The declaration would allow the administration to utilize the Stafford Act, the federal law that gives FEMA responsibility for coordinating disaster relief efforts, to provide emergency funding to state and local governments.
President Trump plans to declare the national emergency this afternoon during a 3 p.m. news conference, according to a senior administration official.
After facing heated, bipartisan criticism over U.S. testing, the Trump administration announced a series of steps to boost the availability of tests and said it would partner with the private sector to set up drive-through testing sites.
Still, concerns about the pandemic rippled across the globe, as more events were canceled (including the Masters); schools closed to millions of students; and the state of Louisiana delayed its presidential primary until summer.
Meanwhile, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he tested positive for the virus after attending an event with a Brazilian government aide, who has also tested positive (though Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said he tested negative).
A top Australian official tested positive just days after meeting with U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr in Washington.
Here are some other significant developments:Trump and the other Group of Seven leaders are planning a virtual crisis conference next week to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
As the World Health Organization warned that Europe “has now become the epicenter” of the pandemic, more European Union nations took action — shutting down schools, implementing travel restrictions and passing other emergency measures. Spain declared a national emergency.
Scientists have found that the coronavirus can stay infectious for days on some surfaces. They also discovered that the coronavirus can be shed by people before they develop symptoms and can linger in the body for many weeks.
Markets began to rebound despite the specter of prolonged economic dislocation, with investors hopeful that the Trump administration and congressional Democrats were nearing agreement on relief measures.
