As the coronavirus situation evolves, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is committed to being part of the solution. President Mary C. Daly shares how we’re supporting our employees, our communities, and the nation during this challenging time.
Transcript
Today we’re facing one of the biggest challenges we have faced as a nation, in a long time. The coronavirus is spreading, to the 12th District, throughout the country, and across the globe. These are challenging times, and so many people are already affected.
The very first thing I want to convey is empathy.
Our hearts go out to you, who are already affected, and to the countless ones among us, who are going to be affected.
The second thing I want to say is, it’s really a time to be intentional, to be busy, to be part of the solution. At the San Francisco Fed, we’ve taken that very seriously.
We have asked all of our employees who can—which is almost all of us—to work from home, to fulfill our core missions. For the essential staff we have on-hand, we are doing everything in our power to ensure their safety, their family’s safety, and the community’s safety.
Most importantly, we are still able, and it’s still a top priority for us, to do the work that you want us to do. That we’re mandated and asked to do. Those things are:
- Ensure the economy can weather the storm and come back from it, once it’s concluded.
- Make sure that you have access to the payments you need—cash or other types of payments that ensure you can get the things you need now, and in the future.
- Ensure that our financial sector—our banks, our other financial institutions—are ready to go, prepared for this and other storms.
The most important thing about all of this is that we’re here to serve you, because we are public servants.
But, in this kind of a crisis, the thing I want to convey is we are all public servants. Each and every one of us has a role to play. We will play different roles, of course, but each and every one of us needs to be part of the solution. If we bond together, if we all act as one, we will definitely get through this. So, thank you for your help.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the management of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco or of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.