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Members of President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force hold a press briefing Tuesday at the White House as authorities on the local and state levels continue taking drastic measures to slow the spread of the disease.
The outbreak has been expanding rapidly in the United States and roiling markets as the economy has ground to a halt amid restrictive measures meant to contain the virus.
Trump on Tuesday vowed to restart the sputtering economy by Easter, despite rapidly rising cases of covid-19.
Trump initially downplayed the impact of the outbreak but has since changed his tune. Earlier this month, he declared a national emergency, a move that freed up financial resources to assist Americans affected by the health crisis. Even so, critically needed testing has been slow to roll out.
Health officials for weeks have been urging Americans to take strong precautions as coronavirus cases multiply. Earlier this month, the WHO declared the outbreak a pandemic, saying it expects “to see the number of cases, the number of deaths and the number of affected countries to climb even higher.”
Task force members include Vice President Mike Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci and Acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli, among others.
The coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to dozens of countries, with more than 407,000 confirmed cases worldwide and at least 18,000 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There are at least 46,500 cases in the United States and at least 590 deaths, according to the latest tallies.
CNBC.com
