State governments across the United States are declaring a state of emergency as efforts to combat the spread of the Novel Coronavirus amplify. State governments have expanded their efforts amid what some officials are seeing as a tepid, slow-to-react response by the federal government to a rapidly intensifying health crisis.
As the Coronavirus spreads across the United States, 19 states have declared a state of emergency. Virginia became one of the most recent states to declare a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. Virginia's declaration has been pre-empted by declarations from a slew of other states, from Florida to New York. As cases are confirmed across the country, more declarations will likely follow.
The declarations are essential to combatting the spread of the virus; a declaration of a state of emergency allows state governments to bypass the usual bureaucracy and red tape required for any governmental actions as well as freeing up essential resources. For example, in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo's declaration will allow the State of New York to bypass the usual bidding process for obtaining cleaning supplies for schools, as well as allowing the state health commissioner greater ease to alter the state's sanitary codes. The declarations will give states greater flexibility in addressing the spread of Coronavirus and may help limit the spread and slow down new cases.
While the declarations are not unprecedented, considering the scale of the pandemic (The Coronavirus outbreak has officially been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization), some state governments may be acting out of their own interests in the face of a tepid federal response. As the outbreak began to spread in the United States, President Donald Trump varied between calling the pandemic a "hoax" and downplaying its severity. It is only recently that the President began taking comprehensive measures to combat the virus. Even so, the President's actions are still the subject of some criticism from state officials.
Governor Cuomo, for example, called the Federal Government's response "absurd and nonsensical", criticizing the delay in testing potential cases for the virus and the shortage of available testing kits, as well as criticizing the defective kits initially offered by the CDC and the slow approval for private labs to test for the virus. Other governors have been critical of the federal response as well; others, however, seem to be willing to cooperate with the federal government. Some governors, including critics of the Trump administration, are putting aside partisanship and past grievances to work with the Federal Government, and have been positive about the Federal Government's recently amplified efforts. In particular, praise has been offered to Vice President Mike Pence, who has been making the rounds among affected states offering federal resources and has made himself available for governors to discuss efforts.
Despite the cooperation, many government officials are mixing praise with criticism, especially towards Trump's mixed messages and tepid efforts.