Trump Declares National Emergency. Freeing up to $50 Billion for Virus Response.

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The nation’s growing battle to stave off the worst impacts of the coronavirus took a major step Friday afternoon, as President Trump, declared a national coronavirus emergency. This action will reportedly free up $50 billion for states to invest in testing and other steps to stem the spread of the virus.

Under heavy fire by critics for a slow response to the emergency, the administration also said it was working with private companies to institute drive-through testing at locations around the country, this in an effort to detect new cases before they can spread the disease. Work toward that goal is reportedly under way this weekend.

This comes as the nation’s comfirmed cases climbed to around 2000, and the death toll to 41. Experts say both of those numbers could rapidly grow if drastic measures are not taken to ramp up testing, and change the way Americans conduct their lives. This includes social distancing, canceling of large gatherings, isolation by those who may have contracted the virus, strict hygiene measures like frequent handwashing, and a huge rampup of the the nation’s healthcare treatment system.

At the same time, congress is preparing to pass legislation providing paid leave, food resources and other measures to assist families and individuals whose work has been interrupted due to the coronavirus.

Meantime, the state of California has waived the waiting period for applying for unemployment or disability insurance due to the coronavirus. Those needing assistance can go to EDD.CA.GOV to apply.