For Fed Chair Powell, March was intense as response to Covid-19 intensified

Though the calendar gives no details on what was discussed, it suggests an explosion of activity at the US central bank unseen since the darkest days of the 2007-2008 financial crisis

A half-hour staff meeting in a secure location.

A 40-minute consultation with an infectious disease specialist.

Multiple days of "unscheduled telephone calls from home with staff and other government officials," including Saturdays and Sundays.

These are just a few of the items on Fed Chair Jerome Powell's March calendar, released on Friday, that chronicle a dramatic shift from warily watching the coronavirus to an all-out effort to bring policymakers, government officials and lawmakers on board for an economic support effort of unprecedented size and scope.

Though the calendar gives no details on what was discussed, it suggests an explosion of