Coronavirus task force doctor declines to back up Trump's timeline for easing social distancing guidelines
President Trump claims it's possible for the United States to be "opened up and just raring to go" again in under three weeks, but one of the officials on his coronavirus task force declined to support that tight timeline.
During an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Trump said he would "love" to have the United States "opened" again by Easter, which is on April 12. This comes after Trump in a Monday press conference said the United States will "soon be open for business, very soon, a lot sooner than the three or four months that somebody was suggesting."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Birx would not specifically say whether it is, instead responding that the White House will continue to "get all of the data from around the country and all of the data from around the globe and really understand what's working." She also emphasized that the White House's 15-day social distancing guidelines must continue to be followed for the next week.
NBC News notes that "public health experts and local and state leaders have cautioned against easing restrictions too early, saying it could put an enormous strain on hospitals and lead to even more deaths and economic damage." And Trump's new timeline comes a day after Surgeon General Jerome Adams told CBS This Morning, "We know it's going to be a while before life gets back to normal."
-
Wuthering Heights: ‘wildly fun’ reinvention of the classic novel lacks depthTalking Point Emerald Fennell splits the critics with her sizzling spin on Emily Brontë’s gothic tale
-
Why the Bangladesh election is one to watchThe Explainer Opposition party has claimed the void left by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League but Islamist party could yet have a say
-
The world’s most romantic hotelsThe Week Recommends Treetop hideaways, secluded villas and a woodland cabin – perfect settings for Valentine’s Day
-
Japan’s Takaichi cements power with snap election winSpeed Read President Donald Trump congratulated the conservative prime minister
-
Trump links funding to name on Penn StationSpeed Read Trump “can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers,” a Schumer insider said
-
Trump reclassifies 50,000 federal jobs to ease firingsSpeed Read The rule strips longstanding job protections from federal workers
-
Is the Gaza peace plan destined to fail?Today’s Big Question Since the ceasefire agreement in October, the situation in Gaza is still ‘precarious’, with the path to peace facing ‘many obstacles’
-
Vietnam’s ‘balancing act’ with the US, China and EuropeIn the Spotlight Despite decades of ‘steadily improving relations’, Hanoi is still ‘deeply suspicious’ of the US as it tries to ‘diversify’ its options
-
Trump demands $1B from Harvard, deepening feudSpeed Read Trump has continually gone after the university during his second term
-
Trump’s Kennedy Center closure plan draws ireSpeed Read Trump said he will close the center for two years for ‘renovations’
-
Trump's ‘weaponization czar’ demoted at DOJSpeed Read Ed Martin lost his title as assistant attorney general
