* “There was always an argument that the existing world order cannot change because only a momentous war has done that in the past, and world wars have become impossible. But in pandemics–and soon in climate change–we may have found two functional equivalents of war.”–Bruno Macaes, the National Review.
* “As we can all feel, the world at this moment seems extraordinarily fragile.”–The final post by Prince Harry and wife Meghan on their SussexRoyal Instagram account.
* “Rather than heed the warnings, embrace the planning and preserve the structures and budgets that had been bequeathed to him, the president ignored the risk of a pandemic.”–Susan Rice, national security adviser to Barack Obama.
* “In an election year, it has been impossible to witness the mixture of incompetence, egotism and eerie inhumanity with which President Trump has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and not fear a corona-coup. Panic and disorientation are precisely the elements on which the dictator feasts. The danger of an American autocratic lurch in 2020 is as great as the virus itself.”–Roger Cohen, New York Times.
* “We basically wasted two months (of coronavirus prep).”–Kathleen Sebelius, former secretary of Health and Human Services.
* “This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment.”–U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams.
* “Donald Trump is trying to build a campaign message around his image as a wartime president. But as a commander in chief, Cadet Bone Spurs is bringing up the rear.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “Trump, the consummate bully, could use those powers for good, by countermanding Mitch McConnell and establishment Republicans and working with Nancy Pelosi to pass a badly-needed revamp of America’s infrastructure.”–Curt Mills, the American Conservative.
* “There’s a lot of things in this pandemic that have not gone the way they should, but the science has been blazing fast.”–Dr. Gigi Kwik Gronvall, senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
* “Early on, epidemiologists simply didn’t know how well social distancing would work. Now it’s clearer: We have the tools to save lives, if we will use them.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
* “We really do appreciate the work of the citizens of California and Washington, because we do see that their curve is different from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut–and we really believe that the work that every citizen is doing in those states is making a difference.”–Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. coronavirus response coordinator, in praise of California and Washington for their social distancing efforts.
* “A lot of advertisers are just pulling back–the tide’s going out.”–Boston University marketing professor Garrett Johnson.
* “If one looks carefully, suffering is not the exception but the rule.”–University of Massachusetts philosophy professor John Kaag, author of “Sick Souls, Healthy Minds.”
* “The Electoral College is worse than merely useless. Its primary function is to malapportion political power, and it does so–indeed, has always done so–with strikingly awful consequences. … In a liberal democracy, not everything need be decided by majority vote. But once something is put to a vote, it is hard to understand why the side getting fewer votes should win.”–Cornell law professor Josh Chafetz, the author of “Congress’ Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers.”
* “There’s no magic age for becoming a regular voter. But when people move into their 40s, that’s when you see voter turnout grow.”–Carroll Doherty, director of political research at the Pew Research Center.
* “Making sure that we’re ready to care for this community is not each individual healthcare system’s job, it is all of our jobs. … These large healthcare systems that are providing care are truly banding together to give the best care.”–Richelle Hoenes, director of corporate communications for AdventHealth West Florida Division.
* “The responsible and sensible thing to do is to avoid all congregational activities that involve people proximate to each other. You can spray things down, you can decontaminate to a point, but you’re still taking a risk.”–Jay Wolfson, associate vice president for health law, policy and safety at USF.
* “We’re looking at all of our major revenues in terms of potential reductions. We’re taking a holistic look at both revenues and expenditures.”–Tampa’s Chief Financial Officer Dennis Rogero in assessing the impact of the coronavirus on the city’s $1.04 billion budget, where “nothing is off the table.”
* “It’s a difficult balance. You’re balancing the public welfare with the economy. Both are very important, but I was elected as mayor, first and foremost, to look out for the health and well-being of all of my citizens.”–Mayor Jane Castor in a CNN interview with Anderson Cooper.