Timeline

1/6/2020-CDC issues Level 1 Travel Advisory for China

1/17/2020-CDC announces advanced screenings for passengers from Wuhn at 3 major airports SFO, LAX and JFK

1/22/2020

Trump: We have it totally under control. It's one person coming from China. We have it under control. It's going to be just fine." -interview with CNBC.

1/29/2020: Peter Navvaro, President Trump's trade advisor, sends a memo to the National Security Council warning that "this lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evoloving into a full blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions."

1/30/2020- The WHO declares the Cornoavirus a public emergency of internationl concern

Trump: We only have five people. Hopefully, everything’s going to be great. They have somewhat of a problem, but hopefully, it’s all going to be great. But we’re working with China, just so you know, and other countries very, very closely. So it doesn’t get out of hand. But it’s, you know, it’s something that we have to be very, very careful with, right? We have to be very careful." At  a campaign rally in Des Moines

1/31/2020- Trump shuts down travel of foreignnationals who have been in China.

2/2/2020

Trump: “We pretty much shut it down coming in from China.”

2/5/2020: The CDC begins shipping test kits for the coronavirus to select labs. It is soon discovered that one of the elements in these test kits is faulty. The U.S. would struggle to get up to speed on testing capability  limiting who could be tested and obscuring the severity of the coronavirus outbreak in the country

2/10/2020

Trump: Looks like by April, you know, in theory, when it gets a little warmer, it miraculously goes away. I hope that’s true. But we’re doing great in our country. China, I spoke with President Xi, and they’re working very, very hard. And I think it’s going to all work out fine.” At a campaign rally in Manchester, NH

2/12/2020- DJIA peaks at 29.551

2/24/2020

Trump: The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. We are in contact with everyone and all relevant countries. CDC & World Health have been working hard and very smart. Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”
DJIA- 27,960

2/25/2020- Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's national centerfor immunization and respitory diseases says that disruption to everyday life could be Severe."
DJIA-25,766

2/26/2020 The first known case of community transmission of the coronavirus is identified in California. That’s spread of the disease where the source of exposure is not known.

Trump: "I want you to understand something that shocked me when I saw it that — and I spoke with Dr. Fauci on this, and I was really amazed, and I think most people are amazed to hear it: The flu, in our country, kills from 25,000 people to 69,000 people a year. That was shocking to me. And, so far, if you look at what we have with the 15 people and their recovery, one is — one is pretty sick but hopefully will recover, but the others are in great shape. But think of that: 25,000 to 69,000. , when you have... "And again 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down to close to zero, that’s a pretty good job we’ve done.” Note: At that point there were 57 cases in the US.


2/28/2020
“The reason you’re seeing so much attention to it today is they think this is going to be what brings down the president. That’s what this is all about.” -Mick Mulvaney speaking at the CPACconference.


Trump: “Now the Democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. … One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia  That didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. That was on a perfect conversation. They tried anything, they tried it over and over. … And this is their new hoax.”


3/4/2020

Trump: Yeah, I think where these people are flying, it's safe to fly. And large portions of the world are very safe to fly. So we don't want to say anything other than that. And we have closed down certain sections of the world, frankly, and they've sort of automatically closed them also. They'll understand that and they understand it better, perhaps, than anybody. Yes, it's safe." — White House meeting with airline executives.


3/6/2020


Trump: Anybody that wants a test can get a test. That's what the bottom line is. The tests are all perfect, like the letter was perfect, the transcription was perfect, right?"


3/9/2020


Trump: So last year 37,000 Americans died from the common flu. It averages between 27,000 and 70,000 per year. Nothing is shut down, life & the economy go on. At this moment there are 546 confirmed cases of CoronaVirus, with 22 deaths. Think about that!" the president tweeted.


3/10/2020

Trump “This was unexpected. … And it hit the world. And we’re prepared, and we’re doing a great job with it. And it will go away. Just stay calm. It will go away.

3/11/2020
The WHO declares the coronavirus a global pandemic.
Actor Tom Hanks announces that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, have tested positive for the coronavirus, while a positive test for NBA player Rudy Gobert leads the league to suspend its season. This sets off a cascade of cancellations and closures.

Trump: “The vast majority of Americans, the risk is very, very low.” Oval Office address
Bottom line, it’s going to get worse.”— Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and member of the White House coronavirus task force.

DJIA 23,553.22


3/12/2020
NHL and NCAA seasons suspended. Baseball's spring training is suspended.
The FDA authorizes for use the first privately developed test for the coronavirus. The next day it gives the go-ahead to another. These private-sector tests are touted as key to expanding testing capacity, but ramp-up remains slow.

DJIA-21,200.62


3/15/2020
We will have 1.9 million of these high-throughput tests available this week with numerous labs, up to 2,000, starting to turn the lights on beginning this week.”— Adm. Brett Giroir, the “testing czar” at the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the COVID Tracking Project, there weren’t 1.9 million test results completed until April 6.

3/23/2020- DJIA hits low for year-18,591.93.


3/25/2020
Trump: Nobody would ever believe a thing like that’s possible. Nobody could have ever seen something like this coming, but now we know, and we know it can happen and happen again.”

oh, really?


3/27/2020
Using the powers of the Defense Production Act, Trump orders General Motors and a health care vendor to produce ventilators. Trump will also use the DPA for N95 respirator masks, and to ban exports of certain medical supplies and to prevent hoarding of supplies.


3/31/2020

Trump: "But it's not the flu. It's vicious. When you send a friend to the hospital and you call up to find out, how is he doing, it happened to me. Where he goes to the hospital, he says goodbye, sort of a tough guy, little older, little heavier than he'd like to be, frankly. And you call up the next day, 'how's he doing?' And he's in a coma? This is not the flu. 
Ya Don't Say?


4/3/2020
The CDC recommends that Americans wear simple cloth masks when going out in public. The recomendation emphasizes the need to do it in areas with extensive community transmission of the coronavirus. NPR reported this was a concession to White House officials, who didn't want it to be nationwide

Trump: “It’s going to be, really, a voluntary thing. You can do it. You don’t have to do it. I’m choosing not to do it, but some people may want to do it, and that’s OK. It may be good. Probably will. They’re making a recommendation. It’s only a recommendation.”— in a task force briefing where he announced the face mask recommendation

4/12/2020-Easter Sunday 23,538 US Deaths since February 1


4/13/2020

Trump: “I’m going to put it very simply: The president of the United States has the authority to do what the president has the authority to do, which is very powerful. The president of the United States calls the shots.”
—in a task force briefing, arguing falsely that the president — and not governors — has the power to decide when states would lift stay-at-home orders and other restrictions. A day later he’d say that he planned to leave the decision about how and when to open individual states to governors.


4/14/2020

Trump- “Today I am instructing my administration to halt funding of the World Health Organization while a review is conducted to assess [its] role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”