Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar received some support from a fellow previous holder of the cabinet position.
"When it comes to pandemics, anything that you say in advance of a pandemic sounds alarmist and anything you've done after it starts is inadequate," former Utah Governor and former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt told Cheddar Monday.
Leavitt, who warned the nation was unprepared for a pandemic when he took over in 2005 under President George W. Bush, said the current secretary, Alex Axar, "is closely following a well-established plan that was laid out years ago and was used by two administrations before this." Azar reportedly warned in early January the potential new outbreak was a big deal, but the Trump administration had downsized the pandemic preparedness team that was part of the National Security Council and did not follow the NSC pandemic playbook.
"Candidly, there are limits to what the federal government can do because most of the resources to actually fight an emergency like this belong to the states," he said. But, a pandemic puts everyone on the front line, creating "a uniquely local emergency" that requires each family, business, church, and school to have a plan.
From political leaders to people staying home, Leavitt said "every American needs to understand that they have a role" in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus by making sure they aren't accidentally spreading the virus to strangers or loved ones.
"Right now, everything is affected, everyone is affected, and therefore there is a role for everyone," he said. Leavitt, who said a close friend had died yesterday due to coronavirus, said experiences like that are "causing all of us to become much more understanding of the severity of this."
Pandemics fundamentally change the shape of the world, Leavitt said. He said he has studied pandemics throughout history and thinks "we're going to see profound impact on [politics, economics, and sociology]."
"There are very few times in the history of a nation where everyone's heart sort of beats together for the same purpose. And we are uniting and doing remarkable things as a country" he said.
Lenders are raising serious concerns about the Payroll Protection Program, which was scheduled to launch Friday, citing a lack of information from the government on how and if the emergency loan program will even work and leading some to opt out of it.
President Donald Trump has announced new federal guidelines recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself.
Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore. 2nd District) supports the "basic public health protocol" is leading to drastic mitigation of the pandemic in his state of Oregon.
Stocks are falling again on Wall Street, putting the market on track for its third down week in the last four. The S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq were each down more than 2.5%.
Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, and ex-wife of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, said that RFK Human Rights has freed over 200 people in 10 cities over the last two and a half weeks. These people were put in jail and awaiting trial, some for as little as a $25 fine for an overdue parking ticket.
The governor said he has spoken with hospital administrators and understands the reluctance to give up essential equipment, but that he wants to avoid a situation where COVID-19 patients are dying in one part of the state while ventilators sit unused in another part of the state.
Stocks are falling in morning trading on Wall Street, putting the S&P 500 on track for its third down week in the last four. But the losses are much milder than what's rocked investors the last couple months.
The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many Americans wear face coverings in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, as the president is aggressively defending his response to the public health crisis.
The coronavirus outbreak has triggered a stunning collapse in the U.S. workforce, with 10 million people losing their jobs in the past two weeks. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Stock indexes turned wobbly on Wall Street Thursday, giving up most of an early gain driven by a surge in oil prices.
