President Donald Trump has the biggest megaphone, but it's governors and local officials who will decide what type of restrictions to impose on their citizens to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The Constitution largely gives states the authority to regulate their own affairs.

Seven years ago, I decided to create an on-line version of the on-campus Principles of Economics course—we call it Econ 1—that I had been giving for many years. I recall that we spent a lot of time and effort on this project back in 2013. Each day after giving a lecture to hundreds of students, I went to a recording studio and gave the same lecture, but divided it into shorter segments, designed for easier on-line viewing.  

The director of the Sinquefield Center for Applied Economic Research at Saint Louis University, Michael Podgursky, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss what long-term economic effects are likely to result from the Covid-19 pandemic.

The traditional school year is over. Canceling the remainder was a formality – under consideration in almost every state for weeks. Kansas and Virginia had already done it, and the remaining states will follow suit. It was not much of a choice; it is a vital measure to slow the spread of COVID-19.