‘America should stay at work,’ despite coronavirus, Larry Kudlow says

National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow said Friday that U.S. workers should continue going to work despite the coronavirus outbreak. 

Kudlow discussed the outbreak Friday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” saying Americans should remain calm. 

“I don’t want to downplay anything. Worry about the effect on human beings, for heaven’s sake. But I’m just saying, let’s not overreact. In many ways, America should stay at work,” Kudlow said. 

The epidemic has led to major cities and factories being shut down in other countries, including Italy and China. Many big companies in the United States, including Amazon and Facebook, are encouraging employees to work from home.

Kudlow said it does not appear the outbreak will spread widely in the U.S.

“We don’t actually know what the magnitude of the virus is going to be, although frankly so far it looks relatively contained,” Kudlow said.

The homes of major tech companies, including Seattle and San Francisco, have some of the largest outbreaks in the U.S. Kudlow said businesses and governments in those areas were justified in taking more aggressive stances to stop the spread. 

“With respect to Seattle, that would be a place you would avoid for now. And (California) Gov. Newsom declaring California an emergency state, especially Northern California, I understand that. Avoid it. Exercise common sense. But the rest of the country is not suffering from those kinds of breakouts, at least not yet,” Kudlow said. 

There have been more than 100,000 confirmed cases around the world, including over 230 in the U.S. Kudlow said that the virus would likely not be a major issue for people who are not elderly or do not have preexisting health conditions.

“For most people, if you’re healthy, you should go to work. Go about your business. That’s our advice,” Kudlow said.