ADThose and other officials around the country said they were taking unprecedented steps to combat the spread of covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. State and local officials began to roll out additional test sites Monday, including drive-through testing in parts of New York state. Trump said during a conference call with the nation’s governors on Monday morning that states should not rely on federal officials to provide respirators, ventilators and other medical equipment. Trump announced that the federal government would be “backstopping” the airline industry, which has suffered amid a drop-off in demand for travel. While Trump said a recession was a possibility, he predicted that a pent-up demand would be unleashed once the pandemic subsided.

Source: Washington Post March 17, 2020 00:53 UTC