for critical COVID-19 news, updates and analysis. POLITICO’s deep health care team joins forces with other experts across our global newsroom to provide a critical distillation of the impact of the coronavirus on global health, industries and politics.Jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. expected to rise to 3.5M from 3.3M but could go significantly higher …— Via Morning Consult: “Consumer confidence has fallen by 36% on average over the past five recessions, going back to 1980.
“Given that we believe we are in or rapidly heading towards a recession, we expect another 12 point fall in confidence and for that fall to be sustained for at least an entire month. If policymakers are unable to mitigate the spillover effects of the economic shutdown, the fall in confidence could increase to 56%, which corresponds to the decrease felt during the Great Recession.
“[E]ven after the virus is tamed ... the world that emerges is likely to be choked with trouble, challenging the recovery. Mass joblessness exacts societal costs. Widespread bankruptcy could leave industry in a weakened state, depleted of investment and innovation. Households may remain agitated and risk averse.”— Our Matt Dixon: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … issued a statewide state-at-home order amid growing national scrutiny of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“DeSantis said he made the decision after … Trump on Tuesday announced the extension of federal guidelines urging Americans to avoid travel and practice social distancing until April 30.”— South China Morning Post’s Guo Rui and Echo Xie: “Henan province in central China has taken the drastic measure of putting a mid-sized county in total lockdown as authorities try to fend off a second coronavirus wave in the midst of a push to revive the economy.