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What's the Plan?

At first, President Donald Trump called it a hoax. Then he said that it was all under control and would miraculously disappear—despite the United States lagging behind the rest of the industrialized world in its ability to test patients for COVID-19. Now, with the disease having infected more than 250,000 people in communities all across America, Trump has no choice but to take it seriously by urging social distancing and other measures to mitigate its spread. With weeks wasted, our response is now far behind that of countries such as South Korea, and our death toll will be far higher and the economic pain more prolonged. In the absence of leadership from the Trump administration, governors and mayors have taken the lead in implementing aggressive measures to suppress transmission. Now, they may well need to take the lead in developing a plan to end the crisis.

The steps that need to be taken to end the coronavirus crisis are not unknown; they are clear and informed by evidence and the experience of other countries. CAP's experts have outlined an aggressive strategy for the path forward, including recommendations for stay-at-home policies, testing, production of personal protective equipment, mask-wearing guidance, contact tracing and isolation, travel restrictions, and the conditional easing of social distancing guidance. If the federal government refuses to implement such a plan, states are not powerless to act and can proceed to follow this plan for their residents, but there's no substitute for presidential leadership in the midst of a global pandemic. Either way, the public deserves a plan of action to ease and ultimately lift restrictions in a careful manner that does not risk a resurgence of the epidemic, resulting in an endless cycle of infection waves and economic depression.

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In the Spotlight: Supporting ALL Kids During the Coronavirus Crisis

While there are significant education-related provisions in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, CAP's policy experts have called for much more to be done in order to meet the COVID-19-related challenges facing early education, K-12 schools, and higher education.

The effects of school closures, financial insecurity, and the coronavirus itself will not be felt evenly across communities. In the midst of the current pandemic, we can't lose sight of our communities' most vulnerable children and families.

Take action now to ensure that ALL children have access to the food, education, and other resources they need during this pandemic.

TAKE ACTION

Major Stories This Week

A woman wears a surgical mask as she looks out of a window.

Coronavirus Is Fueling Hate and Fear

Since the first report of COVID-19 on American soil, Asian Americans have endured physical and economic abuse at the hands of their fellow citizens. Lawmakers must act now to reduce bias and protect America's most vulnerable communities.

The U.S. Capitol Building is reflceted in a pool of water.

We Need Structural Changes Now

This pandemic may continue for quite some time, during which it will become increasingly obvious how America's structural problems exacerbate COVID-19 risks, how unfair the current economy is, and how vulnerable democratic processes are.

Hospital bed booths are set up at the Javits Center in New York City.

Help Immigrant Medical Professionals

Foreign-born workers make up 17 percent of the health care and social services industry. But paradoxically, COVID-19 has heightened the barriers these badly needed medical professionals face.

A police officer uses caution tape to cordon off an area in downtown Washington, D.C.

Enforcing Stay-at-Home Orders

As the coronavirus pandemic intensifies, officials must be vigilant in educating and persuading the public to adhere to stay-at-home orders and should only use the criminal justice process as a last resort.

CAP in the News

MarketWatch
Opinion: Workers who risk their lives to run others' errands should have basic benefits: Personal protection, a minimum wage, health insurance and more, by CAP's Allison Preiss and Karla Walter

The Guardian
The US-China coronavirus blame game is undermining diplomacy, by CAP's Michael Fuchs

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