White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that health officials have contained the spread of the coronavirus in the United States despite a warning about its spread from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kudlow appeared on CNBC on Tuesday to discuss the mysterious disease that broke out in China in December and its effects so far on the U.S. economy. The White House official appeared optimistic about the U.S. outlook after top health officials issued severe warnings about the virus spreading.
The CDC’s vaccine expert, Nancy Messonnier, warned earlier in the day that the coronavirus will eventually spread throughout the U.S. and that “disruption to everyday life might be severe,” but Kudlow downplayed her warning.
“Our public health people, who are spectacular, the best in the world, are preparing for any eventualities, and that’s exactly what they should do,” Kudlow said. “They were ahead of the curve on the travel bans. Now, they’re ahead of the curve insofar as laying out potential emergency plans. That doesn’t mean it’s gonna go into effect.”
“As far as the U.S. is concerned … we have contained this,” he continued. “I won’t say airtight but pretty close to airtight. We’ve done a good job in the United States. Hats off to our public health people.”
Kudlow also said that the U.S. economy remains strong despite the stock market tumbling on Monday. People rushed to sell off stocks after news broke of the illness’s continued spread. The S&P 500 index dropped 3.4%, its worst single-day performance in roughly two years.
“I don’t think it is going to be an economic tragedy at all. There’ll be some stumbles. We are looking at numbers,” Kudlow said. “It’s a little iffy. We might have a clearer picture in the next two to three weeks.”
