Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, and MSNBC's Chris Hayes rate official coronavirus containment efforts
The COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak has prompted calls to end handshakes, and Wednesday's Late Show helpfully highlighted some safe greeting alternatives.
The coronavirus "is now officially in 85 countries and it has over 95,000 confirmed cases — and it's the reason even white people have switched to the fist bump," Trevor Noah said at The Daily Show. He discussed New York's efforts to keep the virus off the subways then turned to dinosaur DNA found in Colorado, urging scientists to go full Jurassic Park. "I know we've seen the movies, I know how it's gonna end," Noah said, but "if my options are dying from coronavirus or a velociraptor, I know what I'm choosing."
Disinfecting subway cars just means "that puddle of urine you sat in is no more than three days old," Stephen Colbert shrugged at The Late Show. "Today, Trump met with airline executives and told them he's been following the coronavirus safety guidelines, and he admits it's been hard," joking he hasn't touched his face "in weeks." Colbert laughed: "You haven't touched your face in years — your face has been quarantined behind a thick layer of bronzer."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Politicians and public health officials are urging people to do is not touch their face, but they themselves are really bad at it, The Daily Show demonstrated.
Full Frontal's Samantha Bee showed how hard it is to not touch your face, using NSFW language.
"I think people are a little unprepared for the level of disruption that we are likely heading into," MSNBC's Chris Hayes told Colbert. Colbert asked what he thinks about the Trump administration's response.
"I have been speaking to experts for the last few days," Hayes replied carefully. "The response thus far has been a failure and has been terrible." Nobody believes the CDC's numbers, and "there has been a complete failure to deploy accurate, wide-scale testing at scale that is necessary to get your arms around the scope of the epidemic," he said. Making things worse, "the political leadership has sent the message, to the bureaucracy and to the public, they want this to go away, they don't want it to be a big problem, they don't want the markets to tank, and they don't want it to hurt the economy," when other countries have proved denial is "the worst thing you can do." Watch below. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Swiss bliss: Chenot Palace Weggis takes wellness to the next level
The Blend Heath retreat on Switzerland's Lake Lucerne offers a mid-winter reset
By Felix Bischof Published
-
Earth's mini-moon was the moon all along
Under the radar More lunar rocks are likely floating in space
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: February 4, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published