DISPATCH FROM THE CRISIS EPICENTER— As the epicenter of the pandemic shifts to New York City , so has the focus moved to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has been aggressive in his handling of the crisis, our New York health reporter Amanda Eisenberg tells us from the Manhattan apartment where she is holed up. Yet while Cuomo has positioned himself as the comforting anti-Trump, talking about how families can be together on a spiritual level even if they can’t be together in person, he’s also been a bit too early in declaring victory.
Cuomo has credited the state’s shelter in place order with stemming the hospitalization rate, but the results of those social distancing efforts won’t be known until next week, when people who were out and about two weeks ago may start showing up at hospitals. The reality is that New York hospitals are preparing for a surge of cases without an end in sight just yet.
“Maybe next week we will start to see a flattening of the curve — only time will tell,” Amanda tells us.
Cuomo has also said that the state has the highest per capita testing rates, but the state’s effort to implement widespread testing have petered out as it runs low on protective equipment, swabs and other testing supplies. Now the only people being tested are those in hospitals with severe symptoms.
And New York has even more hurdles ahead — from overfilled morgues to infected medical workers — issues that will soon hit other states as the virus spreads.
BUCKING TRUMP — Even red-state governors normally allied with the president are ignoring his optimistic musings on reopening the country by Easter. Instead they’re sticking with the advice of public health experts to keep social distancing measures in place. Jim Justice, the governor of West Virginia, which is overwhelmingly Trump country, ordered residents Monday to stay at home. Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan blasted Trump on Tuesday for sending confusing signals. “You can’t put a timeframe on saving people’s lives. We’re going to make decisions based on the scientists and the facts,” said Hogan.
U.K. ANTIBODY TEST BREAKTHROUGH —British researchers are close to releasing finger prick tests that would demonstrate if a person has developed coronavirus antibodies and would therefore be safe to return to work and public activity, Ryan Heath reports. Professor Sharon Peacock of Public Health England’s National Infection Service told MPs the kits are in final testing stages in Oxford ahead of possible mass distribution next week. By the end of April 100,000 tests a day could be processed, with Boris Johnson describing the tests as a “total game-changer.”
CANADA CITIZEN CASH PLAN — The Trudeau government will offer Canadian workers affected by coronavirus $1,400 a month for up to four months, starting in April, to help them pay their bills, Maura Forrest reports. The plan is part of a government support package that allows for deferred taxes and provides direct financial support to Canadians, passed by a skeleton House of Commons of 32 MPs at 5:51 a.m.
PARTING WORDS
But don’t drink it! With sales slumping because of tasting-room closures, makers of craft whiskey and other spirits have turned to another hot market: They’ve started using their stills to make moonshine hand sanitizer, tax editor Toby Eckert reports. Lawmakers are showing their appreciation by including a one-year federal excise tax waiver in the Senate economic stimulus for “any distilled spirits used for or contained in hand sanitizer that is produced and distributed in a manner consistent with guidance issued by the Food and Drug Administration,” according to a summary shared by Sen. Chuck Grassley’s office.
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