Those intentionally spreading coronavirus in the United States will be charged as terrorists, suggests the Justice Department’s No. 2 official. RNA - Jeffrey Rosen made the comment as the fast growing pandemic was spreading thoughout the country, prompting fears of an economic recession.
“Because coronavirus appears to meet the statutory definition of a ‘biological agent’… such acts potentially could implicate the Nation’s terrorism-related statutes,” Rosen said. “Threats or attempts to use covid-19 as a weapon against Americans will not be tolerated.
This is while economists are warning that the economic fallout could surpass the Great Recession.
“The question is: How long does it last, the social distancing,” said Louise Sheiner, policy director for the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution. “Nobody really knows. We’re all flying blind here. This is something really different than we’ve ever seen… The longer it lasts, the more staying power it has. The more businesses go under, the more people lose their jobs… If we’re lucky on the medical front, then yes it could bounce back very quickly. And if we’re not lucky it could be much worse.”
More than 50,000 people have been infected in the US, and some 700 people have died so far.