a statement, but it sent a survey to its members on Friday asking what its stance should be.
While the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee has remained reluctant to make an official request of the IOC, the Olympic Committees for both Norway and Brazil have issued statements calling for the games to be postponed. And individual athletes and Olympians have begun to speak out as well.
“This crisis is bigger than even the Olympics,” said six-time Olympian and current IOC Athletes Commission member Hayley Wickenheiser in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday. Wickenheiser, who is currently in training to become a doctor, went on, “I think the IOC insisting this will move ahead, with such conviction, is insensitive and irresponsible given the state of humanity.”
“For all of those athletes in the U.S., but also globally, like in Italy and in China, who are on complete lockdowns, I think it would make it a fairer competition in Tokyo if the Olympics were postponed to give everyone the time they need to be ready,” Laurie Hernandez, who won a gold medal in gymnastics in 2016, told the New York Times on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a survey published last Monday in Japan showed that 69.9 percent of people do not expect the Olympics to go forward in Tokyo this summer. But the financial cost of canceling the games would be substantial for Japan, which has already invested at least $12.6 billion into the 2020 Olympics. In a video conference on Monday, Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe declared his commitment to hosting the games.
“I want to hold the Olympics and Paralympics perfectly,” he said, “as proof that the human race will conquer the new coronavirus.”


vox--2020-03-22--Ohio’s attorney general told providers to stop abortions during the coronavirus pandemic

Ohio ’ s attorney general has ordered health care providers in the state to stop all “ nonessential and elective surgical abortions , ” citing federal guidance intended to help conserve needed medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic .
There are concerns that , due to the coronavirus , the demand for hospital beds could exceed supply in the US — and medical providers are currently experiencing a severe shortage of the personal protective equipment ( PPE ) that allows them to safely interact with infected patients .
In order to preserve what supply exists , Trump administration officials have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospital and healthcare facility to postpone any elective medical procedures.
” As Vox ’ s Dylan Scott has explained , technically “ any procedure that can be scheduled in advance falls under that category .
So elective surgeries can include heart surgeries , removing kidney stones , cancer treatments , and more.
” Abortion advocates have argued that although abortions can be scheduled in advance , that they are essential — and time-sensitive .
And they say Ohio ’ s order is just the latest move in a long-standing campaign to restrict abortion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this view .
In states like Washington and Massachusetts , officials have said abortions aren ’ t included in orders that have halted nonessential surgeries .
And reproductive health experts , including those at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology , recently issued a joint statement saying abortions are “ an essential component of comprehensive health care.
” “ The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person ’ s life , health , and well-being , ” they wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yost has issued an order to three clinics in Cincinnati , Dayton , and Cleveland requiring them to stop “ nonessential ” abortions ; although the order was sent to specific providers , it applies to all abortion providers in the state .
“ If you or your facility do not immediately stop performing non-essential or elective surgical abortions in compliance with the [ health director ’ s ] order , the Department of Health will take all appropriate measures , ” the order reads in part .
Multiple clinics have said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of care .
For instance , in a joint statement , the leaders of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region said that providers could both “ reduce the use of equipment in short supply ” and maintain access to abortions .
“ Planned Parenthood can still continue providing essential procedures , including surgical abortion , ” the organization wrote , while “ doing our part to conserve needed resources and to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff.
” Ohio has a long history of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the policy at a press conference Saturday , state Health Director Amy Acton said , “ We can not allow the politics of things to get in the way of doing what we have to do in a state of emergency.
” Critics of the order say that ’ s exactly what ’ s happening — and note that anti-abortion advocates in Ohio and other states have been working to roll back access for years .
Late last year , lawmakers in Ohio introduced a bill that would make it a felony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under a new crime called “ abortion murder.
” The bill would have also recommended doctors try to reimplant ectopic pregnancies in patients ’ uteruses , which medical experts say isn ’ t possible .
That bill hasn ’ t progressed since it was introduced in November , but it ’ s not the first time Ohio has spearheaded anti-abortion legislation .
Ohio was the first state to introduce a “ heartbeat ” bill banning abortion after around six weeks of pregnancy ( before many women know they ’ re pregnant ) back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar policies have become law in Iowa , Georgia and elsewhere — though such laws have been halted by courts .
The introductions of such laws are widely seen as attempts to force the Supreme Court to readdress Roe v. Wade , the 1973 Supreme Court decision that protected the right to abortion in the US .
The movement to relitigate that case began in earnest in 2010 , when Republicans swept into power in statehouses and governor ’ s offices nationwide , and intensified when President Donald Trump took office and pledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Between 2001 and the end of 2010 , 195 abortion restrictions were passed at the state level , according to reporting by Vox ’ s Anna North .
Since 2011 , that number has increased to 483 restrictions , ranging from a Texas measure requiring an ultrasound and a 24-hour waiting period before abortions to a North Dakota law requiring patients to receive information showing there ’ s a possible link between abortion and breast cancer — even though there ’ s no known link .
These laws and others have set the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again go to the Supreme Court .
In March , the Supreme Court considered arguments in June Medical Services v. Gee , which deals with a Louisiana law passed in 2014 requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at hospitals .
Anti-abortion proponents say it ’ s important providers have the privileges in case complications arise during a procedure ; abortion rights proponents say it ’ s a measure to shut down clinics .
In a case considered by the Supreme Court in 2016 — Whole Woman ’ s Health v. Hellerstedt — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , noting that law had few health benefits for women and imposes an “ undue burden ” on the right to an abortion .
But the Supreme Court has justices it did not have in 2016 , leading many on both sides of the debate to believe the odds may now be more in the favor of anti-abortion advocates .
Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh now sits on the court , meaning there ’ s a 5-4 conservative majority that could overturn Roe should the opportunity arise .
However , Chief Justice John Roberts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in March , meaning the fate of the nearly 40-year-old precedent is still uncertain .

Ohio’s attorney general has ordered health care providers in the state to stop all “nonessential and elective surgical abortions,” citing federal guidance intended to help conserve needed medical supplies during the coronavirus pandemic.
There are concerns that, due to the coronavirus, the demand for hospital beds could exceed supply in the US — and medical providers are currently experiencing a severe shortage of the personal protective equipment (PPE) that allows them to safely interact with infected patients. In order to preserve what supply exists, Trump administration officials have asked “every American and every American hospital and healthcare facility to postpone any elective medical procedures.”
As Vox’s Dylan Scott has explained, technically “any procedure that can be scheduled in advance falls under that category. So elective surgeries can include heart surgeries, removing kidney stones, cancer treatments, and more.”
Abortion advocates have argued that although abortions can be scheduled in advance, that they are essential — and time-sensitive. And they say Ohio’s order is just the latest move in a long-standing campaign to restrict abortion rights.
Officials in other states support this view. In states like Washington and Massachusetts, officials have said abortions aren’t included in orders that have halted nonessential surgeries. And reproductive health experts, including those at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, recently issued a joint statement saying abortions are “an essential component of comprehensive health care.”
“The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being,” they wrote.
However, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has issued an order to three clinics in Cincinnati, Dayton, and Cleveland requiring them to stop “nonessential” abortions; although the order was sent to specific providers, it applies to all abortion providers in the state.
“If you or your facility do not immediately stop performing non-essential or elective surgical abortions in compliance with the [health director’s] order, the Department of Health will take all appropriate measures,” the order reads in part.
Multiple clinics have said they plan to continue providing their normal range of care.
For instance, in a joint statement, the leaders of Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio and Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region said that providers could both “reduce the use of equipment in short supply” and maintain access to abortions.
“Planned Parenthood can still continue providing essential procedures, including surgical abortion,” the organization wrote, while “doing our part to conserve needed resources and to protect the health and safety of our patients and staff.”
Ohio has a long history of leading on anti-abortion policy trends
When questioned about the policy at a press conference Saturday, state Health Director Amy Acton said, “We cannot allow the politics of things to get in the way of doing what we have to do in a state of emergency.”
Critics of the order say that’s exactly what’s happening — and note that anti-abortion advocates in Ohio and other states have been working to roll back access for years.
Late last year, lawmakers in Ohio introduced a bill that would make it a felony for people to have or perform abortions under a new crime called “abortion murder.” The bill would have also recommended doctors try to reimplant ectopic pregnancies in patients’ uteruses, which medical experts say isn’t possible.
That bill hasn’t progressed since it was introduced in November, but it’s not the first time Ohio has spearheaded anti-abortion legislation.
Ohio was the first state to introduce a “heartbeat” bill banning abortion after around six weeks of pregnancy (before many women know they’re pregnant) back in 2011. In recent years, similar policies have become law in Iowa, Georgia and elsewhere — though such laws have been halted by courts.
The introductions of such laws are widely seen as attempts to force the Supreme Court to readdress Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that protected the right to abortion in the US. The movement to relitigate that case began in earnest in 2010, when Republicans swept into power in statehouses and governor’s offices nationwide, and intensified when President Donald Trump took office and pledged to appoint anti-abortion Supreme Court justices.
Between 2001 and the end of 2010, 195 abortion restrictions were passed at the state level, according to reporting by Vox’s Anna North. Since 2011, that number has increased to 483 restrictions, ranging from a Texas measure requiring an ultrasound and a 24-hour waiting period before abortions to a North Dakota law requiring patients to receive information showing there’s a possible link between abortion and breast cancer — even though there’s no known link.
These laws and others have set the stage for the abortion fight to once again go to the Supreme Court. In March, the Supreme Court considered arguments in June Medical Services v. Gee, which deals with a Louisiana law passed in 2014 requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at hospitals. Anti-abortion proponents say it’s important providers have the privileges in case complications arise during a procedure; abortion rights proponents say it’s a measure to shut down clinics.
In a case considered by the Supreme Court in 2016 — Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt — the court struck down a similar law, noting that law had few health benefits for women and imposes an “undue burden” on the right to an abortion.
But the Supreme Court has justices it did not have in 2016, leading many on both sides of the debate to believe the odds may now be more in the favor of anti-abortion advocates. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh now sits on the court, meaning there’s a 5-4 conservative majority that could overturn Roe should the opportunity arise. However, Chief Justice John Roberts seemed unconvinced by Louisiana’s argument in March, meaning the fate of the nearly 40-year-old precedent is still uncertain.


vox--2020-03-23--The coronavirus recession is already here

You don ’ t need to be told there ’ s something deeply wrong in the economy right now .
The coronavirus crisis has sent the economy into a tailspin in the United States and around the globe .
The restaurant industry has ground to a halt .
So have air travel , auto manufacturing , hotels , gyms , and cruise lines .
The stock market has posted enormous losses and wild daily swings , to the point that trading has sometimes been paused altogether , and the price of oil has plummeted .
Layoffs across the country are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re producing less , spending less , and consuming less .
After more than a decade of expansion , the next recession is here .
“ The reality is that even without the data , this is the one time where we can look around and say , well , first of all , everybody is at home , ” said Betsey Stevenson , an economist at the University of Michigan and former Obama administration official .
“ We won ’ t know for a long time what the full magnitudes of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I spoke to half a dozen economists about the state of the US economy and this question : Are we in a recession ?
The resounding response : Yes , we are , and if somehow we ’ re not yet , we will be in a matter of days .
“ The economy was strong coming into this , and what we ’ re doing now is shutting down parts of the economy for the sake of public health , ” said Bill Dupor , assistant vice president and economist at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re in now is different from other recent downturns .
It ’ s pegged to the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic , and whatever levers the Federal Reserve , Congress , the White House , and state and local governments pull can only do so much .
Government officials made the decision that shutting down businesses and pausing a lot of economic activity is worth saving lives .
As Dartmouth University economist Bruce Sacerdote put it , “ It ’ s all about getting the damn virus under control.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ me is ordered to close , and the bartender , therefore , is laid off .
I can ’ t go spend money at the bar right now , and the bartender isn ’ t making money she can spend .
Even if I ’ m still collecting a paycheck , I know the economic situation is precarious , so I want to save .
“ That ’ s the paradox of a lockdown economy , ” said Greg Daco , an economist at Oxford Economics .
“ Right now , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” said Marc Goldwein , senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget , a bipartisan group that advocates for fiscal responsibility .
The warning signs are everywhere , even if the data isn ’ t yet A recession generally means that the economy , instead of growing , contracts .
Traditionally , a recession has been defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth .
The National Bureau of Economic Research has a broader definition : “ a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , normally visible in real GDP , real income , employment , industrial production , and wholesale-retail sales.
” A group within the NBER , the Business Cycle Dating Committee , is the body that officially “ calls ” when a recession starts and ends .
It could do so once two quarters of data are in , it could do so now , or it could never do so at all .
Data is often a lagging indicator , but given the state of affairs , we don ’ t really need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s happening .
“ The point is , we ’ re going to have a sharp economic contraction , ” said Richard Sylla , professor emeritus of economics at New York University .
“ We won ’ t officially know whether it ’ s a recession or not until sometime late in the year .
But that really isn ’ t the relevant thing.
” The data and estimates we do have are already staggering .
Restaurant occupancy has plummeted across multiple states and cities , and airlines are slashing flights .
Weekly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ending on March 14 , and Goldman Sachs estimates the number will climb to 2.25 million from March 15 to 21 .
Various states have seen unemployment insurance phone lines jammed as recently laid-off workers call in .
The unemployment rate is widely expected to spike from the historically low 3.5 percent rate it was at in February .
Analyst forecasts for GDP growth have become increasingly dire in recent days as the gravity of the situation sets in .
JPMorgan estimated the economy could shrink by 14 percent in the second quarter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent .
Both predicted a strong bounce-back in the third and fourth quarters , largely on the assumption that the virus will be under control by then , which is far from assured .
“ For me , there ’ s too much uncertainty , ” Dupor told me .
This is hitting Main Street and Wall Street Most recent downturns have started within the financial system , such as the Great Recession and financial crisis more than a decade ago , explained J.W .
Mason , a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not that .
“ It ’ s starting in the real economy , ” he said .
But that doesn ’ t mean what ’ s happening on Wall Street doesn ’ t matter .
While the stock market is not the economy , plenty of people have money invested there , including for retirement .
The stock market can also be a leading indicator of where the economy is headed , and by that measure , where it is headed is not good .
Stocks have essentially given back all of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2017 , and the markets have become pretty volatile .
“ If you think about it , the stock market is a reflection of financial intermediation in the broadest sense of the term , ” Daco said .
“ It ’ s essentially a scorecard whereby business generates revenue over time , they borrow , they lend , and they produce.
” The stock market ’ s performance could also have a psychological effect , whether it ’ s just in the headlines or people checking their investments and 401 ( k ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 30 percent decline in the stock market makes people feel poorer , so they ’ ll go out and spend less .
That ’ s a source of declining demand , ” Sylla said .
Oil prices have plunged as well , taking a sort of one-two punch : a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia , and then a decline in demand because of air travel and other coronavirus-related developments .
In a typical economy , that translates to low gas prices , which means consumers have more money to spend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that .
A lot of people aren ’ t driving anywhere , and they ’ re trying to save their money , not spend it .
Beyond what ’ s happening in the stock market and oil prices , people across the country right now are feeling a real shock in their everyday lives .
It ’ s not Wall Street traders who are on the front lines of the economic crisis here , it ’ s everyday workers .
What ’ s happening right now is a combination of supply and demand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are legal constraints — cities and states are shutting down bars , restaurants , gyms , etc.
, and people are being told to stay home .
In other places , the constraints aren ’ t legally in place , but they ’ re implied by society .
“ People literally aren ’ t going to work to produce stuff , and people aren ’ t going to buy stuff , ” Goldwein said .
“ Very large swaths of industries are going to be called off limits , so those businesses are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go , ” Sacerdote said .
He also emphasized that , as in 2008 , this will hit people hardest on the lower end of the economic and educational spectrum .
“ The gap by education will be strong again , if not stronger , ” he said .
“ When GDP declines by 5 percent , that ’ s as if the average person in the economy has cut their spending by 5 percent .
Does it seem reasonable to you that people have cut spending by 5 percent ?
Does it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than that ?
” Stevenson said .
“ No matter how you look at GDP , we can see the shrinking.
” Dupor warned that state and local governments could be headed toward severe hardships as well .
The cost of borrowing for many of them has increased sharply , and for governments going forward with critical investments , that translates to higher interest costs on top of falling tax revenue .
Eventually , they ’ ll have to start making decisions about cutting back spending .
It ’ s “ going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including potentially critical stuff for dealing with public health emergencies like public hospitals and clinics , and a loss of income for the companies and workers that produce this stuff , ” Dupor said .
Anyone who tells you they know what ’ s going to happen with the US economy , or when it ’ s going to bounce back , is guessing .
Some economists have suggested that the economy will begin to bounce back in the third quarter , but that assumes the virus is under control and people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to their normal lives .
And there ’ s just no guarantee that ’ s going to happen — scientists have warned that we could have to live with social distancing for a year or more .
“ There will not be a recovery until we have solved the public health part of this , ” Goldwein said .
But that does not mean all is lost ( at least if we all intend to keep getting out of bed every day , if only to sit in our living rooms in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ role to play to keep things humming along as much as they can until the health and science elements figure it out .
The Fed has slashed interest rates , injected loans , and taken other measures to help shore up the financial system .
On Capitol Hill , Congress has already passed legislation on vaccine development , free testing , paid sick leave , and expanded unemployment .
A $ 1 trillion stimulus bill is under consideration .
Such measures are meant to keep the economy from falling deeper than the health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ citizens .
Of course , the concern is whether they ’ ll be enough .
As Politico ’ s Ben White notes , there are calls for a much bigger stimulus coming from the left and the right .
“ The risk of doing too little is much greater than the risk of doing too much , ” Stevenson said .
If the coronavirus crisis ends relatively soon , or if the government does enough to intervene , once this whole thing is over , the expectation is that the economy will bounce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong recovery , because everybody will breathe a sigh of relief when it ’ s over , but we don ’ t know when that ’ s going to happen , ” Sylla said .
But if we ’ ve done too little , once the crisis is over , it will be much harder to get the economy back up and running .
The fact that there are customers who can come back doesn ’ t mean a business immediately reappears , or that those customers have money in their pockets .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re lonely , they ’ re not getting very much face-to-face socializing , and they are going to be excited to return to restaurants and movie theaters and bars and to go shopping at the mall and to go to Disneyland , but if they ’ ve depleted all their savings , if they ’ ve ruined their credit scores , if they ’ ve declared bankruptcy , then they won ’ t be able to afford those things , ” Stevenson said .
“ And if the businesses have declared bankruptcy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for them to spend their money at.
” We are truly in uncharted territory in so many ways right now , including when it comes to the economy .
We ’ re going to know when the recession began — early March 2020 — but we have no idea when it will end .
It may not officially be declared a recession for months or a year , if it even is at all .
The best-case scenario : It is an extremely deep but short recession , maybe a quarter or two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ months . )
The worst-case scenario ?
Well , we just don ’ t know .
“ We ’ re in entirely new territory , ” Dupor said .
“ We haven ’ t ever seen this before .
”

You don’t need to be told there’s something deeply wrong in the economy right now.
The coronavirus crisis has sent the economy into a tailspin in the United States and around the globe. The restaurant industry has ground to a halt. So have air travel, auto manufacturing, hotels, gyms, and cruise lines. The stock market has posted enormous losses and wild daily swings, to the point that trading has sometimes been paused altogether, and the price of oil has plummeted. Layoffs across the country are taking place in waves. We’re producing less, spending less, and consuming less.
After more than a decade of expansion, the next recession is here.
“The reality is that even without the data, this is the one time where we can look around and say, well, first of all, everybody is at home,” said Betsey Stevenson, an economist at the University of Michigan and former Obama administration official. “We won’t know for a long time what the full magnitudes of the decline are.”
In recent days, I spoke to half a dozen economists about the state of the US economy and this question: Are we in a recession? The resounding response: Yes, we are, and if somehow we’re not yet, we will be in a matter of days.
“The economy was strong coming into this, and what we’re doing now is shutting down parts of the economy for the sake of public health,” said Bill Dupor, assistant vice president and economist at the St. Louis Fed.
What we’re in now is different from other recent downturns. It’s pegged to the global health crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and whatever levers the Federal Reserve, Congress, the White House, and state and local governments pull can only do so much. Government officials made the decision that shutting down businesses and pausing a lot of economic activity is worth saving lives. As Dartmouth College economist Bruce Sacerdote put it, “It’s all about getting the damn virus under control.”
Say the bar down the corner from me is ordered to close, and the bartender, therefore, is laid off. I can’t go spend money at the bar right now, and the bartender isn’t making money she can spend. Even if I’m still collecting a paycheck, I know the economic situation is precarious, so I want to save.
“That’s the paradox of a lockdown economy,” said Greg Daco, an economist at Oxford Economics.
“Right now, we’re just trying to manage the fall,” said Marc Goldwein, senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan group that advocates for fiscal responsibility.
The warning signs are everywhere, even if the data isn’t yet
A recession generally means that the economy, instead of growing, contracts.
Traditionally, a recession has been defined as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth. The National Bureau of Economic Research has a broader definition: “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial production, and wholesale-retail sales.” A group within the NBER, the Business Cycle Dating Committee, is the body that officially “calls” when a recession starts and ends. It could do so once two quarters of data are in, it could do so now, or it could never do so at all. Data is often a lagging indicator, but given the state of affairs, we don’t really need to wait to figure out what’s happening.
“The point is, we’re going to have a sharp economic contraction,” said Richard Sylla, professor emeritus of economics at New York University. “We won’t officially know whether it’s a recession or not until sometime late in the year. But that really isn’t the relevant thing.”
The data and estimates we do have are already staggering. Restaurant occupancy has plummeted across multiple states and cities, and airlines are slashing flights.
Weekly jobless claims spiked to 3.3 million the week ending March 21, the biggest jump in claims in history and well above the previous record of 695,000 dating back to 1982. Various states have seen unemployment insurance phone lines jammed as recently laid-off workers call in. The unemployment rate is widely expected to spike from the historically low rate of 3.5 percent in February.
Analyst forecasts for GDP growth have become increasingly dire in recent days as the gravity of the situation sets in. JPMorgan estimated the economy could shrink by 14 percent in the second quarter. Goldman Sachs forecast a decline of 24 percent. Both predicted a strong bounce-back in the third and fourth quarters, largely on the assumption that the virus will be under control by then, which is far from assured.
“For me, there’s too much uncertainty,” Dupor told me.
This is hitting Main Street and Wall Street
Most recent downturns have started within the financial system, such as the Great Recession and financial crisis more than a decade ago, explained J.W. Mason, a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, a progressive think tank. This is not that. “It’s starting in the real economy,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean what’s happening on Wall Street doesn’t matter. While the stock market is not the economy, plenty of people have money invested there, including for retirement. The stock market can also be a leading indicator of where the economy is headed, and by that measure, where it is headed is not good. Stocks have essentially given back all of their gains since Trump took office in 2017, and the markets have become pretty volatile.
“If you think about it, the stock market is a reflection of financial intermediation in the broadest sense of the term,” Daco said. “It’s essentially a scorecard whereby business generates revenue over time, they borrow, they lend, and they produce.”
The stock market’s performance could also have a psychological effect, whether it’s just in the headlines or people checking their investments and 401(k) balances. “I assume that a 30 percent decline in the stock market makes people feel poorer, so they’ll go out and spend less. That’s a source of declining demand,” Sylla said.
Oil prices have plunged as well, taking a sort of one-two punch: a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, and then a decline in demand because of air travel and other coronavirus-related developments. In a typical economy, that translates to low gas prices, which means consumers have more money to spend. But again, this is not that. A lot of people aren’t driving anywhere, and they’re trying to save their money, not spend it.
Beyond what’s happening in the stock market and oil prices, people across the country right now are feeling a real shock in their everyday lives. It’s not Wall Street traders who are on the front lines of the economic crisis here, it’s everyday workers.
What’s happening right now is a combination of supply and demand constraints. In some cases, there are legal constraints — cities and states are shutting down bars, restaurants, gyms, etc., and people are being told to stay home. In other places, the constraints aren’t legally in place, but they’re implied by society. “People literally aren’t going to work to produce stuff, and people aren’t going to buy stuff,” Goldwein said.
“Very large swaths of industries are going to be called off limits, so those businesses are naturally cutting back hours and letting people go,” Sacerdote said. He also emphasized that, as in 2008, this will hit people hardest on the lower end of the economic and educational spectrum. “The gap by education will be strong again, if not stronger,” he said.
“When GDP declines by 5 percent, that’s as if the average person in the economy has cut their spending by 5 percent. Does it seem reasonable to you that people have cut spending by 5 percent? Does it seem reasonable that it’s bigger than that?” Stevenson said. “No matter how you look at GDP, we can see the shrinking.”
Dupor warned that state and local governments could be headed toward severe hardships as well. The cost of borrowing for many of them has increased sharply, and for governments going forward with critical investments, that translates to higher interest costs on top of falling tax revenue. Eventually, they’ll have to start making decisions about cutting back spending. It’s “going to mean both worse public services going forward, including potentially critical stuff for dealing with public health emergencies like public hospitals and clinics, and a loss of income for the companies and workers that produce this stuff,” Dupor said.
We’re in the unknown
Anyone who tells you they know what’s going to happen with the US economy, or when it’s going to bounce back, is guessing. Some economists have suggested that the economy will begin to bounce back in the third quarter, but that assumes the virus is under control and people are able to return at least somewhat to their normal lives. And there’s just no guarantee that’s going to happen — scientists have warned that we could have to live with social distancing for a year or more.
“There will not be a recovery until we have solved the public health part of this,” Goldwein said.
But that does not mean all is lost (at least if we all intend to keep getting out of bed every day, if only to sit in our living rooms in our pajamas).
The government has a role to play to keep things humming along as much as they can until the health and science elements figure it out. The Fed has slashed interest rates, injected loans, and taken other measures to help shore up the financial system. On Capitol Hill, Congress has already passed legislation on vaccine development, free testing, paid sick leave, and expanded unemployment. A $2 trillion stimulus bill is in the works.
Such measures are meant to keep the economy from falling deeper than the health crisis necessitates and tide over businesses and citizens. Of course, the concern is whether they’ll be enough. As Politico’s Ben White notes, there are calls for a much bigger stimulus coming from the left and the right.
“The risk of doing too little is much greater than the risk of doing too much,” Stevenson said.
If the coronavirus crisis ends relatively soon, or if the government does enough to intervene, once this whole thing is over, the expectation is that the economy will bounce back.
“There will be a strong recovery, because everybody will breathe a sigh of relief when it’s over, but we don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Sylla said.
But if we’ve done too little, once the crisis is over, it will be much harder to get the economy back up and running. The fact that there are customers who can come back doesn’t mean a business immediately reappears, or that those customers have money in their pockets.
“People are cooped up, they’re lonely, they’re not getting very much face-to-face socializing, and they are going to be excited to return to restaurants and movie theaters and bars and to go shopping at the mall and to go to Disneyland, but if they’ve depleted all their savings, if they’ve ruined their credit scores, if they’ve declared bankruptcy, then they won’t be able to afford those things,” Stevenson said. “And if the businesses have declared bankruptcy, they won’t be there for them to spend their money at.”
There is much that is unclear right now, including on the economy. We’re going to know when the US recession began — early March 2020 — but we have no idea when it will end. It may not officially be declared a recession for months or a year, if it even is at all. The best-case scenario: It is an extremely deep but short recession, maybe a quarter or two. (The last recession lasted 18 months.) The worst-case scenario? Well, we just don’t know.
“We’re in entirely new territory,” Dupor said. “We haven’t ever seen this before.”