Officials across the US curtailed many elements of American life to fight the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, with health officials recommending that groups of 50 or more don't get together and a government expert saying a 14-day national shutdown may be needed. Governors and mayors were closing restaurants, bars, and schools as the nation sank deeper into chaos over the crisis.

Travellers returning home from overseas trips were stuck in line for hours at major airports for screenings, causing them to be crammed into just the kind of crowded spaces that public health officials have been urging people to avoid. In a sign of the impending economic gloom on the horizon, the Federal Reserve slashed its benchmark interest rate to near zero. President Donald Trump sought to calm a jittery nation by declaring that the government has 'tremendous control' over the situation and urging people to stop the panic buying of grocery staples that has depleted the shelves of stores around the country.