The Federal Reserve is "closely monitoring" the escalating coronavirus outbreak but it is still too soon to gauge if it would require a change in monetary policy, Fed Vice Chair Richard Clarida said on Tuesday as the central bank continues to patiently monitor the impact of the epidemic on the U.S. economy.

FILE PHOTO: Federal Reserve Vice Chair Richard Clarida talks on the phone during the three-day "Challenges for Monetary Policy" conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, U.S., August 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Crosby/File Photo