[Related: “Mortgage rates could be even lower, but lenders are struggling to keep up with demand”]

But a downturn triggered by an epidemic is unusual and harder to fight, Annie Lowrey writes in The Atlantic. Covid-19 has not only shocked demand by triggering travel restrictions, social distancing and pervasive uncertainty. It has also shocked supply, disrupting global trade and causing shortages of drugs, medical equipment and consumer goods. The problem, Ms. Lowrey says, is that the two government safeguards against economic free fall — fiscal policy and monetary policy — work primarily on the demand side.

The upheaval in oil markets could also make a considerable dent in the American economy, Clifford Krauss, a national energy business correspondent for The Times, writes, especially as Covid-19 causes energy-intensive economic activity to slow. Even if Saudi Arabia and Russia resolve their differences, a global oil glut could keep prices low for years. “Thousands of oil workers are about to receive pink slips,” he predicts.

All recessions hit poorer people harder, but this one would be especially burdensome, The New York Times editorial board writes. Should the Covid-19 outbreak accelerate, lower-income people — less likely as they are to have health insurance, paid sick leave or the ability to work from home — will pay a heavier toll in both health and wealth. “Wealthier Americans can dream of riding out the coronavirus with the help of Amazon; it is less affluent Americans who will sort and deliver the packages,” the board writes.

‘The government can help’

Limiting the spread of the virus now is the best way to minimize long-term economic harm, the editorial board adds. But an effective public health response requires short-term limits on economic activity. To offset the damage, the government should mandate and fund paid sick leave. Most developed nations require employers to provide some form of paid sick leave, but about one-quarter of American private sector workers — 32 million people — aren’t entitled to any. “Paying sick workers to stay home is good for public health and the economy,” the board writes. “It protects the physical health of colleagues and customers, and the financial health of low-wage workers who might not be able to afford unpaid time at home.”