A couple of observations about the apparent slowdown in the pace of infection in Italy, Spain and New York - all hot spots.

1) Terrific - our behavior matters - we can stem the pace of infections. That buys us time - bit late - to not further overwhelm our hospital systems

2) It also buys us time to get PPE, testing, tracking and treatment to a critical mass to be able to consider reopening sometime down the road.

3) It doesn’t fund the safety and protocols needed to ensure PPE,
tests, tracking and treatments are safe. We still need more on that, fast.

4) We need to be thinking ab all phases of this crisis simultaneously or we risk waves of panic and permanent damage

5) Washington is now focused on deficits - odd moment when the alternative is deaths by desease AND a bad economy. I am flummoxed.

6) Singapore - a model of containment and more managed outbreak - forced to close again.

7) We need a set of agreed principles for reopening, driven by scientists, at the national level, with collaboration w states and industries to adopt. Not easy but doable.

8) We need to be prepared for how uneven and methodical (read slow) the process of reopening will be.

9) We need phases of aid - with automatic stabilizers baked in- and phases of stimulus that deal w the uneven nature of reopening. How will be return to public spaces - is funding for cleaning & masks a necessity for that to occur? How will factories ramp up if demand still weak?

10) We need to be humble about what we think we know and learn from what we don’t. This last one may be the hardest but most important of all. Most people I speak with are extremely thoughtful and humble - they are much quieter than the ones who are not.