On January 31, the United States government finally acted, sort of. It restricted travel by foreigners into the country and required any Americans returning from China to quarantine for fourteen days. “We pretty much shut it down from coming in from China,” said President Trump. By then, thought Carter, the virus was likely already so widespread inside the United States that the focus on foreign travelers was a pointless distraction. “It’s a waste of time,” he wrote after Trump’s announcement. “You’re protecting your front door from intruders and they’re taking your stuff out the back door.”
