Our country is facing one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime. The lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans are now at stake from an invisible enemy: the coronavirus and COVID-19.
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, a project of The Heritage Foundation, is bringing together some of the nation’s top experts and thinkers to offer their specialized experience and expertise to chart the path ahead.
Our mission is to save both lives and livelihoods, helping to navigate our nation through this crisis and toward recovery. Specifically, we will address when and how to begin to get Americans’ lives “back to normal” again.
The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission will provide the American people and their policymakers with a set of recommendations for how to make this happen. The commission will be weighing what comes next and how to move prudently toward recovery.
On April 9, 2020, the commission adopted a five-phase plan to reopen America and combat the novel coronavirus. The phases and recommendations that accompany them detail the “all of society” approach that this requires, recognizing that decisions to reopen the American economy must proceed expeditiously and that our recovery over the months to come cannot follow a national or top-down approach.
Success requires coordination among the federal government, state and local governments, the private sector, and civil society.
The challenge at hand is a public health crisis with unprecedented implications. At this point in the progression of COVID-19, good public health policy is good economic policy: Americans’ lives will rebound when the American people are healthy and confident in the public health response.
Press Releases
- Coronavirus Commission Highlights 15 Steps Individuals Can Take to Combat COVID-19, Bolster Recovery, July 27, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases Final Report, June 15, 2020
- Sec. Scalia to Address Economic Recovery at Launch of National Coronavirus Commission’s Final Report, June 12, 2020
- 34 States Implement 5 Key Recommendations to Save Lives and Livelihoods, June 9, 2020
- Heritage Expert: Jobs Report Underscores Prudent Reopening Saves Lives and Livelihoods, June 5, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases Spanish-Language PSA to Promote Health and Safety, June 1, 2020
- Coronavirus Commission Makes 10 Recommendations to Reopen K-12 Schools, May 27, 2020
- Commission Chairman Agrees: Houses of Worship Essential, Should Open Safely, May 22, 2020
- Regulatory Relief Executive Order Is the Right Step for Economic and COVID-19 Recovery, May 19, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases Recommendations for Reducing Future Risks of Pandemics, May 19, 2020
- Coronavirus Commission Outlines 12 Urgent Recommendations to Avoid an Economic Depression, May 14, 2020
- Heritage Builds County-Level COVID-19 Tracker to Assist State and Local Leaders, May 11, 2020
- Commission Chairman Joins Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s Podcast ‘Hold These Truths’, May 8, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission to Present Recommendations for Reopening America at Digital Town Hall, May 6, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases New Recommendations to Build the Science, Establish U.S. as Global Recovery Leader, May 5, 2020
- Commission Chairman Releases Coronavirus PSA, April 29, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Releases First Set of Recommendations to Reopen America, April 20, 2020
- Commission Chairman Kay C. James Comments on White House Guidance for Reopening America, April 16, 2020
- President Trump Invites National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Chairman to Share Ideas for Reopening America, April 15, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Announces Five-Phase Plan for Reopening America, April 9, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Launches to ‘Save Lives and Livelihoods’, April 6, 2020
TV
- Rob Bluey on Newsmax: Failed COVID-19 Models Show We Need a More Targeted Approach, June 16, 2020
- Joel Griffith on OAN: Make COVID-19 Regulatory Rollback Permanent, June 16, 2020
- Kay Coles James on The Armstrong Williams Show: What COVID-19 Recovery SHOULD Look Like, June 9, 2020
- Jessica Anderson on OAN: Businesses Should be Open to the Public, June 9, 2020
- Kay Coles James on American Thought Leaders: On COVID 19 Economic Recovery; Protecting Both “Lives & Livelihoods”, May 21, 2020
- Genevieve Wood on Fox Business: We Should Be Reopening Counties with Low COVID-19 Incidents, May 21, 2020
- Rob Bluey on OAN, Expeditiously Reopen America, May 11, 2020
- Pastor Rodriguez on OAN: How To Safely Reopen Churches, May 1, 2020
- Pastor Rodriguez on OAN: We have to put fear of God in governors who attempt to shut down churches, May 1, 2020
- Pastor Rodriguez on OAN: President Trump understands spiritual health of nation is essential, May 1, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WJLA: Enable Access to Education Savings Accounts to Help Parents Homeschooling, April 27, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on CNBC: Reopening the Economy Should be a Local, Data-Driven Decision, April 27, 2020
- Kay Coles James on Newsmax, “Spicer and Co”: How & When to Safely Get Americans Back to Work, April 21, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal Primetime,”: Good Health Policy Leads to Good Economic Policy, April 17, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal Primetime,”: Coronavirus Testing, Government Regulations Slow Things Down, April 17, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal Primetime,”: Federalism Serves Us Well During Coronavirus Crisis, April 17, 2020
- Kay C. James on NBC 12-Richmond: National Coronavirus Recovery Commission to Release Initial Recommendations, April 17, 2020
- Kay C. James: President Trump Gets It, Health of Americans and a Prosperous Economy Go Hand in Hand, April 16, 2020
- Paul Winfree: We Have a 5-Phase Plan to Reopen the Economy, April 16, 2020
- Paul Winfree: President Trump Correct to Focus on Reopening America, April 16, 2020
- Rob Bluey on One America News: National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Working to Save Lives and Livelihood, April 14, 2020
- Dr. Epstein on Fox News, Tucker Carlson: “Such a Sensible Solution," April 13, 2020
- Paul Winfree on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal”: Heritage’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, April 9, 2020
- Paul Winfree on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal”: Coronavirus Economic Crisis Isn’t Like 2008, Congress Should Take Note, April 9, 2020
- Paul Winfree on C-SPAN, “Washington Journal”: Good Public Health Policy is Good Economic Policy, April 9, 2020
Radio/Podcasts
- Charmaine Yoest on The Press Pool: The Problem With A One-Size-Fits-All COVID-19 Response, June 24, 2020
- Rob Bluey on The Hugh Hewitt Show: Students Need to be Back in the Classroom This Fall, June 16, 2020
- Governor George Allen on The Hugh Hewitt Show: How to Prevent Risks of Future Pandemics, June 16, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on The Hugh Hewitt Show: What Was Right for New York Wasn’t Right for Montana, June 16, 2020
- Kay Coles James on The Rush Limbaugh Show: What Went Wrong With the COVID-19 Response, June 10, 2020
- Rob Bluey on The High Hewitt Show: Conservative Solutions Lead to Better Outcomes, June 10, 2020
- Kay C. James on The Hugh Hewitt Show: Life, Leadership & Livelihoods, June 10, 2020
- Gov. George Allen on The Mike and Kelly Show: Use Common Sense Rather than be Paralyzed by Fear, June 9, 2020
- Gov. George Allen on The John Fredericks Show, June 8, 2020
- Romina Boccia on The Ben Shapiro Show: Unfair State Bailouts Are a Non-Starter, May 14, 2020
- Rob Bluey on The Steve Cortes Show: Media Bias Clear in Coronavirus Coverage, May 13, 2020
- George Allen on the John Fredericks Show: Virginia Lockdown Illogical in SWVA; Crushing its Citizens, May 12, 202
- Charmaine Yoest on The Kevin McCullough Show, 52% of US Counties Have Zero COVID-19 Deaths, May 8, 2020
- Kay Coles James on We Hold These Truths with Dan Crenshaw: We Must Save Lives and Livelihoods, May 6, 2020
- Rob Bluey on America First with Seb Gorka: Build the Science to Accelerate Vaccine & Therapeutic Production, May 6, 2020
- Dr. Richard Tubb on Heritage Explains: The Right Way to Reopen America, May 1, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on C-Span, The Weekly: We Must Prioritize Both Physical and Economic Health, April 30, 2020
- James Carafano with "America First With Seb Gorka": We Have to Get America Back to Work, April 24, 2020
- Noe Landani on America First with Seb Gorka: It's the people first, April 21, 2020
- Rob Bluey on America First with Seb Gorka: National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Recommends Targeted Testing, Reopen America by Zip Code, April 20, 2020
- Kay C. James on NPR: Good Public Health Policy is Good Economic Policy, April 18, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Chicago’s Morning Answer: National Coronavirus Recovery Commission’s Plans for Reopening America, April 15, 2020
- Kay C. James on America First with Seb Gorka: National Coronavirus Recovery Commission to Provide Recommendations to Reopen America, April 13, 2020
- Rob Bluey on KNRS, Rod Arquette Show (Salt Lake City), April 7, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio (National), April 7, 2020
- Rob Bluey on KPRC, Jimmy Barrett Show (Houston), April 8, 2020
- Rob Bluey, WPHT, Dom Giordano Show (Philadelphia), April 9, 2020
- Gov. George Allen on WMAL, Larry O’Connor Show (Washington, DC), April 9, 2020
- Joel Griffith on KXEN, Larry Connors USA (St. Louis), April 13, 2020
- Gov. George Allen on KFMB, Mark Larson Show (San Diego), April 13, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WFLA, The Morning Show with Preston Scott, April 13, 2020
- Sen. Bill Frist on the Guy Benson Show, April 13, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WLS, Mancow (Chicago), April 14, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio (National), April 14, 2020
- Romina Boccia on Top of Mind with Julie Rose, April 14, 2020
- Rob Bluey on KXEN, Stevie Jay in the Morning (Champaign, IL), April 16, 2020
- Rob Bluey on 97.1 FM Talk, The Marc Cox Morning Show (St. Louis), April 16, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WHO, Need to Know with Jeff Angelo (Des Moines), April 16, 2020
- Gail Wilensky on Problematic Women, April 16, 2020
- Rev. Samuel Rodriguez on The Daily Signal Podcast, April 20, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on the Todd Starnes Show: Governors Need To Look At Zip Code-Level Data, April 21 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio (National), April 21, 2020
- J.C. Watts on The Daily Signal Podcast, April 22, 2020
- James Carafano on The Larry O'Connor Show: China Purposefully Lied About Coronavirus Outbreak, April 22, 2020
- Rob Bluey on American Radio Journal with Lowman Henry, April 23, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WSVA, Mike Schikman Show (Harrisonburg, VA), April 27, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio (National), April 28, 2020
- Bill Frist on The Daily Signal Podcast: Doctor-Turned-Senator Who Predicted Pandemic Outlines Steps America Needs to Now Take, April 28, 2020
- Rob Bluey on American Viewpoints with Mike Ferguson, April 29, 2020
- Joni Tada on Problematic Women: Lessons of Hope From a Woman Who Has Spent Decades as a Quadriplegic, April 30, 2020
- Rob Bluey on KXEN, “Larry Conners USA” (St. Louis), April 30, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on First Response, May 1, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WJIM, “The Steve Gruber Show”, May 4, 2020
- Rob Bluey on TALK FM, May 5, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Leadership Institute Digital Town Hall, May 7, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on Kevin McCullough Radio, May 8, 2020
- Rob Bluey on WWL, Newell Normand Show, May 11, 2020
- Kay Coles James on WIND, Chicago’s Morning Answer (Chicago), May 19, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio, May 19, 2020
- Rob Bluey on KVOI, Wake Up, Tucson (Tucson), May 20, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest on Point of View, May 21, 2020
- Rob Bluey on Faith Radio, May 26, 2020
- Kay Coles James on Problematic Women, June 5, 2020
Commentaries
- Kay C. James: America must respond to the COVID-19 pandemic as a united ‘civil society,’ April 6, 2020
- Kay C. James: Coronavirus pandemic and economic damage ravaging America are twin foes. We must defeat both, April 9, 2020
- Kay C. James: COVD-19 crisis has re-ignited a sense of community, charity and personal responsibility, April 21, 2020
- James Carafano: Winning the race to open America after the coronavirus crisis, April 21, 2020
- Kay C. James: Recommendations for recovering from the coronavirus crisis, April 25, 2020
- Dr. Kevin Pham: Lives and Livelihoods Are Inseparable, Should Be Addressed as Such, April 27, 2020
- James Carafano: Coronavirus recovery—Trump's plan missing these key pieces, April 28, 2020
- Katie Gorka: Freedom, If You Can Keep It, April 30, 2020
- James Carafano: Trump’s New Marshall Plan, May 2, 2020
- Brian Finch and Lora Ries: Bush-Era Actions Have Boosted Coronavirus Response Efforts, May 4, 2020
- Anthony Kim and Terry Miller: Trump and Congress must work together to revive U.S. economy with free-market policies, May 11, 2020
- Charmaine Yoest and Paul Winfree: 12 Urgent Actions to Reopen America and Prevent an Economic Depression, May 14, 2020
- Rev. Samuel Rodriguez: Trump's right: churches, other houses of worship are essential to America, May 23, 2020
- Lindsey Burke: 10 Key Education Recommendations for Reopening the K-12 Classroom, May 25, 2020
- Lora Ries: In Hurricane Season and the COVID-19 Response, State and Local Self-Reliance Is Essential, June 4, 2020
- Fred Lucas: Does Reopening Make Coronavirus Spike? Here's What Happened in Different States, June 5, 2020
- Adam Michel: Universal savings accounts would help all Americans, June 6, 2020
- J.C. Watts: Op-ed Submission: The Impact of COVID-19 in Our Community: Let’s Not Put Our Health at Risk, Afro, June 15, 2020
- Fred Lucas: 265 Ways America Can Lead the Fight Against COVID-19 and Get Back on Track, June 17, 2020
- Anthony Kim and Terry Miller: American Leadership on Economic Freedom Needed Now More Than Ever, June 19, 2020
Media Mentions
- Heritage Foundation Launches National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, The Daily Signal, April 6, 2020
- Heritage Foundation launches National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, Washington Times, April 7, 2020
- Heritage Foundation launches national coronavirus recovery commission, WND, April 7, 2020
- Heritage Foundation Aims to Map Out US Economic Comeback, Newsmax, April 7, 2020
- Coronavirus Commission Examines How to Get America Back to Work, April 8, 2020
- Private sector group tackling life after COVID-19, One News Now, April 8, 2020
- Coronavirus Commission Offers 5-Phase Plan for Getting America Back to Normal, The Daily Signal, April 9, 2020
- US economy unlikely to recover as rapidly as it collapsed, Associated Press, April 9, 2020
- 5 Things Need to Happen Before America Reopens, Says Heritage Coronavirus Commission, PJ Media, April 9, 2020
- Former Gov. George Allen, Chairman Ajit Pai, and Antonio Doss talk opening America back up, Washington Examiner, April 10, 2020
- Heritage Coronavirus Commission Releases 5-Step Plan to Reopen America, PJ Media, April 10, 2020
- Conservative think tank releases five steps to restart the economy, Orange County Breeze, April 10, 2020
- Arts, struggling to survive pandemic, face a longer road to recovery, The Hill, April 11, 2020
- Medical news key to recovery, economists say, The Gazette, April 11, 2020
- Heritage Foundation panel recommends enhanced testing, regional approach for coronavirus recovery, Washington Times, April 13, 2020
- Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Appointed President to The Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, Hallels, April 14, 2020
- Trump wants to declare country open by May 1—but the reality will be much slower, Washington Post, April 14, 2020
- President Trump Consults With Heritage Foundation on Reopening America After Coronavirus, PJ Media, April 15, 2020
- Quietly, allies and industries warn Trump against a hasty reopening, McClatchy, April 15, 2020
- Powerful GOP allies propel Trump effort to reopen economy, Associated Press, April 15, 2020
- Trump Hosts Calls on Reopening U.S., Drops Task Force Plan, Bloomberg, April 15, 2020
- Coronavirus Report: The Hill's Steve Clemons interviews former Sen. Bill Frist, The Hill, April 16, 2020
- As coronavirus crisis drags on, Virginia Republicans escalate calls to reopen, Virginia Mercury, April 17, 2020
- Richmond woman appointed to lead National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, NBC 12, April 17, 2020
- Trump outlines 3-phase approach to ‘Opening Up America Again’ amid COVID-19, The Record Delta, April 17, 2020
- Trump plan for targeted tests in reopening economy gets Heritage backing, direction, Washington Examiner, April 20, 2020
- COVID-19 Recovery Panel Suggests Path for ‘Expeditious’ Return to Work, The Daily Signal, April 20, 2020
- Trump may ease regulations during pandemic, EE News, April 21, 2020
- Media Rips Protesters Around the Country as “Racists” and “Nazis”, The Daily Citizen, April 21, 2020
- Exclusive—Coronavirus Commission Chair Kay Coles James: Battle Not ‘Either’ Economy ‘Or’ Health, ‘We Must Do Both’, Breitbart, April 22, 2020
- Gen. Robert Spalding, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and James Jay Carafano discuss the re-opening of America, Washington Examiner, April 22, 2020
- On COVID-19 Recovery Panel, George Allen Navigates Another Worst-Case Scenario, The Daily Signal, April 23, 2020
- 'Rolling recommendations' to get economic gears going, One News Now, April 23, 2020
- Parts of the US with fewer reported COVID-19 cases should return to work, says Heritage Foundation, CNBC, April 23, 2020
- Trump uses coronavirus crisis to push other policy priorities, Los Angeles Times, April 23, 2020
- 'Obsolete rules': Trump plans massive health deregulation to tackle coronavirus, Washington Examiner, April 24, 2020
- Coronavirus Must Not Kill the Economy—Let's Get Americans Back To Work, Now, National Interest, April 27, 2020
- Lives and Livelihoods Are Inseparable, Should Be Addressed as Such, Coronavirus Recovery Panel Says, Daily Signal, April 27, 2020
- Two women with local ties help to chart course ahead, Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, April 29, 2020
- Leading CEO on Coronavirus Recovery Panel Wary of Government Power Grab, The Daily Signal, April 29, 2020
- ‘I Could Have Easily Kept My Restaurants Open’: One Famed Entertainer’s Plea To Save The Family Business, The Federalist, April 30, 2020
- Conservative groups advising White House push fast reopening, not testing, Reuters, May 1, 2020
- Trump team plots tax cuts and regulatory suspensions to boost a coronavirus recovery, Politico, May 4, 2020
- Conservative Think Tank Floats Free-Market Fixes for Coronavirus, Washington Free Beacon, May 5, 2020
- After coronavirus, forget tariffs, subsidies—These 3 things will put US on road to recovery, Fox News, May 6, 2020
- Heritage Coronavirus Commission Unveils Almost 200 Suggestions for Policymakers. Here are the Highlights., Townhall, May 6, 2020
- National Coronavirus Recovery Commission Announces Five-Phase Plan To Reopen America, Conservative HQ, May 6, 2020
- After coronavirus, forget tariffs and subsidies—These 3 things will put US on the road to recovery, Yahoo Finance, May 6, 2020
- Trump's tax cut plans to revive flagging economy run into Democratic wall, Washington Examiner, May 6, 2020
- Kay Coles James heads National Coronavirus Recovery Commission, Richmond Free Press, May 7, 2020
- Conservative groups advising White House push reopening, Gulf Times, May 7, 2020
- Focus on the Most Vulnerable, Galen Institute, May 8, 2020
- 'Blind Side' Author Slams Heritage Foundation on Coronavirus: 'They're All Under a Rock.' FACT CHECK: False, PJ Media, May 8, 2020
- Americans, and Congress, Are Ready to Get Back to Work, Indiana Lawmaker Says, The Daily Signal, May 8, 2020
- Unemployment Soars to 14.7% as America Loses 20.5 Million More Jobs, The Daily Signal, May 8, 2020
- 'Partisan wish list' focused on the wrong things, One News Now, May 13, 2020
- James: Everybody’s not in same boat, Gloucester-Mathews Gazette-Journal, May 13, 2020
- Trump’s lockdown workaround: Bring the governors to him, Politico, May 14, 2020
- More than rhetoric needed, Richmond Free Press, May 14, 2020
- Is Coronavirus Causing a Rare Children's Disease?, National Interest, May 16, 2020
- Feed the Heroes Delivers a Hot Meal to DC’s Hospital Workers, First Responders, Daily Signal, May 17, 2020
- Las Vegas pig farm relying on food scraps from casinos struggles during coronavirus pandemic, Fox News, May 18, 2020
- Trump Signs Order Easing Regulatory Enforcement on Businesses, Bloomberg Law, May 19, 2020
- Trump Just Provided the Flailing Economy a Much-Needed Boost, PJ Media, May 19, 2020
- EXCLUSIVE: Heritage Foundation Drops Phase 5 Reopening Recommendations To White House, Daily Caller, May 19, 2020
- Lawyers threatening coronavirus class-action suits deterring business reopenings: Heritage Foundation, Washington Examiner, May 20, 2020
- To boost hobbled economy, Trump orders agencies to ease rules, Roll Call, May 20, 2020
- Heritage Foundation: More than half of all U.S. counties report zero COVID-19 deaths, Center Square, May 20, 2020
- Debate over how to reopen colleges heads to the Senate, Politico, May 28, 2020
- Commentary: USAs for All: All Americans would benefit from personal rainy day funds, Rome News Tribune, June 3, 2020
- Pinecrest Academy Establishes COVID-19 Task Force, Patch, June 3, 2020
- Deadly Quarantine: Accounting for Total Costs in a Pandemic, National Catholic Register, June 4, 2020
- Pinecrest Academy creates COVID-19 task force for handling back to school procedures, 11 Alive, June 8, 2020
- Pinecrest Academy plans to return to in-person classes Aug. 6, Forsyth County News, June 11, 2020
- Scalia Says Virus Spikes Stem From Testing, Not Reopening, Law360, June 15, 2020
- Shaky COVID response lays bare a decades long crisis in government, CS Monitor, June 15, 2020
- States avoid new lockdowns, accept rising coronavirus cases, Sinclair Media Group, June 16, 2020
- U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia delivers remarks on Department of Labor’s Coronavirus response, Canton Daily Ledger, June 16, 2020
- Workers filed 1.5M unemployment claims, as infections spike, Politico, June 18, 2020
- A Virtual Charter School Company Says Covid-19 Is the ‘Tailwind’ It’s Been Waiting For, In These Times, June 18, 2020
- Spiritual Health of Our Nation is Essential: Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, Missions Box, June 19, 2020
- Pinecrest Academy to Open for In-Person Instruction in August, Patch, June 19, 2020