President Trump warned the public it could face tougher restrictions on daily life stemming from the spread of the novel coronavirus that has killed almost 3,000 people nationwide.
Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden Monday, the president unveiled a new five-minute test kit and showcased the efforts of businesses to provide lifesaving medical equipment.
But members of his coronavirus task force warned that the virus’s rapid potential for spread meant strong measures were needed to keep the death toll to 100,000 or fewer.
Trump said that he would not be lifting restrictions on travel from the European Union and elsewhere when they were due for review.
“They’ll be staying, and we may add a few more,” he said, adding that domestic restrictions on unnecessary travel and avoiding groups may get stricter. “The guidelines will be very much as they are and may be even toughened up a little bit.
“But they are having a big impact. They are having a tremendous impact that we are starting to see.”
Trump has been impatient to start lifting restrictions and reopening an economy that has been halted as stores close and employees stay home.
On the weekend, he met with key advisers and announced there would be no sudden resumption of business.
“Challenging times are ahead for the next 30 days,” he said on Monday.
Last week, he and his officials had trialed the idea of switching to a case-by-case approach that would designate counties as low-, medium-, or high-risk. The idea was detailed in a letter to governors and public health officials discussing how testing and surveillance would deliver a laser focus.
But Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus response, said data suggested such an approach was not yet possible.
“When you look at all of the states together, all of them are moving in exactly the same curves,” she said. “That is why we really believe this needs to be federal guidance, so that every state understands that it may look like two cases today, that become 20, that become 200, that become 2,000.
“That’s what we are trying to prevent.”
Officials and business leaders outlined a string of measures they said would help tackle a mounting crisis.
Seema Verma, the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said regulations were being relaxed to allow hospitals to expand outside existing facilities in a “hospitals without walls” approach. Healthcare facilities will also be able to offer meals, laundry facilities, and child care to staff.
The officials were joined by executives from Jockey International, MyPillow, Honeywell, and others as they described how they were “fulfilling their patriotic duty,” as Trump put it.
MyPillow founder Mike Lindell said his factories would be producing 50,000 medical face masks a day by the end of the week.
