Governments around the globe scrambled to deal with the spread of the coronavirus, which has sickened at least 176,500 people worldwide and contributed to more than 7,350 deaths. Canada shut its borders to anyone who is not a citizen or permanent resident, while the European Union ordered a halt to all nonessential travel. In France, President Emmanuel Macron banned all social and family gatherings, placing the country in an unprecedented lockdown.

Even before the White House guidelines were released on Monday afternoon, school districts, towns, localities, cities and states were urgently pushing ahead with a chaotic hodgepodge of mandated restrictions and suggestions about how to keep the virus from spreading. Business groups, local and state leaders and a growing chorus of lawmakers and economists begged the federal government to spend trillions of dollars to pay workers to stay home and funnel money to companies struggling with an abrupt end to consumer activity.

The administration floated several ideas for helping industry without conveying a clear plan to provide financial assistance. While the main trade group for airlines suggested a $50 billion bailout might be needed for carriers, Mr. Trump’s chief economist, Larry Kudlow, said he did not expect the airlines to need a rescue but said the government would do what it could to help with cash flow issues.

“We don’t see the airlines failing, but if they get into a cash crunch we’re going to try to help them,” Mr. Kudlow told reporters on Monday.

Without concrete assurances of financial assistance from the federal government, employers and employees are torn between fears of being exposed to the virus and fears of running out of money to pay for food and electricity. And government officials are left with the unhappy task of shutting down businesses that provide wages for large swaths of their communities, while wondering what steps their neighbors are taking.

“You can’t have one state taking actions that are different from other states,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on Monday morning, echoing the frustration of officials and business owners across the country who want a federal directive on how to respond. What good is it if New Jersey closes its bars, if people just drive across to New York or Connecticut to drink and then return home. “This is a national pandemic and there are no national rules,” he said.

In California, Gov. Gavin Newsom told all residents older than 65 to stay in their homes, banned nearly all visits to hospitals and nursing homes and announced plans to buy hotels to house some of the state’s 150,000 homeless people. He also closed bars, wineries and nightclubs.