- President Donald Trump called on private companies to assist with the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
- At a press conference at the White House, Trump was joined by business leaders from Walgreens, Target, Walmart, CVS, and other companies.
- He said that drive-through testing centers will be set up in the parking lots of those companies' locations around the country.
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President Donald Trump was joined by the CEOs of companies like Target and CVS as they attempt to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
At a press conference at the White House on Friday, Trump spoke alongside presidents or CEOs of Walgreens, Target, Walmart, CVS, and others.
Trump said that drive-through testing centers will be set up in the parking lots of those companies' locations across the country.
"When we got the call yesterday from the White House, we were eager to do our part to help serve the country," said Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. "And given what we are facing that is certainly important to do. We should all be doing that."
Richard Ashworth, president of Walgreens, said the company is "happy to stand in here and help" communities across the United States.
Target CEO Brian Cornell said that "normally, you view us as competitors, but today we're focused on a common competitor, and that's defeating the spread of the coronavirus."
Cornell also said Target is focused on ensuring that stores can stay open for customers seeking to purchase supplies.
Trump also thanked Google, which he said has 1,700 engineers assisting in setting up a website regarding testing for the virus.
CEOs of laboratory, research, and medical device companies also joined Trump, who said that he has called on the labs to expedite efforts to increase the availability of tests for COVID-19.
Companies like Roche Diagnostics, whose CEO Matt Sause attended the press conference, recently gained expedited approval for coronavirus testing.
Trump said at the press conference that he is declaring a state of emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Here's the full list of executives and companies present during the press conference:
- Richard Ashworth, President, Walgreens
- Brian Cornell, Chairman and CEO, Target Corporation
- Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Walmart Inc.
- Tom Polen, CEO and President, Becton, Dickinson and Company
- Stephen Rusckowski, Chairman, President and CEO, Quest Diagnostics
- Matt Sause, President and CEO, North America, Roche Diagnostics
- David Pierre, COO, Signify Health
- Mark Stevenson, Executive Vice President and COO, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
- Thomas Moriarty, Executive Vice President, Chief Policy and External Affairs Officer, and General Counsel, CVS Health
- Bruce Greenstein, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, LHC Group
