Miami mayor on his coronavirus recovery, decision to impose a curfew

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Miami mayor on his coronavirus recovery, decision to impose a curfew

Mayor Francis Suarez speaks out about contracting COVID-19 and what Miami is doing to reduce the spread of the virus.

This is a rush transcript from "Your World with Neil Cavuto,” March 26, 2020. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: All right, whatever you want to call this, trifecta or just bifecta, with the today 1,322-point gain in the Dow, we have made up 4,000 points worth of ground over the last three trading days, the biggest three-day advance we have seen since all the way back in 1931, when I first began reporting.

I'm just joking about that part, but, anyway, welcomed to see by a lot of people who are expecting still more disturbing economic news.

Actually, we did get kind of disturbing economic news, but it was greeted favorably, because we have a lot of stimulus coming down the pike.

Welcome, everybody. I'm Neil Cavuto, and this is YOUR WORLD.

And what in the world to make of this manic market that has now clawed its way back some 4,000 points, and that despite staggering news on the unemployment claims front, a record 3.25-plus-million Americans filing to get jobless benefits.

That broke all records. It was largely anticipated, as I said. The record it beat be dated all the way back in 1982 with Ronald Reagan, when we got 695,000 Americans doing it back then. We were in the throes of a deep multi-year recession back then, this time, predicated on a virus that they hope to get under control, and soon.

Rather dicey news on that front. We will be hearing from the White House very shortly at the top of the hour, another briefing from the president and his health care task force.

Suffice it to say, the jobless claims and the hope that we're going to see progress on this, with the stimulus measure just signed in, the House likely to follow suit.

To Charles Payne on all the turn of events today.

Charles, on the claims front, it's a staggering number, but the -- probably, the good thing was is, you had been telling people that this was probably going to shake out like this, and it did, right?

CHARLES PAYNE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: It did.

And one thing to point out, Neil, is Canada had over 900,000 in their initial jobless claims report, which is equal to 10 million American jobs. So there were some folks on Wall Street who were actually bracing for a larger number, believe it or not, and particularly with rumors and scuttlebutt that a lot of these states, their systems had crashed, and that the number was actually going to be perhaps four or five, six.

I even heard 10 million. So there was something of a sigh of relief, but what was really critically important is that the Senate finally got around to passing that bill late last night, because a lot of the things in it address the unemployment situation, which is sure to continue to be a problem.

CAVUTO: You know, we should say that a new bull market has begun. If you think about it, this was technically the shortest bear market in U.S. history.

(LAUGHTER)

PAYNE: Yes.

CAVUTO: Now, you don't want to go in and out of these dates with abandon and stamp them one way or the other.

But if it proves that this is the start of a comeback, and the bear market is truly done -- again, a leap, and I stress it's a leap -- what do you make of that?

PAYNE: This is what people should be looking at right now with this market.

Obviously, we're susceptible to big swings on the downside. But the fact that we were able to stage this sort of a rally underscores the fact that this market was, A, extraordinarily oversold, B, that there's a lot of fresh powder, particularly individual investors who want to jump in.

And at some point, things are going to get back to where they were. Where were they? They were absolutely phenomenal.

Signet, the Jared jewelry and some of the other stores, they reported a earnings report this morning, their best Christmas in four years. We see housing, household formation was coming on. Manufacturing was coming back.

All those things over the next several months can come back online as we get a handle on the coronavirus. So I think what this market proves is that it has the ability to snap back.

Now, you can argue the leadership, right? Because it's like the Norwegian cruise line is up 70 percent, Royal Caribbean, even oil stocks today among the biggest performance, even though oil was down.

CAVUTO: Right.

PAYNE: So you can question your leadership, but you cannot question the resolve of this market. And I think that's the key message all the viewers should take with them.

CAVUTO: You know, markets here and abroad all responding to stimulus of one kind or another, whether it's coming out of their central banks or their governments or big tax cuts along the way that could be coming in Germany, even in Britain, certainly in this country, where a big stimulus package north of $2 trillion could be on the way, and essentially done in the House tomorrow.

Is it going to live up to that hype, though? There's a lot of excessive spending in this that doesn't address the real needs. But the view I'm getting from a lot of people, Charles, better a bad stimulus package than none at all.

PAYNE: Yes, a pox on both houses.

They took advantage of this situation. And I was telling someone the other day the story of Crassus from the old Roman day. He invented -- well, he had the -- he was in control of the fire department in Rome.

And, essentially, what he would do was show up at a fire and make an offer. And the thing is, let's just say, whatever it was worth, he would offer you half of it, and you had no choice, because the longer you haggled, the more the house or the building was on fire, hence the term fire sale.

Our elected officials saw the ultimate fire sale, and they went for it. So, yes, pox on both houses. But, unfortunately, that's how precarious the situation was. We had to push it through.

CAVUTO: You had to drag my Italian people into this, huh, and somehow make a statement about that? Is that it?

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: All right, my friend, looking spiffy there. I enjoy it.

Charles, thank you very much.

PAYNE: Thank you, Neil.

CAVUTO: A cool, calm head throughout so many crises, and we do appreciate that.

Thank you, Charles.

I want to go to Senator Tom Cotton right now, Republican of the beautiful state of Arkansas.

And, Senator, there's a lot of hope hanging on this -- this stimulus measure, this relief bill. I know the White House winces at the stimulus nature of it, but it is expected to stimulate, isn't it?

SEN. TOM COTTON (R-AR): Well, we hope so, Neil.

I think it may be more properly called a survival package, though, for so many American families. Terrible news today that 3.3 million Americans lost their job last week.

But let's remember, they lost their job not because their businesses were unsound or they deserve to lose it. They lost their job because a pandemic hit our nation. Just 45, 60 days ago, all those Americans were at work. Their companies were fundamentally solid.

We can come back from this. But the American people, whether they're workers or they're businesses, need a bridge to get beyond the early days of this crisis. And that's what the package that we passed last night will do.

It will put money in the pockets of distressed families, so they can put food on the table for their kids and keep a roof over their houses. And it'll help those small businesses keep their workers on payroll, so, in a few weeks, when we get through the worst of this initial wave, businesses can begin to open back up, and we can get this economy back on its feet.

CAVUTO: How soon do those individuals get these checks, anywhere from $1,200, it could be north of $2,000 if you're a married couple with kids, et cetera, but how soon will they be able to see them?

COTTON: Well, there's two different kinds of money that will be coming to distressed families, Neil.

The first are the direct tax rebate. So anyone who filed a tax return in 2018, made less than $75,000 a year as an individual, $150,000 as a couple, should see tax rebates, as you say, between $1,200 and a little over $3,000, depending on their family size, we hope, by the first or maybe the second week of April.

The secretary of Treasury thinks the IRS can get them out then. But, second, for all those Americans who lost their job in the last week or two, unemployment benefits were significantly increased.

And that increase will continue through July to make sure that you can get back on your feet and, when the time is right, and we can begin to gradually reopen our economy, you can get back to work. So those are two different streams of money that are going to help distress families in this terrible time.

CAVUTO: You know, you talk, Senator, about Americans gradually getting back to work.

The president's goal was maybe to start thinking that way around Easter Sunday, two-and-a-half weeks from now. What do you think of that timeline?

COTTON: Well, I think we have to make our decisions based on conditions on the ground, rather than any specific timeline, especially any national timeline.

What's right for New York City may not be right for Kansas City, and it may not be right for Star City, Arkansas. So we will have to make the decision based at our local and state levels primarily.

Remember, the president didn't shut down any part of our economy. The governors and the mayors made decisions based on their local conditions. And those conditions vary across the country. So, we need to exercise caution as we gradually get people back into their normal daily routines, because the way -- we don't want to see a resurgence of this virus anywhere.

But it'll be primarily a decision based on local conditions in the various states. And I suspect what you would see is a rolling, calibrated series, maybe using a stoplight chart system of red, yellow, green, down to the county level.

CAVUTO: But, again, if the president says, I think it's time for people to come out of their homes, if a governor feels differently, Senator, that, in his or her state, that's not wise, does the governor -- does his or her verdict win out?

COTTON: Well, in our federal system, the governors and the mayors can control -- have the control over those kind of orders, because, remember, whenever you have restaurants, bars, theaters, gyms closing, those are not decisions of the president.

Those are decisions of governors and mayors. Now, they may be using guidance from the Centers of Disease Controls, but those kind of decisions in our federal system are based primarily at the state and local level.

Of course, though, those decisions, Neil, are largely just reflecting the reality of this virus. It's not a governor or a mayor who has shut businesses down. At bottom, it is the decisions of Americans reacting to a dangerous virus. That's what stopped our economy.

That's what will get our economy moving again when we have the spread of that virus slowed and ultimately arrested.

CAVUTO: Any doubts, tomorrow, the House will get this done?

COTTON: No, I have no doubts, Neil.

We passed this legislation last night 96-0. The Senate can barely even rename a post office 96-0, much less pass a $2 trillion emergency package.

(LAUGHTER)

COTTON: So, I think it's regrettable that Nancy Pelosi intervened in our bipartisan negotiations last weekend, and now we have lost almost a week's worth of time of getting this desperately needed aid into the hands of America's families and businesses.

But I'm confident the House of Representatives will pass it tomorrow, the president will sign it, and then our government will be moving as quickly as possible to get this aid into the hands of families and businesses.

CAVUTO: Senator Cotton, great seeing you again. Thank you, sir, very, very much.

COTTON: Thank you, Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, we will know, tomorrow, to the senator's point, whether the House does wrap this up tomorrow.

The president has promised, if it gets out of the House and all, he will sign it pronto. We shall see.

Meanwhile, in Miami, a curfew will be kicking in at 10:00 p.m. tomorrow. They have never done anything like that in Miami for quite some time.

Miami's Mayor Francis Suarez, who has COVID-19, by the way, he's coming up on that and a lot more -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: All right, Miami, they call it the New York of the South, the city that never sleeps, but it's going to have to start thinking about it, because, tomorrow, beginning at 10:00 p.m., a curfew will take effect.

And that's something that a lot of Miami residents are not used to. Of course, there's been a plea, not only by the city's mayor, but the state's governor, especially with kids, of course, get off the beaches, of course, in these large crowds that were risking extending the coronavirus down there. They hope to put the kibosh on that with this and other moves.

Right now, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez joins us. He has still been battling with this virus.

I think you have had two tests that came back positive, Mayor. You have quarantined yourself. I think you just had a third one. Do you mind updating us? How are you feeling?

FRANCIS X. SUAREZ (R), MAYOR OF MIAMI, FLORIDA: Yes, I feel great, thankfully.

I have been in that category of people that is fairly asymptomatic, which, of course, is also a problematic category, because that's a category of people who can also spread the virus. I have been in quarantine now for two weeks.

As you said, I failed, unfortunately, a test on Monday. And I just took a test today, and I should have the results by tomorrow, and, hopefully, beginning the process of leaving quarantine, based on the most strict CDC guidelines.

So I'm hopeful that I can hug my family soon.

CAVUTO: Yes. So, you're all holed up alone there.

And how do you handle that? That -- because you have a bird's-eye view of what it's like to have this thing and to be in the epicenter of it.

SUAREZ: Yes, what's interesting about my story is that most people on the other side of this, they're worried about getting tested. They're worried about whether their symptoms mean that they have the coronavirus.

I have been journaling for the last few weeks, so that people can understand what it's like to have it. It has been something that many people have told me has reduced their levels of anxiety, put them much more at ease, understanding that -- that, if you do get the coronavirus, it's not a death sentence.

It's something that we need to take seriously, of course. And it's something that's impacting our cities in a variety of different ways, including our health care system, which is at the -- at the edge of being overrun.

CAVUTO: Mayor, how is this curfew going to go down? If people are wandering the streets after 10:00 p.m., what happens to them?

SUAREZ: So, we have a couple of exceptions, if you are going to -- for some sort of a medical reason, if you have some -- a job that requires you to be out on the streets beyond 10:00.

But we implemented this measure. Our council met yesterday. For the first time ever, we had a Zoom meeting, a virtual meeting that the governor had allowed us to have. And we decided unanimously to implement this curfew.

We want to do everything that we can in the city, understanding that the city of Miami has the most cases in the state of Florida, to, as you have said, reduce the curve or flatten the curve, so that we can return back to normal.

My emergency powers only allow me to implement these kinds of measures in seven-day increments. And, of course, we are every single day monitoring our results to see how quickly we can put people back to work, understanding that, every single day, where people are getting laid off and are struggling, living paycheck to paycheck, it's very difficult for them.

So, we don't want this in place any longer than we need to, but we're going to be aggressive in disciplining our residents to make sure that we can get out of this as quickly as possible, as we did when we canceled Ultra. And we were the first city in America to do that.

CAVUTO: Yes, the music and arts festival.

I'm curious, Mayor. I know the rules about 10 or more on the beaches, but what if it's a couple that wants to walk along the beach or a family, a small family? I mean, is that OK? What are people doing, like, now?

SUAREZ: So, our beaches are actually closed. Our beaches have been closed already for a few days.

What we have is a stay-at-home order.

CAVUTO: So, you can't walk on them? You can't get anywhere near them? Is that right?

SUAREZ: They're -- they're closed right now. Our parks and our beaches are absolutely closed.

What you can do -- and we have a stay-at-home order in place in the city. And many of the other cities in Dade County have it as well. What you can do is, you can go out for a walk, you can walk your dog, you can ride a bicycle,.

We do want people to have -- to be able to recreate, so long as they observe social distancing. The county is actually the one that has closed our beaches and our parks. And so, unfortunately, we have to abide by that order.

So -- so, what we're telling our residents is, if you are in public, to please respect social distancing norms, but, otherwise, stay home. And if you're from out of town, please go home.

CAVUTO: Good words of advice.

Feel better, Mayor. I hope the third test is the charm for you, but be strong.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Thank you, Mayor Francis Suarez.

We have a lot more coming up, including the latest on this numbers count, which is getting to be staggering, about those who are contracting this virus, including an iconic Wall Street figure.

He's probably the most photographed Wall Street individual. His name is Peter Tuchman, and he has now tested positive for the coronavirus.

Perhaps more than any other individual, in strong and down markets alight, that man is the most photographed.

And, right now, he has the world plugging for him -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: All right, we have some good news concerning Amy Klobuchar's husband, John Bessler.

Just released from a hospital, he is at home recovering. You might recall that he tested positive for the coronavirus, was battling pneumonia and low oxygen. We're told he's doing fine now, fine enough to leave the hospital. We wish him well and the senator well. That's good news to hear.

Some distressing economic news to hear, though. The market more than weathered it, though, the revelation that better than 3.25 million Americans file for jobless claims in the latest week. We have never seen that.

But if Larry Kudlow was worried about it, the White House economist had a funny way of showing it. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY KUDLOW, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ECONOMIC COUNCIL: Everybody knew we were going to take big hit, OK? You can see the stock markets shrugged it off. This is going to be a rough quarter coming up.

And it's a big challenge and a big risk. And we have all talked about that. So, in some ironic sense, I don't think people were surprised.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: All right, with now is Michelle Meyer, Bank of America economist.

Michelle, you would probably readily agree with that, that as shocking as that number was, it was well-telegraphed and well-warned inside and outside the White House. I guess I'm curious what you think future claims numbers are going to look like. Is this going to become the rule of thumb for a while?  MICHELLE MEYER, BANK OF AMERICA HEAD OF U.S. ECONOMICS: Well, certainly, for the near term, the next few weeks, it looks like we will continue to see quite high jobless claims, as businesses close, as people are forced out of the work force, left without jobs.

But these are record numbers. We have never seen this pace of job loss historically. And that's because of the nature of the shock. It's an acute shock that has forced the economy to effectively shut down in parts of the country.

And that is creating a situation where people are just out of work suddenly. So, in a way, relative to prior recessions, which end up being a lot longer, you see them multiply through the system, this is just all happening at once.

CAVUTO: No, you're right about that.

I am curious, though. In this relief measure, the $2 trillion package that is likely to be stamped tomorrow in the House and ultimately sent to the president for his anticipated signature...

MEYER: Yes.

CAVUTO: ... there are a lot of guarantees built in there for businesses that hang onto their workers. In other words, loans that they might request will become grants if they hang on to those workers, to say nothing of checks and otherwise that will be going to millions of Americans.

I'm wondering, do you think that puts a floor on this?

MEYER: Well, that's the design. That's the intent.

To me, the question will be the speed by which the stimulus can actually be pumped into the economy, how quickly they can get the money to the corporations. And, remember, a lot of these are small companies, or medium- sized businesses. And it's hard for them to withstand several days of lost revenue.

So, yes, I think the fiscal stimulus will help, certainly. The question is the timing and the process. But if you can figure out a way to get funding to these companies to keep their businesses working, or at least keep their payrolls intact, it can go a very long way to supporting the broader economy.

CAVUTO: Fingers crossed.

Michelle Meyer, Bank of America, thank you very much. I do appreciate it.

MEYER: You're welcome.

CAVUTO: A lot of experts have been looking at what's happening right now with the coronavirus and saying, all right, make sure you keep your social distance with one another.

Easier said than done in the New York metropolitan area, where they cut back on the number of trains, and they're all crammed in there like sardines. Unfortunately, a lot of those people grabbed in there like sardines, they're health care workers meant to help you. What do you do?

A top doctor on that -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: Does this look like social distance to you? Crowded New York subways, because they have cut back on the number of trains. And a lot of those people on those trains, well, they're health care workers.

Try keeping them safe. Try keeping you safe -- after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: All right, I want you to look at something here, because, in New York, with everything else where people are spread apart, they're not that way on subways, trains, buses in and around the New York metropolitan area.

This is a sample of that. So, they don't seem to be adhering to the 10-foot distance rule, do they?

Well, that's something that worries Dr. Saud Sadiq. He runs the Tisch Multiple Sclerosis Research Center in New York. And as the big cheese there, he's worried that -- for those health care workers and the people they're supposed to help at his center.

He joins us right now.

Full disclosure, by the way, Dr. Sadiq is my doctor. Being treated for multiple sclerosis, and have had his services for the better part of three decades.

So, for those of you who don't flip over me or think that I should be on CNN, he's the reason.

All right, so, Dr. Sadiq, it's very good to have you. Thank you for taking the time.

DR. SAUD SADIQ, TISCH M.S. RESEARCH CENTER OF NEW YORK: Thank you, Neil.

CAVUTO: It's interesting, because, now, a lot of your workers commute to this large center.

For people not familiar with it, it's a huge, huge building, multiple floors, all dedicated to addressing multiple sclerosis, other neurological ailments. And those people are coming off packed trains and trying to help patients as well.

It makes it tough, right?

SADIQ: Yes, absolutely.

I'm really concerned about my employees and the nurses and other doctors who work here, as well as the other staff, the support staff, because we are trying to keep us a center that's free of the coronavirus as much as possible.

So we need a lot of cleaning people and so on. And they told me that they feel uncomfortable, not about working here, but about the commute, as they have cut back on the trains during work hours, apparently, and now they're not, again, able to keep a social distance while they're commuting to work.

CAVUTO: What do you require, Doctor, when they get into work?

I'm sure you check their temperatures, the same with potential patients who come through.

SADIQ: Yes.

CAVUTO: But what's your procedure?

SADIQ: So, our procedure is, every patient and every staff member who comes in, their temperatures are checked first. Before they check their temperatures, they're required to wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, as prescribed.

And I give my employees the gloves to wear on the -- if they're taking public transport, when they come. And if anybody's temperature is 99 or above, they are required to go home and take their temperature subsequently from their residences.

And any patient who comes in with a temperature of 99 or above is then asked to go back and not -- doesn't get attention immediately, although we give them advice on the COVID screening and so on.

CAVUTO: You know, I'm just thinking of this situation where your workers who are coming in on these crowded trains.

The irony is, the streets of New York are barren, I mean, outside of a few brave souls like yourself. There aren't a lot of people doing this commute. But because they have so dramatically cut back on trains, they have actually made the situation worse, right?

SADIQ: It's made it more anxiety-provoking for the essential workers that have to work in medical and research laboratories.

And we really can't stop working, because, if we do that, then we increase the burden on the emergency rooms at the hospitals that are already at breaking point.

So I think keeping other facilities open, health care facilities, where we can advise on COVID and do some screening as well, I think, is critical. But I feel like I'm putting some of my employees at risk of getting this infection, at least needlessly.

And we're taking so many precautions at the center, that it's counterintuitive then to have them commute to work.

CAVUTO: I'm wondering what you make of this whole coronavirus, Doctor, and where -- its trajectory.

What -- I know you're a top oral neurologist and M.S. expert. But, obviously, you know the panic and see the panic in your own workers and patients. How bad is this?

SADIQ: Well, this is as bad as we have -- I mean, I have ever seen. I'm 65 years old, and I have been in medicine for over 35 years.

And I have never -- I have been in cholera epidemics. I have been in a leprosy camp in Africa. And we went through the HIV epidemic. There's nothing quite like this.

But I think, with careful care and social distancing and meticulous isolation techniques, and also at work, you can reduce the risk. And, also, the mortality rate, thank God, is still at 1 percent, it seems like.

And it's probably lower than that, because there are a lot more people who are infected and don't know it. And I think, as some numbers are that 50 percent of New York will get affected, then we will have a pool of patients, and sort of people, and who will have antibodies to the coronavirus.

And once you develop antibodies, then you're more immune to it. And we can use their plasma in trying to help patients who are at risk, I hope.

And that's another test that we are trying to work on at the center. We have diversified our research a little bit to -- as circumstances permit.

CAVUTO: Real quickly, Doctor, the president talks of a goal of maybe unwinding a lot of these stay-at-home orders and all by Easter Sunday, a couple of weeks from now. How do you feel about that?

SADIQ: You know, it's very hard to comment on what the president is thinking about.

I think it's somewhat optimistic. He's an optimist by nature. So maybe this is his optimism coming through.

But I think Anthony Fauci, who advises him and other doctors, they will probably help him make the most rational decision when the time comes.

I hope so.

CAVUTO: Doctor -- Doctor, you're the best. Thank you very, very much for taking your time.

SADIQ: Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Again, as I say, full disclosure, Dr. Sadiq, when I was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I talked to many neurologists who said, Neil, you might want to hang it up, cash it in here, and just stay at home.

And Dr. Sadiq was one of the few, the only one, who just said, no, no, no, no, no, you have a way to go on with your life.

And I have gone on with my life because of Saud Sadiq.

Stay with us. You are watching FOX.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA): Tomorrow, we will go out to the floor for this legislation. But, as I have said, there's so many things we didn't get in any of these bills yet, in the way that we need to.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CAVUTO: All right, Nancy Pelosi making it clear it the House's turn on this measure, relief measure, stimulus, as others are calling it.

A lot of people try to avoid that term stimulus, but the hope is that at least arrest what had been a freefall in the economy, and could be for a while, at least slow its momentum.

The House takes it up tomorrow.

The read from Max Rose, the New York congressman who joins us right now.

Congressman, does this look like a foregone conclusion to you, that the House will approve this?

REP. MAX ROSE (D-NY): Look, nothing's a foregone conclusion in this business or any other.

But I certainly believe that this needs to be passed as quickly as possible. We have to feel, especially in New York -- and I hope you're doing well, my friend -- we have to feel that fierce sense of urgency more than anyone else.

Every day, our doctors and our nurses are on the front lines without the PPE that they need. We more ventilators, more hospital beds, to say nothing of the millions of people who are no longer gainfully employed as a consequence of this pandemic.

It's time for action. And I'm confident, tomorrow, we will take it.

CAVUTO: There's talk, Congressman, of more follow-up measures to come, that the $2 trillion-plus -- I guess $2.2 trillion here...

ROSE: Sure.

CAVUTO: ... will be many trillions more by the time all is said and done. Is that so?

ROSE: Well, look, first of all, let's talk about what this bill shouldn't be, nor any bill going forward.

I don't think that it should be a slush fund for anybody that is without oversight, nor do I think that any of these bills should be vehicles by which people can attach their legislative pet projects, be they tenets of the Green New Deal or otherwise.

But I also do stand with Governor Cuomo, in that there is more action to be taken. New York needs more money. New York City will need more money. States and localities throughout the country will need more money.

So, this right now is an economic revival, an economic rescue. I have no doubt, down the road, though, there may be need for an economic stimulus, as we seek to bring this country back.

But this is the United States of America. We're capable of anything, New York City, greatest city in the history of the world, also capable of anything. We're going to get through this.

CAVUTO: You know, I was just talking to a top neurologist doctor, who was bemoaning the fact that, for all the empty streets in New York, they cut back on the number of trains, buses, et cetera. So they're actually more crowded than they have ever been in some cases.

And he's worried about this and the impact it will have on social distancing, and that it could boomerang. What do you think about it?

ROSE: Yes, absolutely.

Look, we -- for all of the focus, the absolutely necessary focus that we have on hospital capacity, ventilators, PPE, we also have to have a renewed focus on asymptomatic carriers.

To all those people hanging out in parks, to all those people who are unnecessarily not practicing physical distancing, they need to understand that they have a role to play here, especially in urban centers, like New York City.

But, with that being said, we have thousands of essential workers, most importantly, our law enforcement, first responders and hospital workers, who can't always take that luxury. We have to be there for them with PPE resources, with testing centers, and anything else they need.

And let me also say this. If anyone, after this crisis subsides -- and it will subside -- if anybody tells me that cops, nurses, first responders are not deserving of a pay raise, they're out of their damn mind, and they're going to have to not only deal with me, but thousands of other people who are putting their lives on the line right now.

We're not thanking them nearly enough.

CAVUTO: Congressman, thank you very, very much. We will see what happens.

In the meantime, the White House task force briefing is about 15 minutes away. Our Bret Baier is here after that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: All right, of scene at the White House right now.

The task force will be addressing the nation, that is, the president and all his top health officials, on the status of this coronavirus and where things stand.

Ahead of that, Bret Baier of "Special Report," multiple bestselling anchor.

Let me ask you, Bret, where does this stand, in the administration's eyes, as far as getting ahead of it? Is that too soon to even think possible?

BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, I think you heard, Neil -- and it's good to see you -- from the president this wish to get the country back to business as usual.

I think the medical experts are very cautious about that, especially for the high-risk areas. And you see the stories coming out of New York, for example. And it seems like it's only going up as far as the needs for those hospitals.

So I bet, in a short time here, you're going to see some kind of staggered system, Dr. Deborah Birx referenced the down-to-county-level assessment that the medical experts will make, and they will make an assessment of where those counties are on their threat level.

And then the hope is that, to the president's wish, Easter, some of these places through the country where a very low risk could start to see business at least back to somewhat normal.

CAVUTO: How does that work, Bret?

If the president says, I think we can cool it on this sheltering at home thing, but a governor of a state, he or she disagrees, then what?

BAIER: Well, I think it defers to the federalist system that we have, which, to Senator Tom Cotton's point earlier in your show, the governor and the local officials make those decisions down to the granular level.

But, on the federal guidelines level, that there will be some kind of guidelines for different parts of the country, how they act. That doesn't mean that they're going to stop social distancing. That doesn't mean that they're going to stop washing their hands. It does mean that some of these places can start to find some balance.

And I think that that's what they're foreshadowing here, perhaps, in this next -- in this next briefing today.

CAVUTO: You know, Bret, the president's been very focused on the economy.

The same reason that he had mentioned about an Easter Sunday sort of easing up on a lot of these restrictions is, he had been looking at the markets, he had been looking at the economy, and maybe he had ahead of time that claims figure that we got today that showed 3.25 million Americans filing for these jobless benefits, many millions more to come.

Now, the market had a third day of advances. We have already crept out of a bear market, now, way too soon to start saying whether that doesn't reverse itself again.

But the markets are clearly seeming to sense that the worst could be behind them. Are they taking a leap here? Is there a faith that the stimulus or the relief measures are going to do the trick or arrest the fall? What are you hearing?

BAIER: Well, I think that there's a sense that the bottom may have may have hit, just talking to a bunch of people. You know better than I do.

I love your optimism about the new bull market. But I think that this stimulus, this bill that is going to pass the House -- there really isn't a doubt of that. The doubt is whether it's going to be a voice vote quickly or whether someone's going to step up and say, the votes have to be recorded, which will take a little bit more time.

But that stimulus -- and they don't like to call it that, but that emergency funding, that bill, is massive, but it's going to take three weeks to get into the bloodstream of the average American.

CAVUTO: And then you have to start wondering about the businesses that get loans or money, particularly small businesses.

If they keep their workers, those loans turn into grants. But, again, they might be inclined to do that if this doesn't drag on. So therein lies the rub, right?

BAIER: That's the rub.

And I don't think, Neil, that this is the last of these big emergency packages. I -- you can envision -- and a lot of people are already planning ahead for what the next one looks like, phase four.

And we have to ask big-picture questions, not just the little things that are in there. Remember that these big bills often are big problems in years later. Now, they're needed now and they're emerging. It's an emergency.

But there's a lot of problems in the past when we have dealt with these big pieces of legislation. We find out what's in them later.

CAVUTO: Yes, and, sometimes, the surprise isn't pleasantly received.

Bret Baier, look forward to this and a lot more from you on "Special Report." Thank you, my friend. Good seeing you.

BAIER: OK. See you, Neil.

CAVUTO: All right, Bret Baier.

The briefing now just a few minutes away, they will probably outline and address some of the very points that Bret mentioned.

Stay with us. You are watching FOX.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)  CAVUTO: All right, New York still counts for half the coronavirus cases we have.

So, ahead of the White House briefing from the president and his health care task force, Alex Hogan in New York on why this keeps happening -- Alex.

ALEX HOGAN, FOX NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Neil, already, hospitals in New York are calling on the public, saying, if anyone has recovered from COVID-19, to give plasma for some of these patients who are currently very sick from it.

But this is not a new concept. This is something that we have seen previously in past pandemics, like Ebola, SARS, or the 1918 flu pandemic. The process takes the plasma from the blood of a recovered patient, injecting the antibodies that that person created, to someone who is ill still trying to fight the illness.

This is not something that is available for everyone, only the very sick. The FDA recently passing something that is called compassionate use. So, again, it has to be for people who are very sick from COVID-19.

Hundreds of scientists and physicians getting together to come up with this, and they're saying that this is not a solution, but simply a short- term fix.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ARTURO CASADEVALL, JOHNS HOPKINS: I think that, eventually, the biotech industry is going to give us monoclonal antibodies, and it's going to give us drugs, and there will be a vaccine.

So I am confident that humanity will beat this virus. I really do. I just think that we need to -- we need to do it as fast as possible. And convalescent sera may provide you with some time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOGAN: Scientists working on a cure or vaccine say that could take up to a year. The plasma project could take the plasma from recovered patients and give it to a sick one within the same day.

Arturo Casadevall that we heard from there saying, again, that this is not a new concept, but this is a way for the healthy people now to save those who are coming behind them.

This is something that we have seen and already used in China. And here, again, that is starting to be implemented. Many clinical trials are needed. There's obviously so many unknowns when it comes to COVID-19. And these clinical trials will really help move this along in the future -- Neil.

CAVUTO: Alex, thank you very -- great reporting, as always, Alex Hogan in the middle of that.

As Alex was speaking, by the way, we're getting some updated figures that are, to put about mildly, disturbing.

The United States has now eclipsed the 80,000 cases mark. We join Italy and China as the only countries on Earth that have more than 80,000 coronavirus cases.

New York alone accounts for close to half of that. Therein lies the concern that this thing is accelerating. The exponential rate that Governor Cuomo talked about in New York alone is that it essentially doubles every three days. And that has not slowed.

There are other underpinnings that look favorable. The overall quick math we could use to determine the number of cases, that does widen the denominator, so the number of fatal cases, as a result, does go down.

But the number of overall cases does increase. That is happening across the globe, not only in our country, but in virtually every country on the planet right now, save, among the premier ones, China, where the increase in cases has now slid significantly.

We will be following that. We will be also looking at this tomorrow with New York Cardinal Dolan, his view on this, and how, in the middle of this, even though you can't go to church, you can still pray.

A nation is. Here we go.

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