Even as the coronavirus outbreak escalates in the U.S., with 73 reported deaths and 4,110 total cases as of Monday, the Republican Party is fielding an internal debate over how seriously to take the pandemic. Donald Trump’s own messaging has erred on the side of downplaying; only this past week, as the market dipped yet again, did he reportedly begin to take the threat of the virus seriously. Still, in terms of getting its act together—ramping up testing, coordinating messaging, following CDC guidelines—the administration has a ways to go. As the White House flounders, others in the GOP have taken initiative.

Ohio governor Mike DeWine, a first-term Republican, was praised by state Democrats for swiftly shutting down nonnecessity public spaces (Ohio became one of the few states to close bars and restaurants this weekend). “The need to stop the spread of the coronavirus could not be more urgent. We commend Gov. DeWine’s important decision,” wrote the board of the Ohio Mayors Alliance, a Democratic-majority group.

Senator Ted Cruz, who is now observing his second self-quarantine after again being exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus, even praised the Republican base’s least favorite Democratic lawmaker. “To everyone in NYC but ESPECIALLY healthy people & people under 40 (bc from what I’m observing that’s who needs to hear this again): PLEASE stop crowding bars, restaurants, and public spaces right now. Eat your meals at home,” tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a post that Cruz shared and labeled “Good advice” for everyone. While under self-quarantine, Cruz has cosponsored legislation, the RESULTs for Coronavirus Patients Act, designed to expedite FDA approval of drugs and medical equipment for COVID-19 patients.

Borrowing a policy from the Democratic primary race, Senator Mitt Romney released a statement on Monday that read, in part, “Every American adult should immediately receive $1,000 to help ensure families and workers can meet their short-term obligations and increase spending in the economy.... While expansions of paid leave, unemployment insurance, and SNAP benefits [the program formally known as food stamps] are crucial, the check will help fill the gaps for Americans that may not quickly navigate different government options.” (Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang advocated for a universal basic income of $1,000 a month for every American.) Senator Tom Cotton cited similar concern for the average worker. “I don’t think the House bill is going to pass the Senate as it’s written for one basic problem: It doesn’t go far enough and it doesn’t go fast enough,” he said Monday during a Fox News hit. “We’re going to do everything we can to get cash into the hands of affected workers and families as quickly as possible.”

Former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who currently lives in Italy, penned a Newsweek column last week citing his own experience witnessing the catastrophic impact of coronavirus, and asserting that U.S. politicians need to act faster. “The lesson of Italy is that the sooner you act, the fewer lives you will lose and the less damage you will do to your economy,” he wrote, praising Italy’s effort to “empty” the streets by closing nearly every public space and initiating mandatory quarantines.

Which is not to say the right has been reformed. Gingrich followed up his column with a Monday tweet insisting that the only reason “conservatives were initially so skeptical of the threat of the coronavirus” was because they don’t trust the “totally dishonest left wing news media.” (In reality, the vast majority of dishonest coverage has come from right-wing outlets—Sean Hannity accused the press of attempting to “bludgeon Trump with this new hoax,” for instance, and Jeanine Pirro falsely informed her viewers that coronavirus wasn’t much more deadly than the common flu.)