No-interest loans and overdraft forgiveness are among the lifelines banks are offering to consumers and small businesses whose livelihoods are being upended by the economic fallout.

Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the top Democrat on the Banking Committee, said financial institutions "need to be investing in their communities right now, not investing in their CEOs’ stock portfolios.”

The central bank has been under increasing pressure to act as investors have been losing faith in the Trump administration's efforts to contain the economic fallout.

The increase in quarantined customers has forced food delivery companies to balance a potential boom in orders alongside the risk of spreading sickness to both customers and drivers.

The agency will be tasked with providing $50 billion in loans to small businesses harmed by the pandemic. It is unclear whether the SBA will need bankers' help.

The move come a day after the Bank of England cut rates and introduced a series of emergency measures, including capital requirements and a lending program for smaller companies.

More than six industry events have been cancelled or put on hold in five days, with more likely to follow.

JPMorgan Chase is planning to implement a staggered work-from-home plan for its New York-area employees to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The plan applies to most corporate employees, but not to branch workers or traders.