Giving Compass' Take:

• Joseph Parilla shares Brookings' take on what local governments can do to help workers and small businesses and limit coronavirus' economic damage.

• What might happen without economic contingency plans put in place to combat COIVD-19? How can you play a role in assisting those who've been displaced by the virus?

• Understand the role of a donor in the battle with coronavirus.

Across the country, public events are being cancelled, shops and restaurants are shutting down, and workers are being sent home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This reduction in commerce is necessary as a public health response to the virus, but its adverse effects are already rippling through local economies—and will likely worsen in the coming weeks.

The scale of the crisis and the economic shocks it’s creating will warrant a major federal stimulus package to avoid a damaging recession. As a first step, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act this weekend, which would provide paid leave, access to free testing, and other benefits to children and families.

That legislation awaits passage in the Senate, but even after it does, the bill will likely leave several critical areas of economic stabilization unaddressed. In this absence, local governments are well-positioned to step in with economic aid in the near-term.

To prevent the spread of the virus, workers must not be forced to choose between supporting their families and following proper safety and health protocols; thus, new laws are needed. On Tuesday, the Washington, D.C. city council will vote on emergency legislation to ensure that any workers affected by COVID-19—either because of quarantines or reduced hours—receive unemployment insurance. Similar initiatives have started in California and Washington.

The second major policy response among cities has been small business stabilization. Businesses with fewer than 100 workers account for about one-third of national employment, and serve as vital anchors in local communities.

This humanitarian crisis is rapidly turning into an economic crisis. Cities alone cannot blunt the impacts for workers and businesses, but they can be vital first responders.

Read the full article about curbing coronavirus' economic damage by Joseph Parilla at Brookings.