President Donald Trump has told state governors to expect new “social distancing” guidelines, amid the coronavirus national emergency. CBS News reports that Trump sent a letter to the state leaders, stating, “There is still a long battle ahead, but our efforts are already paying dividends. As we enhance protections against the virus, Americans across the country are hoping the day will soon arrive when they can resume their normal economic, social and religious lives.”
“In furtherance of this shared goal, my administration is working to publish new guidelines for state and local policymakers to use in making decisions about maintaining, increasing or relaxing social distancing and other mitigation measures they have put in place,” he added. Trump later wrote, “As testing gives us more information about who has been infected, we are tracking the virus and isolating it to prevent further spread. This new information will drive the next phase in our war against this invisible enemy.”
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“Our expanded testing capabilities will quickly enable us to publish criteria, developed in close coordination with the Nation’s public health officials and scientists, to help classify counties with respect to continued risks posed by the virus,” he also stated.
The virus has led to innumerable businesses closing or limiting hours, as citizens have been asked to keep their distance from others by remaining home as much as possible and avoiding large crowds.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s foremost infectious disease specialist — who has been working with the Trump administration on trying to limit the spread of coronavirus — recently spoke with CNN about how the government will have to approach this unprecidented situation.
“You’ve got to understand that you don’t make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline,” he said. “So you’ve got to respond in what you see happen. And if you keep seeing this acceleration, it doesn’t matter what you say. One week, two weeks, three weeks — you’ve got to go with what the situation on the ground is.”
Interestingly, President Trump has implied that states with lesser cases could begin getting back to normal sooner than others, saying in a press briefing on Wednesday, “We could go to certain states right now that have virtually no problem or a very small problem.”
He continued: “We don’t have to test the entire state in the middle west, or wherever they may be. We don’t have to test the entire state. I think it’s ridiculous. We don’t have to do it. A lot of those states could go back right now, and they probably will because at some point in the not-too-distant future, certain states are going to come off the rolls.”
At this time, medical experts continue to encourage U.S. citizens to practice social distancing, and regularly washing their hands, to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
