Across the United States, Coronavirus cases are surging with New York, New Jersey, and California having the most cases. As of March 31, 2020, the United States has 164,719 positive cases with 3,170 deaths according to the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. In the U.S., unemployment claims are at an all-time high, the U.S. Senate passed a $2 trillion stimulus deal, and the Olympics are postponed to Summer 2021.
New York has become the Coronavirus epicenter in the states with 66,497 cases, according to New York State’s Department of Health, and its hospitals are fearing for the worst as intensive care beds are expected to hit capacity any day now. At the heart of all of this is Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, which has recently seen a spike in deaths related to the virus. “We are doing everything we can to flatten the curve and slow the infection rate so the influx of hospitalizations doesn’t overwhelm our healthcare system,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The U.S. Navy 1000-bed hospital shipped finally docked in NYC on March 30th. USNS Comfort will mostly be used to relieve overcrowding in hospitals and for non-coronavirus patients. There have also been talks of converting arenas and hotels in temporary hospitals.
Unemployment claims reached a record 3.3 million in one week, shattering the previous amount of 695,000 claims in 1982. This all comes as more states are requiring non-essential businesses to close such as gyms, cosmetology shops, malls, and entertainment centers. “If you are a business that makes something, or if you’re a business of any sort, that we didn’t ask to be closed down — you have to have 100 percent work from home policies in place,” said New Jersey Gov. Murphy.
The Center for Disease Control issued a statement that read, “Due to extensive community transmission of COVID -19 in the area, CDC urges residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.” This came after President Donald Trump suggested putting New York and parts of New Jersey, and Connecticut on a mandatory two-week quarantine.

President Donald Trump has also extended his social distancing guidelines to April 30, while the state of New Jersey has extended until May 15th. President Trump has also said that Ford Motor Company has committed to making 50,000 ventilators in fewer than 100 days. “The more we commit ourselves now, the sooner we can win the fight and return to our lives, and they will be great lives. Maybe better than ever,” said President Donald Trump. In a press briefing, Trump has also said that more than 1 million Americans have been tested for the Coronavirus. In the briefing, Trump also praised a new COVID-19 test by Abbott Laboratories that will begin being delivered next week that will produce results in only 5 minutes.

Restaurants have limited themselves to take-out and delivery only, in efforts to practice social distancing. Certain grocery store giants like Aldi, Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Stop & Shop are dedicating their morning hours to at-risk customers only.
Moreover, the Senate passed a historic $2 trillion stimulus package, the largest emergency relief package in history to battle the economic impact of the Coronavirus. This deal received unanimous bipartisan support in a 96-0 vote. Included in this plan is $250 billion to individuals and families in the form of direct payments for those who qualify. Those payments have already been distributed via direct deposit, while other Americans are still waiting for a check in the mail. Hospitals received $130 billion to address the outbreak. The package, however, stops the Trump family and other high-ranked politicians from benefiting from it.
Furthermore, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are postponed until the latest Summer 2021 due to concerns about the Coronavirus. “We agreed that a postponement would be the best way to ensure that the athletes are in peak condition when they compete and to guarantee the safety of the spectators,” Shinzo Abe, Japan’s Prime Minister told reporters. Although the Olympics will be postponed, the name will still refer to 2020. According to Goldman Sachs, Japan will lose roughly $4.5 billion to the postponement.