The critical shortage of medical supplies across the U.S., including testing swabs, protective masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer, can be tied to a sudden drop in imports, mostly from China, The Associated Press has found.

It's become a fixture of life under quarantine. Almost daily, President Donald Trump appears on television, flanked by officials, to announce his latest maneuver in the fight against the new coronavirus. He typically unveils a dramatic-sounding emergency measure, a solution that appears imminent or a bold promise meant to reassure Americans that he's got this.

While California awoke Friday to the reality of a near lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus, it was business as usual for Rick Curnutt and his family, who were hunkered down in China during the early days of the outbreak and spent two weeks in self-quarantine when they returned last month.