The coronavirus pandemic is setting in across the United States. As the number of COVID-19 cases rise (with our collective anxiety), calls over the weekend to take the situation seriously were met with photos of busy restaurants in major metropolitan areas and logistical nightmares at airports, situations that could potentially spread the novel coronavirus in large group settings.
The global pandemic has spurred government action in areas with big outbreaks. In countries like China and Italy, massive lockdowns are getting results in stemming the spread of the disease, but also raising concerns about the potential for authoritarian governments to overstep.
President Donald Trump’s administration has struggled to respond effectively to the situation, and his record of overstepping his executive authority has many experts concerned that a federal response could lean on authoritarian tactics.
