President Trump said the harm caused by an extended shutdown of economic activity must not prove more damaging than the coronavirus.
“WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF,” Trump tweeted on Sunday night. Once the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended 15-day guidance period elapses, the White House “WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!” Trump added.
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WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2020
The White House asked the public last week to self-quarantine in a campaign that advised “15 Days to Slow the Spread” of the novel coronavirus, a highly transmissible disease. The measure would come to an end around March 31.
White House coronavirus task force members Drs. Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx and Surgeon General Jerome Adams have spoken daily at White House coronavirus briefings and on cable television about the risk of infection and the need for Americans to isolate.
But the economy is reeling in what the Wall Street Journal editorial board described last week as “a rolling economic calamity” with costs to individuals and businesses growing “by the hour.”
In a televised press conference on Sunday, Trump gave a clue as to his thinking about how the measures would resolve. “We’ll get a pretty good idea what we’re doing” at the end of the 15-day period. “You know there will be a point at which we say: ‘We’re back in business, let’s go.’”
As early as three days after announcing the 15-day plan on March 16, the president was already discussing the prospect of people going back to work, according to Bloomberg News.
Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, estimated that the virus had shut down nearly three-quarters of the economy, leaving millions “virtually” unemployed.
Sen. Rick Scott called for a 30-day coronavirus recovery plan “to get America back to normal” in the wake of the pandemic. “Americans are scared because of the uncertainty the Coronavirus has brought,” Scott wrote. “Small businesses are closing, people feel isolated and there’s no end in sight,” he added. He called for same-day testing, all domestic and international air travel to be shut down, and a moratorium on all financial obligations — including rent, credit card payments, mortgages, and utilities.
Health authorities have strongly advocated for a prolonged period of isolation, and it remains unclear whether the United States will be in a position to relax those measures come April 1.
On Monday, the U.S. counted more than 35,200 confirmed coronavirus cases and 473 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
