Coronavirus: Donald Trump wants US ‘opened up’ by Easter, ignoring experts’ warnings of health risks
- US president says reopening businesses is crucial; ‘otherwise, it's going to be very hard to start it up again’
- The call to resume business as usual runs against advice from medical experts, who warn that such a move would kill more people
US President Donald Trump declared on Tuesday that he aims to end strict social distancing measures enacted to halt the coronavirus spread by Easter Sunday – in less than three weeks – to avoid prolonged economic damage.
Speaking in a Fox News interview in the White House Rose Garden, Trump said that strong gains in US stock markets on Tuesday reflect “the fact that we’re opening up this incredible country because we have to do that. I’d love to have it open by Easter.” The holiday falls on April 12 this year.
“More people are going to die” unless businesses are allowed to reopen, the president said. “Our country has to get back to work, otherwise it’s going to be very hard to start it up again.”
Trump has become increasingly vocal in the past two days about the need to end stay-at-home orders imposed on nearly one-third of Americans to slow the spread of the pandemic. More states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, joined New York, California, Illinois, Connecticut and New Jersey in tightening restrictions.
But Trump is pushing for a stop to these measures, largely against the advice of most health experts, who warn that the spread of the contagion – which causes the potentially deadly Covid-19 respiratory ailment – is not abating in the US.
