iStock/Bill Chizek(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump and his coronavirus task force on Monday issued new, stricter guidelines to stop the spread of the disease, including that states with evidence of community transmission should close bars, restaurants and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate.
The new nationwide guidelines also call on Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people; avoid eating and drinking in bars, restaurants, and public food courts; and encouraging schooling from home across the country.
“My administration is recommending that all Americans, including the young and healthy, work to engage in schooling from home when possible, avoid gathering in groups of more than ten people, avoid discretionary travel and avoid eating and drinking in bars, restaurants, and public food courts,” Trump said. “If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now, we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus, and we are going to have a big celebration altogether. With several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly — a lot of progress has been made.”
Holding up a piece of paper, Trump explained that everyone needed to comply for them to slow the spread.
“It’s important for the young and healthy people to understand that while they may experience milder symptoms, they can easily spread this virus and they will spread it indeed, putting countless others in harm’s way,” Trump said.
Asked by a reporter how long it would last, Trump replied, “people are talking about July, August, something like that.” He said he likes to say it “washes through” but “other people don’t like that term.”
The guidelines say that “In states with evidence of community transmission, bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate should be closed.”
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci said it was important to be aggressive, but noted the new guidelines apply only to the next 15 days.
“We really want people to be separated at this time,” Amb. Deborah Birx, the White House’s point person on coronavirus, said.
President Trump said a nationwide quarantine was not being considered “at this point.”
But he said “we may look at certain areas, certain hot spots, as they call them.”
Asked “Are you considering instituting a nationwide lockdown, a nationwide quarantine? There are still some questions about that,’ Trump then responded:
“At this point, not nationwide. But there are some, you know, places in our nation that are not very effective at all but we may, we may look at certain areas, certain hot spots as they call them. We’ll be looking at that. But, at this moment, no we are not.”
As he spoke, the Dow Jones Industrial average closed down just short of 3,000 points.
Asked if the economy is headed into a recession, Trump said, “Well, it may be.”
“We’re not thinking in terms of recession. We are thinking in terms of the virus,” Trump said. “I think there is a tremendous pent-up demand both in terms of the stock market and in terms of the economy and once this goes away. Once it goes through and we are done with that, you’re going to see a tremendous surge.”
He expressed confidence that the economy will rebound with strength “once this goes away.”
Labeling the coronavirus an “invisible enemy,” the president said he doesn’t ultimately determine what makes a recession.
“I don’t, number one, determine recession. I just say this, we have an invisible enemy. We have a problem that a month ago no one ever thought about,” he said.
For now, the president said his focus is on the virus, not a possible recession.
“My focus is really on getting rid of this problem, this virus problem. Once we do that, everything else is gonna fall into place,”
Asked by ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega about how he’s talking to his own family about the coronavirus outbreak, President Trump acknowledged that people are “very scared.”
He said he’s talked to his youngest son about how bad the virus is and said “it’s bad.”
Trump again expressed surprise about the virus’ spread but said, “hopefully it is going to be a best case, not a worst-case. That is what we are working for.”
Trump confirmed a New York Times report that he told governors they should try to get things like respirators and masks on their own.
“If they can get them faster by getting them on their own — in other words, go through a supply chain that they may have because, you know, the governors during normal times, the governors buy a lot of things — not necessarily through federal government,” Trump said.
The president was then asked how many ventilators and ICU beds the U.S. has prepared right now and if it that will be enough. He did not have a number.
“I could get back to you with that number,” Trump said. “We have ordered a lot, we have quite a few but it may not be enough. And if it’s not enough, we will have it by the time we need it. Hopefully we won’t need them.”
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