REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Donald Trump at the daily coronavirus response briefing at the White House on March 23, 2020.
- President Donald Trump said he wants to have the US "opened up and just raring to go by Easter" in terms of easing coronavirus restrictions.
- Easter is on April 12, just 19 days away.
- This goes against the advice of top public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who are concerned ending social distancing too soon could exacerbate the crisis.
- "I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now it's going to be over. I don't think there's a chance of that," Fauci said on Friday.
- Trump's comments also came hours after the World Health Organization warned the US could become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic due to a "very large acceleration" in infections.
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President Donald Trump on Tuesday signaled he wants to ease up on coronavirus guidelines in a matter of weeks, even as his top experts have warned it could take months for life to go back to normal.
"I would have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter," Trump said during a Fox News town hall at the White House. Easter is on April 12 and just 19 days away.
In response, Fox News host Bill Hemmer said that "would be a great American resurrection."
But Trump's call for the US economy to be reopened goes against what his own experts have said, as well as warnings from governors on the frontlines of the pandemic.
"I cannot see that all of a sudden, next week or two weeks from now it's going to be over. I don't think there's a chance of that," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the US's top expert on infectious disease, said Friday.
"I think we should do everything we possibly can do," Fauci added. "I mean, in all sectors, because obviously as I've said so many times, when you think you're maybe overreacting, you probably are not acting as forcefully as you should. So as we've always said, we've got to try very much to stay ahead of the curve."
Shortly before the Fox News town hall on Tuesday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo implored Trump not to risk endangering human lives by rushing to reopen the economy.
Trump on Monday said the US was not meant to be "shut down," adding, "We are going to be opening up our country for business because our country was meant to be open."
Cuomo was sympathetic to the economic consequences of keeping nonessential businesses closed, but said, "If you ask the American people to choose between public health and the economy, then it's no contest. No American is going to say, 'accelerate the economy at the cost of human life.' Because no American is going to say how much a life is worth."
Trump's comments on Tuesday also came hours after the World Health Organization warned the US could become the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic due to a "very large acceleration" in infections. The US had less than 100 confirmed coronavirus cases on March 1, but by Tuesday afternoon there were nearly 50,000.
Last Monday, the White House announced new guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, including avoiding gatherings of 10 or more people, nonessential travel, as well as bars and restaurants. The Trump administration said the guidelines would be in place for 15 days and would be reassessed after that.
"It's important for the young and healthy people to understand that while they may experience mild symptoms, they can easily spread this virus and they will spread it indeed, putting countless others in harm's way," Trump said at the time.
Later in the week, Trump declared himself a "wartime president" and said the US is on a "wartime footing." But the president has since singled he's growing impatient with the stringent measures to fight the pandemic, which have essentially shut down major US cities and dealt a huge blow to the economy.
The president on Tuesday suggested that more people could die by suicide due to stress and anxiety over than economy than would die from coronavirus. "You're going to lose more people by putting the country in a massive recession or depression...You're going to have suicides by the thousands. You're going to have all sorts of things happen," Trump said.
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Trump on ending social distancing: "I would love to have it opened by Easter." (That's April 12)
"That would be a great American resurrection," host Bill Hemmer replies. pic.twitter.com/G1AhP1biNI
- Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 24, 2020