JUDY WOODRUFF: Good evening.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

On the "NewsHour" tonight: on the rise.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. tops 11,000, as the government looks to a trillion dollars in aid to stem the economic toll.

I sit down with the secretary of defense to discuss how the military can help.

MARK ESPER, U.S. Defense Secretary: We're providing to the states manpower.

We're providing medical equipment and supplies.

We are going to dispatch our hospital ships, one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Then: after panicked shoppers leave many grocery shelves bare, what you need to know about the food supply in a time of crisis.

Plus, Yalitza Aparicio, star of 2018's acclaimed film "Roma," and now an activist working at the intersection of race and class in Mexico.

YALITZA APARICIO, Actress and Activist (through translator): Yes, it sounds difficult.

And it is difficult to change something that people have been used to for years.

But that's what it's about.

It's about telling people this isn't normal, and they shouldn't be used to it.

JUDY WOODRUFF: All that and more on tonight's "PBS NewsHour."

(BREAK) JUDY WOODRUFF: The pace of the pandemic is accelerating across the United States on this first day of spring.

Health officials report more than 11,000 cases, up nearly 3,500 in a single day, and at least 168 deaths.

As the recorded numbers surge, the State Department is warning Americans not to go abroad for any reason.

Meanwhile, Congress works on a huge economic aid package, and the White House talks of making more medicines available.

William Brangham reports.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: President Trump today announced that the federal government will speed access to two drugs that might help people infected with coronavirus.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: We slashed red tape to develop vaccines and therapies as fast as it can possible be done.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Under the new rules, the Food and Drug Administration will bypass its normal process and rapidly accelerate those and other medications for use.

But these new treatments are not immediately available for COVID-19 patients.

And they are not considered cures or a vaccine.

It's hoped they will ease symptoms and slow the spread of the virus in people who've already been infected.

On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, Congress is working on its third coronavirus relief package.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): The point is to help small business endure, help workers keep their jobs, and help both businesses and workers emerge from this ready to thrive.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The bill will include $300 billion for small business loans, a direct cash payment to adult Americans, targeted lending to key industries, and resources for hospitals and health workers who are caring for sick people.

But Democrats are again pushing for the bill to prioritize workers over corporations.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer: SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): We believe that whatever proposal emerges -- and it will be bipartisan -- that it must be a workers-first proposal.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: The Senate is expected to work on the bill throughout the weekend.

The urgency comes as unemployment claims are rapidly rising across the country, as industries from restaurants to car manufacturing are closing their doors, putting millions of Americans instantly out of work.

In fact, jobless claims spiked to 281,000 last week.

That's up from 211,000 the previous week.

That's the largest week-to-week rise since the 2008 financial crisis.

Back at the Capitol, this pandemic is not just affecting Congress' legislative calendar.

Last night, two representatives, Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, and Ben McAdams, a Democrat from Utah, said they tested positive for the virus.

Both said they began to feel ill on Saturday night, just hours after they, along with 400 other members of the House of Representatives, voted to approve another coronavirus relief bill.

Now more than 20 members of Congress are self-isolating.

And there's some troubling news about who else is falling ill. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that young Americans are being sickened in large numbers.

The CDC says there have been 508 hospitalizations caused by COVID-19; 38 percent of them were between 20 and 54 years old.

And then nearly half of the 121 patients who were then moved to intensive care, those were under 65.

But, still, the virus is more fatal for the elderly.

and it's important to note the vast majority of infected people have been recovering.

In the meantime, COVID-19 continues to take an enormous toll on Italy; 3,405 people have died there, surpassing China as the nation that's lost the most citizens to this virus.

And in China today, a major milestone: Officials said that, for the first time, there were no new local infections in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the pandemic.

President Trump said today he hopes these Chinese numbers are true, but added, who knows?

DR. JENNIFER NUZZO, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: When you put distance between people, through a variety of different ways, you can reduce transmission of the virus.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Jennifer Nuzzo is an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

She believes China's numbers are real, and they're a result of that country's highly aggressive measures to isolate people.

DR. JENNIFER NUZZO: Now, there are questions about those measures that we have to address, but I think what it shows is that it is possible to, at least for a short period, reduce transmission.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Nuzzo cautions, though, that this is by no means the end of China's outbreak.

DR. JENNIFER NUZZO: The impact of these measures are likely to be temporary, just given the fact that the virus is still circulating in the world.

So it's not as though they can just stop once they have reached a certain point.

WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Five thousand miles from China, the continent of Africa is just starting to realize the scope of its outbreak.

Several nations closed their borders today, and the WHO's regional head warned that the continent is seeing -- quote -- "extremely rapid evolution."

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm William Brangham.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Wall Street had a calmer day by recent standards, at least, as investors reacted to the stimulus measures being taken by central banks.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 188 points to close at 20187.

The Nasdaq rose 160 points, and the S&P 500 added 11.

Now, with more on how the U.S. government is responding to the pandemic, Yamiche Alcindor is at the White House, Lisa Desjardins is on Capitol Hill.

Hello to both of you.

And, Yamiche, to you first.

The president did announce today the Food and Drug Administration is going to be fast-tracking some medicines that they hope can make a difference.

What do we know about that?

And, also, what do we know about testing being available to Americans?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, it's clear that President Trump is eager to see Americans get the medicine that would be needed to treat coronavirus.

That being said, that medicine is far away at this point.

The president is saying today that there was medicine, including anti-malarial medicine, that could be given immediately to Americans.

But the FDA then just a couple of hours ago had to clarify that and say, no, the president is wrong.

There is no actual FDA-approved medicine to treat this.

But what might happen is that doctors might now be using experimental drugs on patients to try to see if the coronavirus reacts to the drugs.

There are some senior officials in the FDA who are worried about that.

They say that patients might get harmed.

But President Trump is saying, we have to cut red tape to get people help.

On testing, today, the president was asked over and over again, when can every American who needs a test get a test for the coronavirus?

But the president did not have a clear answer on that.

The other thing, the White House is not clear on whether or not the administration and the country as a whole has enough ventilators to help people.

So the health care systems and health care workers are saying that the system might not be able to care for as many people, and that we might be in a situation where there isn't enough equipment.

Right now, the White House is saying they're trying their best to do that to get the equipment needed, but that they don't know at what point that equipment will actually be have -- the equipment, rather, will be taken and be able to -- give out to the states.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And to Lisa.

We know, just within the last hour the Senate has released its proposal for the next bill on the coronavirus response.

What do we know about what's in it?

LISA DESJARDINS: Judy, this is the big bill.

This is that third bill that we have been waiting for.

And looking over the 247 pages of it quickly, I want to put some highlights out there.

First of all, one thing this would do, it would, the Senate Republican plan, give almost every American a $1,200 check.

They will be calling it a recovery rebate.

That would be $2,400 for families.

There's an income cap on that.

But, for most Americans, they would get that.

Also, $208 billion for various industries.

That includes $50 billion for the airline industry.

Judy, also in this, something Yamiche has been talking about, free testing for the virus for any American.

Insurers would be required would be required to cover that.

Also, Judy, I read in here what looks to be like a three-month suspension, potentially, of student loan payments for federal student loans.

There is a lot in here.

What's important is next what happens is, these Republicans will take this plan and negotiate with Democrats.

Democrats want more for unemployment insurance.

Over the next couple of days, we will see what happens.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Fascinating how fast it's moving.

So, Yamiche, what's the reaction there to all this?

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Well, the president has been saying over and over again that he wants Americans to get cash fast.

Now, the White House has been pushing Republicans on Capitol Hill and Republican senators to get behind the idea of giving more than one check to Americans.

So I want to walk through a little bit about what the White House wants to see happen here.

And some of this is in the bill.

Some of it's not.

So they want to see to $1,200 checks to Americans, one in April, one in May.

Right now, this bill only has $1,200 check, as well as some other things, including $500 for every child for eligible Americans.

The other thing, they do want $300 billion for small businesses.

It looks like that that made into the bill.

So that's something that they agreed on.

The other thing, the president said today he wanted to forbid executive bonuses and stock buybacks.

Now, that's something that the president has said he wants to do.

He says that if we have to help a company, we don't want to then see CEOs get billions or millions of dollars in bonuses.

That's something that the president agrees on with Democrats.

There are progressives like Elizabeth Warren who say, we don't want to see stock buybacks.

The other thing that's interesting today is that the president visited the headquarters of FEMA.

That's going to be an agency that's going to be administering a lot of the help to states.

We saw governor after governor today in states like Michigan, Illinois, South Dakota plead with the president for help.

They were specifically asking for medical equipment.

They were also asking whether or not the National Guard would be able to help them out.

So what we saw was a number of government - - a number of governors on the phone praising President Trump, saying he was doing a good job, but also saying, we need a lot more from the federal government.

JUDY WOODRUFF: So, Lisa, coming back to you, I mean, these ideas in the bill you're describing, these are big ideas coming at breakneck speed.

How much is known about whether they will actually work?

LISA DESJARDINS: Quickly, I will summarize where -- what people think here.

I think we will be talking about this more on the show in coming days.

That idea of a check for Americans, that is usually something that has a multiplier effect across the economy.

People buy things with it.

But the concern here, Judy, is that the economy is now shutting down.

What can people buy?

That check, in this case, Judy, is really more targeted to help people by necessities.

So that's something they think it can do.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And very quickly, Lisa, we heard in William's report two members of Congress have already been -- tested positive for the coronavirus.

Others are self-quarantining.

What do we know about measures being taken to protect the members of Congress and all the staff?

LISA DESJARDINS: Well, I will show you in the last day, since the announcement of those two positive tests.

The House side of the Capitol, we have seen these signs go up on doors, "Cleaning not required," so that staff could place this if they didn't want a special clean or if that was a room, I believe, where there wasn't a special concern that any of the members who have tested positive have gone to.

They have done a lot of cleaning around this side of the Capitol in areas where they know those members had strong interactions.

They have contacted all the members of Congress or staff that had interactions that they think make them vulnerable to the virus.

And the House is shut down.

So that's a positive thing.

These members haven't been here since last week, but they were here then.

As for the Senate, there is rising concern.

Reporters, we are keeping our distance, as much as we can, from senators when we talk to them.

There are fewer reporters here now.

But the biggest question, Judy, is, how will the Senate and House continue to operate?

Will they continue to have votes even into next week?

And there is a big push on both sides for remote voting.

Senator McConnell, as I have reported, has said no.

But I will tell you, there's increasing interest in that on both sides.

Members of that House especially tell me they don't want to return to the Congress.

They want to keep working, but they don't want to come to this building, if they can avoid it.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Very interesting.

We know, in some countries, they have adjourned their parliament.

So we will watch that.

Lisa Desjardins, Yamiche Alcindor, thanks to you both.

YAMICHE ALCINDOR: Thanks.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And now we turn to the U.S. military and defense community's role in the fight against COVID-19.

Late this afternoon, I spoke with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who was at the Pentagon.

Secretary Mark Esper, thank you very much for joining us.

Let's start with COVID-19.

We are told the military gearing up in a big way, sending a hospital ship, one to each coast, providing hospital beds on land, providing masks and other material.

It's a lot.

Is it going to be enough?

MARK ESPER, U.S. Defense Secretary: I think so, Judy.

We're putting all of our efforts into this.

As you noted, we're providing to the states manpower, we're providing medical equipment and supplies.

We are going to dispatch our hospital ships, one on the East Coast, one on the West Coast.

We are contributing to the effort through our military research labs, where we are working mightily on both a vaccine and therapeutics.

So we're doing everything we can to help with this effort and to help protect the American people.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Mr. Secretary, on the military ships, our understanding is they would be used to handle the overflow of seriously ill patients from hospitals, so that on-land hospitals would work with the COVID-19 patients.

Is that right?

MARK ESPER: Slightly right.

So, the purpose of these ships, of course, are for wartime use.

So they are geared to handle trauma patients.

So think of people with head injuries, lacerations, broken bones, those types of things.

Based on how the ships are configured, they're not built to handle patients with infectious disease.

So what we can do is, we can pull a ship into a harbor, we can dock, and we can help either pick up trauma patients from a local hospital, thus freeing up bed space for patients with COVID-1, or we could help with the overflow of trauma patients in recovery, who would come out of the hospital, again, once again, freeing up bed space for localities to put infectious, infected patients into those rooms.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Reserve forces, Mr. Secretary, you said you have tried to avoid calling them up to the extent it would hurt any vital role they're playing in their community.

So, how you thinking about that in terms of using active-duty forces vs. the Reserves and making the tough decision whether to pull them out?

MARK ESPER: Well, it's first important to note that 29 of the states now have activated the National Guard.

The National Guard is a very capable force.

I served in the National Guard for many years, so I know what they can do.

And what I have said with regard to the Reservists is this.

As we look at activating, whether it's the hospital ships or our field-deployable hospitals, one of the challenges we face is that many of the medical professionals that would staff those hospitals would -- could come from the Reserves.

So we have to be very conscious as we do this to make sure we're not pulling required medical personal, professionals out of a civilian role that is needed and putting them into a military role and deploying them somewhere else.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, as you think of the National Guard, we are told that the head of the Guard is saying they shouldn't be nationalized quickly.

But could the situation become so serious that that has to happen?

MARK ESPER: Well, they're -- we don't see a need to federalize the National Guard either.

What that means is, we'd end up pulling them into a national basis.

I think the best use of the Guard right now is doing what they are doing.

And that is working in what we call a Title 32 status for the governors of their states and then dealing with the challenges that the governor needs them to deal with at the state and local level.

As need be, we can always supplement them with Federal Reserve troops or active-component troops.

But, again, that's not on the drawing board at this point in time.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And what is the main role right now for active-duty troops in the U.S.?

MARK ESPER: Well, I like to say and I like to remind the American people, if not reassure them, that the United States military remains ready and capable to protect the country and defend our interests abroad.

And right now, that is our primary mission.

We also have all these other capabilities that I mentioned up front that we're providing to the COVID-19 effort.

That includes, again, everything from military research on vaccines, on therapeutics, to providing military, medical equipment out of our strategic stockpiles, to making available medical professionals, and to helping out any way a state needs help.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Is there a conflict, Mr. Secretary, between having these service members do their jobs, protecting the country, and keeping them safe from COVID-19?

How are you doing that, number one?

And we know that, what, 81 Defense Department employees are now infected, several dozen service members.

How do you look upon keeping them safe, at the same time they're doing their job?

MARK ESPER: It's a very good question.

We took very aggressive measures several weeks ago to get ahead of this and stay ahead of it.

So, for example, we stopped what we call permanent change of station moves in between overseas and the United States.

We ultimately moved that to moves within the United States.

We have also put quarantines on people traveling between bases, certainly those traveling home.

We have asked people to self-isolate as need be.

We have instituted a wide range of procedures across the force, to include here at the Pentagon, where we're exercising a great deal of social distancing.

We're wiping down tables and doorknobs.

In fact, I do video teleconferences with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and my deputy.

So we're talking all kinds of measures across the force to ensure the protection of our troops and, by the way, our family members and our beneficiaries.

And, as you noted, we have a few dozen right now who have the virus.

Actually, it's 51 uniformed military.

I had a chance to talk with a few of them already in the past few days.

They're doing well.

But we're taking great care to make sure the force is well-protected.

We're blessed with a young, robust, healthy, fit force that has great medical care.

So I'm confident that they will fare well.

JUDY WOODRUFF: You talked about preparation.

I want to ask you about a New York Times story that has come out just today that reports on exercises that were conducted inside the Trump administration, anticipating a global pandemic, laying out clearly what the risks would be, but that it all happened many layers down in the bureaucracy, that people at the highest levels of the government, it never demonstrated the sense of urgency that would normally have been expected.

So, when President Trump said the other day nobody ever thought of numbers like this, this report says that, in fact, people in the federal government did know that this was possible.

Were you aware of these exercises, Secretary?

MARK ESPER: Well, I'm not familiar with -- I'm not familiar with that report.

I haven't seen it.

But I will tell you that DOD has a number of plans out there to deal with pandemics.

We have exercised them in the past.

We exercised them early on when this first hit.

I think it was late January, early February.

It's what we do.

We're familiar with it, and I think that's kept us in good stead.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Did the U.S. military medical service, which, of course, keeps an eye on outbreaks around the world, did they notify you and others in the Pentagon when this first broke in Wuhan, China?

MARK ESPER: Well, I'm not -- I couldn't go back and tell you the timing off the top of my head.

But, of course, we have a great epidemiological surveillance system out there.

Our doctors are the best in the world.

I was at Fort Detrick, Maryland, just a couple of days ago, where the military's premier infectious disease researchers are located.

You may recall these are the doctors and other professionals who helped resolve Ebola and Zika and other diseases.

So, we stay on top of these things.

It's a part and parcel of what we do in order to protect our force to ensure we're mission-capable.

And they, to this day, to this moment, are still on top of this, making sure that we're taking every action we can to both work on and develop therapeutics and a vaccine.

JUDY WOODRUFF: In retrospect, just quickly, though, do you think you were made aware of the serious threat this poses soon enough, that you had enough warning, because, as you know, people are asking now whether the administration could have moved more quickly and earlier?

MARK ESPER: I think the administration has moved very quickly.

I think we all could have benefited by having earlier notice from China that this was developing.

They had known for some period of time, weeks, if not months, that this was brewing in Wuhan, and we didn't have that type of notice, at least not that I'm aware of.

That would have helped a great deal in terms of containing that spread within China and then preventing, of course, the spread globally.

But, again, as soon as we heard about it, we began taking actions.

I'm confident the administration acted quickly.

We have a great team that's advising the president.

The president has made some really bold decisions, and acted in -- with great alacrity to make sure that we stayed on top of this and are doing everything we can to protect the American people.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, there certainly has been criticism of China for covering this up in the early days, no question about it.

But now that it's a global pandemic -- and we know the president has called it the Chinese virus -- but now that it is a pandemic, how do you see the need to continue to work with Chinese military leaders, for example?

Are you still in touch with them on any sort of regular basis?

MARK ESPER: Well, it is a global pandemic, and so we need to work together globally to deal with it, both certainly at this point on the mitigation, and I'm sure we're working together with many of our allies and partners on therapeutics and vaccines.

With regard to your -- the second part of your question, we do.

We talk often with our counterparts in China.

I think I spoke to my counterpart several weeks ago.

At the time, I offered our assistance to China with regard to providing doctors and others to come help them to study the disease and whatnot.

But it's important that we maintain those open communications, not just for COVID-19, but, of course, for anywhere we are in the world where our militaries are interacting with one another.

So, it's one of the priorities I have placed, is establishing those lines of communication.

I do it at my level.

The chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff does it at his level.

Throughout the organization, we try and keep close ties or open ties with China and other countries.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And, finally, just quickly, Mr. Secretary, has this outbreak, this crisis given you a new understanding of the role of the Pentagon, the role of the Defense Department in keeping America safe?

MARK ESPER: You know, it's another aspect of what we do, in terms of providing support to the civilian authorities and support to the American people to help protect them.

As I said, I served 10 years on active duty, 11 years in the Guard Reserve.

And during my time at least in the Virginia Guard, I got called out once or twice to help with a flood or hurricane.

So this is another mission we do, whether it's floods and hurricanes, wildfires, you name it.

Clearly, this is unprecedented in many ways, at least in my lifetime, with the scale, scope, speed at which this virus has spread around the country.

But, look, DOD is fully committed to doing everything we can to help the American people to mitigate this virus, contain it as best we can, and, at the same time, ensuring we provide for the nation's security.

And so I'm very proud of the men and women in uniform, of our families and our DOD civilians for everything they're doing to help out in this one-team effort.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, we thank you very much.

MARK ESPER: Thank you, Judy.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Anyone who has gone grocery shopping in the U.S. in recent days has likely encountered long lines and empty shelves.

But, as Amna Nawaz reports, the problem right now is not one of supply.

AMNA NAWAZ: Judy, stores say that most shortages are temporary, and due strictly to an unprecedented surge in buying, as panicked consumers rushed to stock up on items they feared could soon be hard to find or hard to reach.

So, how much product is in the pipeline, and when might shelves be restocked?

To help answer those critical questions, Greg Ferrara, president of the National Grocers Association, which represents over 1,500 independent grocers, operating nearly 9,000 stores.

He's here with us now.

And thanks for being here.

GREG FERRARA, President, National Grocers Association: Thanks for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So people will walk into stores and see empty selves.

They're seeing these pictures all over social media.

Why is that happening and how quickly are they being reshelved?

GREG FERRARA: So, great question.

Our supply chain is experiencing a truly unprecedented event with this crisis.

We have never seen levels like this across the United States.

And that's actually impacting supply chains.

So, when you go into a store, if you see empty shelves, it's taking us a while to get the product flowing through supply chain back to the stores.

But it is coming.

It is coming through our warehouses.

It coming to the stores.

There is plenty of supply in the supply chain.

We just need time to catch up.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, it's not the food isn't there; it's just getting it to the shelves?

GREG FERRARA: There's plenty of food.

And there's plenty of food in the pipeline.

We're getting to the shelves quickly.

It's just going off the shelves as quickly as we get it on there.

AMNA NAWAZ: So talk to me and talk to consumers out there now who say, well, look, I'm trying to reduce the number of times I go to the store.

I'm supposed to be social distancing.

I will go now and buy a month's worth of groceries, instead of going every week.

What's wrong with that approach?

GREG FERRARA: So, that's the problem.

The problem is, we do have people who are buying a month's worth of groceries, as opposed to a week's worth of groceries.

And we ask people just to remain calm.

Buy what you need for this week for a week-and-a-half.

Take care of yourself.

And that will allow us to catch up, allow us to get the supply chain restocked, get product back on stores.

And that also helps your neighbor, right?

Your neighbor is looking for the same stuff you're looking for.

Give us time.

Buy what you need now.

We want you to take care of yourself.And we will have product back on the shelves very soon.

AMNA NAWAZ: We all have to take care of each other, right?

What about ripple effects down the line, if transport is disrupted, if the food supply chain is disrupted further?

The longer this goes on, can it be harder to resupply those shelves?

GREG FERRARA: So, here's the good thing about our food supply in the United States.

For the most part, most of the food is produced domestically, and even regionally and locally.

So, we have a very strong supply chain.

That supply chain is -- has a lot of redundancies in place.

And so we feel very confident about that.

We have also been working with the government, both federal, state and local, to ensure that grocery stores -- food manufacturers are considered what we call tier one responders.

So they're able to be essential workers.

And we can get them to our plants, to our stores, and make sure the product is getting through to consumers.

AMNA NAWAZ: So, when you say tier one employees there, I wanted to ask you about some news I read in Vermont and Minnesota.

They basically said, everyone who works in the grocery store is now an emergency worker.

That means they're eligible for things like free child care, so they can go out and do their jobs.

Should that be happening across the country?

GREG FERRARA: It is happening in different areas and different states.

Every state is different.

But it's been wonderful to see government really rally around the food sector and support our front-line workers who do an absolutely amazing job in the stores right now.

And so our members, our industry is working with their state governments to ensure there's more benefits like that coming down the pike.

And our stores are being thoughtful.

They're working with their customers to the extent - - excuse me -- working with their employees to the extent they can and making sure they're supporting them throughout this time.

AMNA NAWAZ: And you're looking for more of those workers right now; is that right?

GREG FERRARA: Absolutely.

So we're absolutely looking for more workers, not only in our stores, but in our wholesale distribution centers as well.

And this is a great opportunity for people who may be impacted, who may have lost their jobs or be temporarily -- have seen a reduction in hours, go to your local supermarket.

Look online.

Look, these wholesale distributors that are out there, they're looking for workers.

We'd love to have you at this time.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tell me a little bit about how you're making sure those front-line workers, as you call them, are protecting themselves?

Does everyone wear gloves?

Are you wiping down product?

Should customers be wiping down that product before they take it home?

GREG FERRARA: So, the most important thing is, we're following federal, state and local guidelines when it comes to protecting our employees, protecting our customers in the store.

That includes making sure that, first and foremost, if a employee is sick, they are told not to come to work.

And that goes for customers too.

If you're not feeling well, please don't come in our stores.

That's very important.

But stores are wiping down check stands.

They are wiping down handles on freezers, on refrigerators, doing a deep clean at night.

You have seen many stores have adjusted hours, not only to allow them to restock, but allow them to do a deeper clean as well.

And so we're taking precautions.

We're making sure that everyone is safe and taken care of.

And we look forward to continuing to serve our customers.

AMNA NAWAZ: You know, bigger picture, I have got to ask you, you see more people shopping online, as they're avoiding going into these public spaces and into stores.

Do you see this moment in time as changing the way we shop for groceries?

GREG FERRARA: I definitely think we're obviously seeing an uptick in e-commerce and on -- excuse me -- in online orders both in terms of click and collect, but also in terms of delivery.

And I do think we will see an uptick in that going forward.

But people also do still enjoy going to the grocery store.

They enjoy selecting their produce, selecting their meat.

And I think that's going to continue for some time.

AMNA NAWAZ: Bottom line, the food is there, don't panic, buy what you need?

GREG FERRARA: Yes.

AMNA NAWAZ: Greg Ferrara of the National Grocers Association, thank you so much for being here.

GREG FERRARA: Thank you.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And please join us tonight for our virtual town hall, "Confronting Coronavirus."

That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 central on all PBS stations, streaming in the PBS app and on the "PBS NewsHour" social channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.

Some of your questions will be answered by those on the front lines battling the crisis, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, who spoke about the president's decision today to fast-track some medicines in their earliest stages that are not yet proven.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NIAID Director: What you do is, you strike a balance between making something available to the public.

At the same time, you do it under the auspices of a protocol.

And it could be a relatively loose protocol, like an expanded access protocol, even do some compassionate usage, where you have a balance between getting things to people who need it, but, at the same time, not just throwing drugs out there that you don't know anything about.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Join us tonight for "Confronting Coronavirus" right here on PBS at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, 7:00 Central.

In the day's other news: Iran granted a medical furlough to U.S. Navy veteran Michael White, part of a wider release of prisoners amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He had been jailed since 2018 for insulting Iran's supreme leader.

He must remain in Iran for now.

And Lebanon freed Amer Fakhoury.

He had been held since September for overseeing torture of Lebanese, but now has stage four cancer.

In Washington, President Trump lauded the news.

DONALD TRUMP, President of the United States: The United States has no higher priority than the safety and well-being of our citizens.

We have gotten a tremendous number of hostages out, as you know.

I think we're 42 and 0.

I want to let everyone know that recovering Americans held captive and imprisoned abroad continues to be a top priority for my administration.

JUDY WOODRUFF: The president also called on the Syrian government for the release of journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria in 2012.

In the U.S. presidential campaign, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii suspended her long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination today.

Instead, she endorsed Joe Biden in a message to her supporters.

Gabbard said that, despite their political differences, Biden is the best choice to unite the country.

And the Olympic Torch was officially handed over to organizers of the Tokyo Summer Games, under the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic.

The normally elaborate ceremony was held in an empty stadium in Athens, Greece.

The Japanese delegation was unable to attend due to travel restrictions.

There have been calls to delay the July Games because of the pandemic.

Still to come on the "NewsHour": the future of the U.S. economy is shrouded in uncertainty - - what can we learn from the financial crises of the past?

; the star of the acclaimed film "Roma" on challenging social inequities in modern Mexico; and a doctor gives her Brief But Spectacular take on practicing medicine in rural America.

As the economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak continues, businesses across the county are being crippled by closings and layoffs.

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits surged last week to a 2.5-year high.

For a look at how this economic downturn compares to others, Paul Solman sat down with Harvard University economist Ken Rogoff.

His book "This Time Is Different" examines the history of financial crises.

It's part of our regular series, Making Sense.

PAUL SOLMAN: Is this time different?

KENNETH ROGOFF, Economist, Harvard University: Well, this is something extraordinary we're facing.

It is really hard to think of a historical parallel.

I have talked about this with my co-author, Carmen Reinhart, and we have to go back to 1918-1919, the Spanish influenza epidemic, which killed, you know, millions and millions of people, to think of something like this worldwide.

And it's not exactly the same.

It was after World War I, when things were pretty bad already.

PAUL SOLMAN: Is this a war?

KENNETH ROGOFF: I think so.

I really feel like it's an alien invasion.

We're being occupied.

We're hiding in our houses.

We're told not to leave.

We're having a sudden stop in economic activity.

We are going to see a recession, at least in the short term, the likes of which we have not seen at least going back to World War II.

PAUL SOLMAN: In terms of the U.S. economy, the global economy, how bad could it get?

KENNETH ROGOFF: Well, we don't know how long we're going to be in lockdown.

When will there be antivirals?

How soon will there be a vaccine?

We just don't know how the crisis will unfold.

We're still in the war, and until we come out the other end, it's hard to know.

But I think what we do know is, the short-term drop in output and quite possibly in employment could be worse than 2008.

PAUL SOLMAN: Is there any chance that we won't come out of it in a year or two?

KENNETH ROGOFF: If the virus can be conquered, and we can reach a stable situation, I'm very optimistic that we will be able to do that.

But it will be different for different countries.

Italy's in trouble.

I mean, they have big pension problems, big debt problems, growth problems going into this.

Emerging markets are in trouble.

We're actually already seeing emerging markets start to fold under the weight of this.

I don't know where China will be.

That's a big question mark.

I mean, everybody thinks China did great, China's conquered this.

Not their economy.

If they're lucky, getting people back to work in the manufacturing sector, but who's going to buy the stuff once they start manufacturing?

The rest of the world's in recession.

PAUL SOLMAN: Are Congress, the president and the Fed responding appropriately?

KENNETH ROGOFF: Let's say they're moving forcefully in the right direction.

I think their response here to protect the healthy part of the economy needs to be just massive.

PAUL SOLMAN: More massive than what they're doing now?

KENNETH ROGOFF: Oh -- oh, $1 trillion is just a starter package on what's going to end up needing to be done here.

If you're shutting down a $23 trillion economy for two months or three months, the expenses are just massive, workers losing their jobs, businesses going out of business.

You can't allow that to happen too far.

So, no, I think we will see many further packages of different types, not all like this one.

PAUL SOLMAN: Bailing out the airlines, for example, the hotel industry, restaurants?

KENNETH ROGOFF: So, one of the tough things in this -- and I don't know how to make that judgment -- is how much, who to bail out.

But, certainly, the hospitality industry, to some extent the airlines, they're bystanders here.

They didn't create this.

They weren't flying too many routes and about to go bankrupt.

So, I think you have to -- first, really importantly, the health care sector.

We have to go in a military, wartime stance, if necessary taking over parts of the private sector for production of mass of respirators, building up facilities.

That will calm people down.

That will help things pass.

Then you have to help the directly affected people and sectors.

And then the kind of bailout that they're talking about with sending checks to individuals, that's to protect the healthy parts of the economy.

All of these things need to be done.

And the Fed has to come in and the Treasury to provide loans to corporates, to businesses, so they don't go bankrupt, so that we have businesses when we come out of this.

PAUL SOLMAN: You are someone who's worried about governments taking on too much debt.

That's now not a consideration anymore?

KENNETH ROGOFF: No, absolutely not.

I mean, there's never been a concern about our government's defaulting.

The concern is being able to borrow massively when you need to.

That's the whole point of saving for a rainy day.

When it rains, you want to really open up the floodgates.

And, here, I just -- there's no limit.

We're in a war.

You have to win the war.

I would have no problem with the government debt magically going up $5 trillion in the blink of an eye, if we could get out of this in two or three months healthily.

This is an emergency.

You're not worrying about your credit standing right away.

I don't think that's going to a problem.

And you know what?

If we have inflation at the end of this, so what, if that is what we needed to do to win this war.

We're trying to protect the American people, protect our interests, protect the future.

This is really -- think like World War II, World War I.

It's this -- tiny little viruses invading us, but you know, make no mistake, this is like a war, an alien invasion.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Sobering.

Once again, that was Paul Solman talking to Harvard economist Ken Rogoff.

We take a small step back now from our coverage of the coronavirus outbreak for the first in a series of stories from Jeffrey Brown about Mexico's vibrant arts and culture scene.

The 2018 film "Roma," set in Mexico, won many of awards and acclaim, but it also sparked a national debate about racial and social inequities.

The woman at its heart has carved out a new off-screen role as an advocate for change.

This is part of our ongoing arts and culture coverage, Canvas.

JEFFREY BROWN: Oscar night 2019, 25-year-old Yalitza Aparicio from the Mexican state of Oaxaca, made history as the first indigenous woman from the Americas to vie for the best actress award.

Not so many years before, she'd seen a far less glamorous side of life.

YALITZA APARICIO, Actress and Activist (through translator): When I found myself in the reality of looking for a job, many places would close doors on me because of my physical appearance.

The problem was the color of my skin.

In many cases, it's also about your socioeconomic level.

JEFFREY BROWN: In the film "Roma," Aparicio played Cleo, a live-in maid in an affluent Mexico City household in the 1970s.

Cleo is relied upon by the mother, loved by the children.

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, who won the Oscar for best director, based the story on his own upbringing.

But the class and race differences between family and worker are obvious, the casually dismissive treatment glaring.

Aparicio, who studied to be a teacher, had never acted and auditioned on a whim, but Cuaron saw something in her.

In Mexico City recently, she told me she drew on her mother's experience.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): From the beginning, I took it as a personal issue, because my mother was a domestic worker.

And I think it's important that she too knew her rights.

But I realized that she wasn't the only woman who was unaware of what she was deserving of by law.

So I think there's a chance to lift our voice and raise awareness.

JEFFREY BROWN: From film star to international ambassador.

Since "Roma"'s release, Aparicio has used her new celebrity to become a leading activist and advocate on behalf of indigenous culture and the rights of domestic workers.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): For me, it means that I am giving a voice and visibility to causes that are correct, in my opinion, or that are necessary in society.

I enjoy fighting for my indigenous community, because I feel proud of who I am, and think that we shouldn't lose that pride and identity.

MARCELINA BAUTISTA, Domestic Workers Rights Advocate (through translator): The first thing I saw in the film was that the situation of domestic workers in Mexico in the '70s to the 2000s had not changed at all.

JEFFREY BROWN: Marcelina Bautista came from Oaxaca to Mexico City at age 14 to work as a maid, a normal path for girls in her village.

Many years later, she founded Mexico's first ever union of domestic workers, and, on this day, led a workshop to educate her members, who spoke of abuses they have faced.

MARCELINA BAUTISTA (through translator): It is a sector in the labor world that presents many forms of discrimination and abuse and violation of human rights.

Many are not paid a salary that they deserve.

They live in a room of a house that's in bad shape, very humid, no lock on the door.

These female workers have been hit.

JEFFREY BROWN: But there has been change.

Last year, Mexico's Congress passed a new law that for the first time gives domestic workers basic labor rights, including a minimum wage, retirement benefits and workplace protections.

Bautista says the struggle now is to raise awareness among workers and employers and ensure government enforcement.

And she credits "Roma" and the debate it sparked with jump-starting long-delayed action.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): Honestly, I felt very powerful using the movie to tell lawmakers that they are still not doing their part, to tell employers that the situation remains the same and they can no longer feel like they are doing us a favor by giving us a job.

JEFFREY BROWN: Yalitza Aparicio, Bautista says, played a special role through her own personal story.

MARCELINA BAUTISTA (through translator): We are many Yalitzas.

And Yalitza, when she is in a space speaking on behalf of people or issues, I do think she represents us very well.

JEFFREY BROWN: Aparicio is also having another kind of impact here, in changing perceptions of beauty.

"Vogue Mexico" put her on its cover, a first for an indigenous woman.

Light-skinned models and personalities dominate the cultural landscape.

"Vogue Mexico" editor Karla Martinez de Salas: KARLA MARTINEZ DE SALAS, Editor, "Vogue Mexico": What we have seen in magazines historically is, you know, this kind of European-American ideal of beauty.

JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, which Yalitza is not.

KARLA MARTINEZ DE SALAS: Which Yalitza is not.

I think it's changing little by little.

JEFFREY BROWN: With the film "Roma," Martinez de Salas saw an opportunity.

KARLA MARTINEZ DE SALAS: I heard of the movie, and she was the first indigenous woman to take on this role.

And so I did think, why not celebrate this?

So, yes, a big part of it was to break this kind of stereotype that you think of what is a "Vogue" cover girl?

JEFFREY BROWN: The cover led to other photo shoots, and Aparicio also became the face of a Head & Shoulders ad campaign.

There was praise and excitement, but also a nasty, often racist social media backlash, filled with ugly comments.

KARLA MARTINEZ DE SALAS: We still have a ways to go as far as even, like, the ideals of Mexican beauty.

In October, we did an indigenous beauty story celebrating the beauty of Mexico.

And, like... JEFFREY BROWN: Yes, but that's still unusual, you're saying, huh?

Yes.

KARLA MARTINEZ DE SALAS: Yes, yes.

But I do feel like it's something that we have to push forward.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): People are still prisoners to social circles where appearances matter, and socioeconomic status matter.

I really think this is something that should already be changing.

JEFFREY BROWN: Yalitza Aparicio says she now wants to balance acting and activism.

One of her projects is a push for inclusion of indigenous languages in the education system, languages being lost, students falling behind.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): My job is to give visibility to these communities and talk about them wherever I go.

We're working sector by sector.

JEFFREY BROWN: It sounds very difficult to change a large society with a long history.

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): Yes, it sounds difficult, and it is difficult to change something that people have been used to for years.

But that's what it's about.

It's about telling people this isn't normal, and they shouldn't be used to it.

JEFFREY BROWN: Are you happy with the way your life changed and what it is now?

YALITZA APARICIO (through translator): Yes, I am very happy.

Everything that I'm doing, I'm doing with that intention, with that affection.

And, therefore, I am enjoying it.

And I hope to continue enjoying it for many years, and that it's not just me, but that maybe, in the next years, there are others fighting for these causes with me.

JEFFREY BROWN: For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Jeffrey Brown in Mexico City.

JUDY WOODRUFF: As COVID-19 has overwhelmed health care systems around the globe, here in the U.S., there's an increasing concern hospitals won't have adequate supplies, staff, and beds to treat those who become seriously ill.

In tonight's Brief But Spectacular, we visit Dr. Karen Kinsell.

She's the only physician in Fort Gaines, Georgia, where she serves her town's 3,000 residents.

DR. KAREN KINSELL, Clay County Medical Center: I think a lot of people don't understand that not everyone in America has the ability to go to the doctor.

Fort Gaines is in Clay County in Southwest Georgia.

We have about 3,000 people.

About 40 percent of the people are below the poverty level.

I have been the only doctor here for 15 years.

The next closest hospital and doctor in Georgia's 20 miles away.

I have been called the last doctor in DNMOØCLAY COUNTY.

So when I die or leave or retire, whatever, does that mean that there really won't be a doctor here?

Our office wasn't built as a doctor's office, and really shouldn't be a doctor's office.

It was built as a Tastee-Freez in the 1950s.

It has tremendous leaks in the roof.

We literally keep out trash cans to catch water when it rains.

We currently use the former freezer as a drug storage area.

It's horrible.

But we really don't have the resources to do anything different, and there really aren't any buildings in the county that are acceptable.

There was one pharmacy in Clay County for the last 30 or 40 years, and it closed a year-and-a-half ago.

Right now, it's about a 30-mile round-trip to pick up a pill.

And as an internist, where our tools are pills, this becomes a very serious situation.

Many of the specialists in this area won't even accept Medicaid patients.

We frequently get involved in internal medicine, specialty care, endocrinology, rheumatology.

That's absolutely outside my scope of expertise.

I could probably get sued for it if something untoward happened.

But this is the only way we know of to get people that care.

We average between 25 and 30 patients a day.

Often, people don't have access to transportation.

People struggle every day to have food and gas.

We ask for $10.

If they can't afford that, we see them anyway.

We don't turn anyone away.

There's no point in me spending my time out here if I cannot go ahead and see everyone who needs to be seen.

The pervasive poverty just affects people's view of the world.

We recently had a grant and gave cameras to high school kids and asked them what they want to take pictures of.

And what they chose were abandoned houses, because that's what represented Clay County to them.

You know, like all doctors, I went to medical school, worked really hard, paid a lot of money to learn how to use the technology to help people live healthy, long lives.

To be in a place like this, where you know what needs to happen, and you simply cannot get that for that person, that's devastating.

You know, I have very deep roots in this community at this point.

I know these people.

To just up and leave would be very personally devastating for me, and I think would adversely affect the health care of people I see.

I think I save lives by being here.

And, I mean, that's tremendously rewarding.

I mean, what bigger high could you have?

My name is Dr. Karen Kinsell.

This is my Brief But Spectacular take on being the only doctor in a poor rural area.

JUDY WOODRUFF: Dr. Kinsell, everybody like her, they are our heroes.

And you can find all of our Brief But Spectacular segments online at PBS.org/NewsHour/Brief.

On the "NewsHour" online: All of the turmoil in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic is a recipe for stress, and can take a toll on our mental health.

We explore why and what you can do to take care of yourself on our Web site, PBS.org/NewsHour.

And that is the "NewsHour" for tonight.

Don't forget to tune in to our special, "Confronting Coronavirus," tonight at 8:00 p.m. on your PBS station and streaming online.

I'm Judy Woodruff.

Join us online and again here tomorrow evening.

For all of us at the "PBS NewsHour," thank you, stay safe, and we'll see you soon