Five years since initial response to coronavirus spread in the United States

February 2020

By the clip the coronavirus had begun to dispersed passim the United States, officials were inactive unsure of however contagious the microorganism was. Much of the state was inactive focused connected the upcoming 2020 election.

"Joe [Biden] is not going to beryllium moving the government. He’s conscionable going to beryllium sitting successful a location someplace," President Donald Trump told CPAC attendees. "And radical are going to beryllium moving it for him."

Trump and the Democratic candidates for president were balancing their campaigns with a level for containing the increasing epidemic.

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March 1, 2020

"He doesn't cognize what he's doing. He doesn't cognize however to tally the country," eventual Democratic nominee Joe Biden said connected Fox News Sunday successful March 2020. "He is making america much unsafe the mode he's responding to the coronavirus."

March 2, 2020

Fox News hosted a bid of municipality halls crossed the state wherever candidates spoke astir their coronavirus platforms.

"Nobody knows what this microorganism is going to do. It does look to beryllium spreading," Democratic campaigner Michael Bloomberg said astatine a municipality hallway successful Manassas, Virginia. "Is it going to overtake the full world? Some of these things could conscionable each of a abrupt dice out, and cipher knows why."

A healthcare idiosyncratic seals a coronavirus swab aft investigating astatine the Pro Health Urgent Care coronavirus investigating tract April 30, 2020, successful Wantagh, N.Y. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Virginia had nary known coronavirus cases astatine the time. With Asia and Europe reporting much cases than the United States, the microorganism inactive seemed acold away. New York City reported its archetypal lawsuit up of Fox News’ Super Tuesday coverage.

"It wasn't a question of if, but when. This is New York. We're a gateway to the world," Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., said.

March 3, 2020

As much than a twelve states tallied votes connected Super Tuesday, galore besides tallied caller coronavirus cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed astatine slightest 60 cases crossed the United States, but galore disquieted the U.S. could look the aforesaid accelerated dispersed that Italy and South Korea had.

"Do masks really help? Do they forestall oregon trim the likelihood of being exposed to the disease?" Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, asked Dr. Anthony Fauci successful aboriginal March.

"The astir important happening for a disguise would beryllium if idiosyncratic is infected to forestall them from infecting others. The different is the healthcare provider, to support them," Fauci answered. "The wide public, who could deterioration them, that could surely forestall gross droplets from going erstwhile idiosyncratic sneezes and coughs connected you, but it doesn't supply the benignant of extortion that radical deliberation it does."

March 4, 2020

Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus effect coordinator  urged Americans to instrumentality basal precautions during an aboriginal White House gathering connected however the microorganism could impact airlines.

"We're ever saying the communal sense, that washing your hands, not touching your face, ensuring that if you've touched anything," Birx said.

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Trump told a radical of CEOs helium was pleased airlines were taking further cleaning procedures connected planes and said helium was taking his ain precautions.

"I haven't touched my look successful weeks and weeks. I miss it," Trump said.

March 5, 2020

The adjacent day, helium attended a municipality hallway hosted by Fox News successful Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was asked astir his past comments connected being a germophobe and however helium has changed that connected the run trail.

"If determination was ever a clip that you could person radical not to shingle hands, this could beryllium it," Trump joked. "The bottommost enactment is, I shingle everybody's manus now. I'm arrogant of it."

There were nary cases of COVID-19 successful Pennsylvania astatine the clip of the municipality hall, but different locations were opening to study accelerated increases. New York had doubled its cases overnight with further testing, expanding the fig of cases from 11 to 22. Washington authorities past had 70 confirmed cases, prompting a sojourn by Vice President Mike Pence to measure the situation.

"The American radical person watched with large interest arsenic the coronavirus has taken clasp successful this community," Pence said astatine a roundtable with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

March 6, 2020

As Pence promised much resources for Washington, different states were calling for much trial kits. Trump visited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successful Atlanta with medication wellness officials. They discussed efforts to amended entree to investigating and warned the nationalist that cases would apt spike.

"I deliberation there's nary uncertainty we're going to spot much assemblage cases," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said. "There's nary uncertainty that the nationalist wellness strategy successful the United States is enhancing surveillance successful a assortment of ways."

With the likelihood of much confirmed cases, authorities and section leaders began canceling large events. South by Southwest was canceled successful Austin, Texas. The Ultra Music Festival was indefinitely postponed successful Miami. Trump was asked if section leaders were taking the close precautions.

"I deliberation it's good if they privation to bash it. I don't deliberation it's an overreaction, but I wouldn't beryllium mostly inclined to bash it. I truly wouldn't be," Trump said.

March 9, 2020

Fox News held 1 of its past large events the adjacent week successful Dearborn, Michigan, a municipality hallway with Democratic campaigner Bernie Sanders.

"What happens if you person that microorganism and you're going to work? You're spreading it to different people," Sanders said.

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Trump medication wellness officials updated guidance for high-risk Americans and called for accrued usage of protective instrumentality and distancing measures. Amid quarantine orders for cruise ships with confirmed cases, Fauci urged susceptible groups to debar cruises.

"I deliberation if you're a steadfast young idiosyncratic that determination is nary reason, if you privation to spell connected a cruise ship, spell connected a cruise ship. Personally, I would ne'er spell connected a cruise vessel due to the fact that I don't similar cruises," Fauci said. "That if you person the conditions that I've been speaking astir implicit and implicit again to this group, namely an idiosyncratic who has an underlying condition, peculiarly an aged idiosyncratic that has an underlying condition, I would urge powerfully that they bash not spell connected a cruise ship."

March 10, 2020

Michigan reported its archetypal coronavirus cases the time aft the Fox News municipality hall. Across the country, much than 36 states and Washington, D.C., had reported 647 cases and 25 deaths.

President Donald J. Trump listens to Dr. Anthony Fauci, manager of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with members of the coronavirus task unit during a briefing successful effect to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic successful the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room astatine the White House April 17, 2020, successful Washington, D.C. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

March 12, 2020

The guidance to debar highly populated places would widen to a wider radical of Americans. In astir instances, radical did not person a prime astir whether they could oregon could not be definite places, adjacent steadfast young people.

"What are we going to bash now? There’s nary soccer. There’s nary football. There’s nary basketball," 1 sports instrumentality said arsenic the NHL and NBA suspended their seasons.

New York banned gatherings of 500 oregon much people, and Americans began uncovering caller ways to greet 1 different alternatively of shaking hands.

"Forget immoderate carnal contact, greetings. Bow successful an eastbound style," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said.

March 13, 2020

By the extremity of the week, the 2 remaining Democratic statesmanlike candidates had moved their campaigns online.

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"Under mean circumstances, I would not beryllium successful Burlington today," Sanders said. "I would beryllium astir apt successful Ohio, Florida oregon different authorities wherever a superior is coming up."

March 16, 2020

Over the adjacent week, the Trump administration’s recommendations became much urgent.

President Donald Trump addressed the federation from the Oval Office astir the widening coronavirus situation March 11, 2020, successful Washington, D.C. (Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

"Avoid gathering successful groups of much than 10 people, debar discretionary question and debar eating and drinking astatine bars, restaurants and nationalist nutrient courts," President Trump said astatine a quality conference. "Much of what we're talking astir is for the adjacent 15 days."

March 17, 2020

Early outpouring activities were being altered. St. Patrick’s Day celebrations had already been canceled successful galore cities similar New York and Chicago. Fewer visitors took successful Washington’s cherry blossoms. And outpouring breakers faced constricted options successful Florida.

"What is determination to bash present different than spell to the bars oregon the beach? And they're closing each of it," 1 outpouring breaker said successful Miami.

Late March 2020

Governors began to contented statewide shutdowns, including locations wherever Fox News municipality halls had been held conscionable weeks before.

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"With the cognition of however easy … this illness spreads, I inquire each Pennsylvanians to enactment home," Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pa., said.

With galore locations present closed to the public, crews acceptable up other infirmary space. Washington authorities built a infirmary successful a shot field. The USNS Mercy deployed to Los Angeles, and the USNS Comfort parked successful New York Harbor. States called for further ventilators, masks and different instrumentality to dainty the expanding fig of cases. The system was showing signs of weakening. President Trump warned of the effect of the shutdowns.

"We cannot fto the cure beryllium worse than the occupation itself. We're not going to fto the cure beryllium worse than the problem," Trump said.