February 2020
By the point the coronavirus had begun to unfold all through the USA, officers have been nonetheless uncertain of how contagious the virus was. A lot of the nation was nonetheless targeted on the upcoming 2020 election.
“Joe [Biden] just isn’t going to be working the federal government. He’s simply going to be sitting in a house someplace,” President Donald Trump informed CPAC attendees. “And persons are going to be working it for him.”
Trump and the Democratic candidates for president have been balancing their campaigns with a platform for holding the rising epidemic.
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March 1, 2020
“He would not know what he is doing. He would not know run the nation,” eventual Democratic nominee Joe Biden mentioned on Fox Information Sunday in March 2020. “He’s making us extra unsafe the way in which he is responding to the coronavirus.”
March 2, 2020
Fox Information hosted a collection of city halls throughout the nation the place candidates spoke about their coronavirus platforms.
“No person is aware of what this virus goes to do. It does appear to be spreading,” Democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg mentioned at a city corridor in Manassas, Virginia. “Is it going to overhaul the entire world? A few of these issues may simply hastily die out, and no person is aware of why.”
A healthcare employee seals a coronavirus swab after testing on the Professional Well being Pressing Care coronavirus testing web site April 30, 2020, in Wantagh, N.Y. (Al Bello/Getty Pictures)
Virginia had no recognized coronavirus cases on the time. With Asia and Europe reporting extra instances than the USA, the virus nonetheless appeared far-off. New York Metropolis reported its first case forward of Fox Information’ Tremendous Tuesday protection.
“It wasn’t a query of if, however when. That is New York. We’re a gateway to the world,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., mentioned.
March 3, 2020
As greater than a dozen states tallied votes on Tremendous Tuesday, many additionally tallied new coronavirus instances. The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention confirmed no less than 60 instances throughout the USA, however many nervous the U.S. may face the identical fast unfold that Italy and South Korea had.
“Do masks really assist? Do they stop or cut back the chance of being uncovered to the illness?” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, requested Dr. Anthony Fauci in early March.
“An important factor for a masks can be if somebody is contaminated to stop them from infecting others. The opposite is the healthcare supplier, to guard them,” Fauci answered. “Most of the people, who may put on them, that would definitely stop gross droplets from going when somebody sneezes and coughs on you, however it would not present the form of safety that individuals assume it does.”
March 4, 2020
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White Home coronavirus response coordinator urged Individuals to take primary precautions throughout an early White Home assembly on how the virus could affect airlines.
“We’re all the time saying the widespread sense, that washing your arms, not touching your face, making certain that if you happen to’ve touched something,” Birx mentioned.
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Trump informed a bunch of CEOs he was happy airways have been taking further cleansing procedures on planes and mentioned he was taking his personal precautions.
“I have not touched my face in weeks and weeks. I miss it,” Trump mentioned.
March 5, 2020
The subsequent day, he attended a city corridor hosted by Fox Information in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was requested about his previous feedback on being a germophobe and the way he has modified that on the marketing campaign path.
“If there was ever a time that you could possibly persuade individuals to not shake arms, this could possibly be it,” Trump joked. “The underside line is, I shake all people’s hand now. I am pleased with it.”
There have been no instances of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania on the time of the city corridor, however different areas have been starting to report fast will increase. New York had doubled its instances in a single day with further testing, growing the variety of instances from 11 to 22. Washington state then had 70 confirmed instances, prompting a go to by Vice President Mike Pence to evaluate the scenario.
“The American individuals have watched with nice concern because the coronavirus has taken maintain on this group,” Pence mentioned at a roundtable with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.
March 6, 2020
As Pence promised extra sources for Washington, different states have been calling for extra take a look at kits. Trump visited the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention in Atlanta with administration well being officers. They mentioned efforts to enhance entry to testing and warned the general public that instances would doubtless spike.
“I feel there is not any doubt we will see extra group instances,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield mentioned. “There isn’t any doubt that the general public well being system in the USA is enhancing surveillance in quite a lot of methods.”
With the chance of extra confirmed instances, state and native leaders started canceling main occasions. South by Southwest was canceled in Austin, Texas. The Extremely Music Competition was indefinitely postponed in Miami. Trump was requested if native leaders have been taking the precise precautions.
“I feel it is advantageous in the event that they need to do it. I do not assume it is an overreaction, however I would not be typically inclined to do it. I actually would not be,” Trump mentioned.
March 9, 2020
Fox Information held one in all its final main occasions the following week in Dearborn, Michigan, a city corridor with Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.
“What occurs when you have that virus and you’re going to work? You are spreading it to different individuals,” Sanders mentioned.
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Trump administration well being officers up to date steering for high-risk Individuals and referred to as for elevated use of protecting gear and distancing measures. Amid quarantine orders for cruise ships with confirmed instances, Fauci urged susceptible teams to keep away from cruises.
“I feel if you happen to’re a wholesome younger person who there isn’t any purpose, if you wish to go on a cruise ship, go on a cruise ship. Personally, I’d by no means go on a cruise ship as a result of I do not like cruises,” Fauci mentioned. “That when you have the situations that I have been talking about over and over to this group, particularly a person who has an underlying situation, significantly an aged person who has an underlying situation, I’d suggest strongly that they don’t go on a cruise ship.”
March 10, 2020
Michigan reported its first coronavirus instances the day after the Fox Information city corridor. Throughout the nation, greater than 36 states and Washington, D.C., had reported 647 instances and 25 deaths.
President Donald J. Trump listens to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Ailments, speaks with members of the coronavirus process drive throughout a briefing in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic within the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room on the White Home April 17, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Put up through Getty Pictures)
March 12, 2020
The steering to keep away from extremely populated locations would prolong to a wider group of Individuals. In most cases, individuals didn’t have a alternative about whether or not they may or couldn’t attend sure locations, even wholesome younger individuals.
“What are we going to do now? There’s no soccer. There’s no soccer. There’s no basketball,” one sports activities fan mentioned because the NHL and NBA suspended their seasons.
New York banned gatherings of 500 or extra individuals, and Individuals started discovering new methods to greet each other as an alternative of shaking arms.
“Neglect any bodily contact, greetings. Bow in an jap type,” Home Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., mentioned.
March 13, 2020
By the top of the week, the 2 remaining Democratic presidential candidates had moved their campaigns on-line.
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“Underneath regular circumstances, I’d not be in Burlington at the moment,” Sanders mentioned. “I’d be most likely in Ohio, Florida or one other state the place a main is developing.”
March 16, 2020
Over the following week, the Trump administration’s suggestions grew to become extra pressing.
President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the Oval Workplace concerning the widening coronavirus disaster March 11, 2020, in Washington, D.C. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Pictures)
“Keep away from gathering in teams of greater than ten individuals, keep away from discretionary journey and keep away from consuming and ingesting at bars, eating places and public meals courts,” President Trump mentioned at a information convention. “A lot of what we’re speaking about is for the following 15 days.”
March 17, 2020
Early spring actions have been being altered. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations had already been canceled in lots of cities like New York and Chicago. Fewer guests took in Washington’s cherry blossoms. And spring breakers confronted restricted choices in Florida.
“What’s there to do right here aside from go to the bars or the seashore? They usually’re closing all of it,” one spring breaker mentioned in Miami.
Late March 2020
Governors started to concern statewide shutdowns, together with areas the place Fox Information city halls had been held simply weeks earlier than.
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“With the information of how simply … this illness spreads, I ask all Pennsylvanians to remain house,” Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pa., mentioned.
With many areas now closed to the general public, crews arrange additional hospital house. Washington state constructed a hospital in a soccer subject. The USNS Mercy deployed to Los Angeles, and the USNS Consolation parked in New York Harbor. States referred to as for added ventilators, masks and different gear to deal with the growing variety of instances. The economic system was exhibiting indicators of weakening. President Trump warned of the impact of the shutdowns.
“We can not let the treatment be worse than the issue itself. We’re not going to let the treatment be worse than the issue,” Trump mentioned.