WORLDFed Cuts Interest Rates to Battle Virus: Coronavirus Updates From March 3SavePrintA tourist wears a surgical face mask as she walks past a red telephone box in central London on March 2, 2020. Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty ImagesEpoch Times Staff3/2/2020|Updated: 3/3/2020The new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19, has spread to dozens of countries around the world.Below are news updates from March 3. Click here for March 4 updates.Fed Cuts Interest Rates to Battle VirusThe Federal Reserve, in a rare emergency step, cut short-term rates by half a percentage point on March 3 to protect the U.S. economy from the growing impact of the global coronavirus outbreak.We had a problem loading this article. Please enable javascript or use a different browser. If the issue persists, please visit our help center.Share this articleLeave a commentEpoch Times StaffAuthorAuthor’s Selected ArticlesDay in Photos: Protests in Milan, Flooding in Spain, and Miniature RailwayFeb 07, 2026Day in Photos: Winter Olympics, Thai Campaign Rally, and Coal Mine ExplosionFeb 06, 2026DeSantis Wants AI GuardrailsFeb 05, 2026Day in Photos: Attack in Nigeria, JD Vance Arrives in Milan, and Maori WarriorsFeb 05, 2026Related TopicsoutbreakepidemiccoronavirusCOVID-19