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| What to know about the novel coronavirus outbreak, from To Your Health. |
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The latest
More than 80 percent of adults in the United States will receive a payment from the $2 trillion stimulus bill that passed the Senate 96-0. Payments will arrive in the form of a check or direct deposit.
You can use our calculator to see you much you'll get, then scroll down for answers to some common questions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are seeking to hold a voice vote Friday, which would not require all 429 members to be present. But Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he opposes not only the bill, but the idea of a voice vote, and has yet to decide whether he will press that issue. It could delay a vote until the weekend.
The stimulus bill is massive, but economists say it won't prevent a recession — the question is whether it will be enough to ward off an economic depression. The two most important problems to fix are the health crisis itself, and making sure people get money quickly. More than 9 in 10 Americans say they think an economic recession is likely, according to a Washington Post-ABC poll released this afternoon, and more than 6 in 10 are predicting it will as bad as or worse than the Great Recession.
Around 3.3 million people applied for unemployment last week, more than any other week in American history. Economists think this is the beginning of a massive spike in jobless claims, and that at least 40 million Americans could be unemployed by April.
Washington, D.C., was intentionally classified as a territory in the stimulus bill, instead of a state. The District is almost always considered a full-fledged state when it comes to grants, highway funding, education and food assistance. The city — which has a population larger than Vermont and Wyoming — will now get less than half the funding it was expecting.
The coronavirus has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States. The Washington Post is tracking every known U.S. death, but overwhelmed state and local authorities are shielding even basic details about age, gender and underlying conditions, citing medical privacy laws. Some deaths aren't being counted at all, misdiagnosed as the flu or another illness in people who were never tested.
A negative test result doesn't always mean you don't have covid-19. Something could have gone wrong with the test or, more often, you "may be early on in the infection and the viral load may be so low you don't get [a positive result]," Anthony S. Fauci told physicians.
New York will use anti-malaria medications — hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in combination with the antibiotic azithromycin — to treat seriously ill patients. While the effort has raised safety concerns, Trump's direct intervention into the complex medical issue, as well as New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's embrace of the strategy, has generated excitement about the drugs.
The New York City area might be the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, but the number of confirmed cases is beginning to spike elsewhere, including Louisiana, Michigan and Texas. This has led authorities to question whether it's practical to restrict peoples' movement based on where they've traveled domestically. "The CDC guidelines recommend you stay a social distance away whether that is in New York City or not," N.Y. health commissioner Howard A. Zucker said.
Our Fact Checker team looked at 11 of the claims President Trump made on Tuesday alone, and found that most were either false or misleading:
- We had the best economy in the history of the United States before this (it was better as recently as 1999);
- Coronavirus is no worse than the flu (it spreads easier, and it's more severe);
- The United States has tested more than South Korea (South Korea tested 1 in 146 people, the United States has only tested 1 in 911), and several more
Is "social distancing" the wrong term? Some health experts think so, and the World Health Organization agrees. We should probably refer to it as "physical distancing." Daniel Aldrich, a professor of political science and public policy at Northeastern University, lauded young people who were running errands for elderly neighbors for practicing "social connectedness with physical distance."
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Live updates
Track the spread of the outbreak in the United States and abroad with our updating map.
Submit a question and The Post may answer it in a future story, live chat or newsletter.
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Your questions, answered
A lot of readers are wondering how much money they can expect from the stimulus bill. Our handy check calculator will estimate how much you're eligible for based on your income and tax filing status, and here are quick answers to some common questions:
Do we have to apply or will they be sent automatically? — Micah in Valley Forge, Pa.
No application necessary. The check will be automatically deposited in your bank account or mailed to you if filed taxes in 2018 or 2019. If you are on Social Security and don't file taxes, the government will still send the payment using the contact information on your benefits statement.
Micah also asks: What about a couple filing jointly where one person makes $110,000 and the other makes $20,000?
Per our reporting, "married couples are eligible for a $2,400 check as long as their adjusted gross income is under $150,000 a year." Couples making up to $198,000 a year get less money. Remember that couples also receive an additional $500 for each child.
Does the payout include the retired and the elderly, those in that group who are not employed? —Steven in Portland, Ore.
Yes. Retirees and individuals on disability assistance or social security are eligible for payments, if their total income including benefits doesn't exceed the maximum (up to $99,000 a year for individuals).
How much of a direct payment can a head of household expect with an adult dependent? — Anita in Bowie, Md.
A head of household who makes up to $112,500 a year is eligible for a $1,200 check — or a smaller check if they make up to $136,500 a year.
I live alone, on disability, and am technically a dependent of my parents (but over 26). I don't have any income to pay taxes on so I'm not a 'taxpayer.' Do I benefit from the relief bill or am I counted as a 'child' on my parents'? — Anonymous
The way the bill was written in the Senate, no. Dependents who can be claimed on someone else's tax return won't receive checks. |
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Today's top reads
Find more stories, analysis and op-eds about the outbreak on our coronavirus page, including:
- A guide to which socializing app is right for you during quarantine
- Eight acts of kindness: Stories of good deeds from the pandemic
- Full results from the Washington Post-ABC coronavirus poll
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A different kind of social distancing
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