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."
-
How to rekindle a reading habitThe Week Recommends Fall in love with reading again, or start a brand new relationship with it
-
Political cartoons for January 8Cartoons Thursday’s political cartoons include a well-done steak, a silenced protester, and more
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
Trump pulls US from key climate pact, other bodiesSpeed Read The White House removed dozens of organizations from US participation
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
What is the Donroe Doctrine?The Explainer Donald Trump has taken a 19th century US foreign policy and turbocharged it
-
A running list of the US government figures Donald Trump has pardonedin depth Clearing the slate for his favorite elected officials
-
‘Space is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump fears impeachment if GOP loses midtermsSpeed Read ‘You got to win the midterms,’ the president said
-
Nicolás Maduro: from bus driver to Venezuela’s presidentIn the Spotlight Shock capture by US special forces comes after Maduro’s 12-year rule proved that ‘underestimating him was a mistake’
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
