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VOA – WHITE HOUSE – The United States should be prepared to endure 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from the #COVID-19 coronavirus over the next two months\u00a0even\u00a0if Americans continue to keep their distance from each other.\u00a0 The peak number of deaths will come over the next two to three weeks, according to the White House coronavirus task force. \u201cOur country is in the midst of a great national trial unlike any we have faced before,\u201d said\u00a0U.S.\u00a0President Donald Trump as the White House on Tuesday formally\u00a0introduced its\u00a0extended\u00a030-day\u00a0social-distancing guidelines based on statistical models.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThis is going to be one of the roughest two or three weeks we\u2019ve ever had in our country,\u201d Trump predicted.\u00a0\u00a0 For the most part, the\u00a0two physicians on the podium with the president and Vice President Mike Pence\u00a0administered\u00a0the bitter medicine\u00a0to the American public.<\/p>\nHours later, the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio said he needs an answer \u201cright now\u201d on a request that had been made to the White House for relief medical staff, including 1,000 nurses, 300 respiratory therapists and 150 physicians.<\/p>\n
In the afternoon,\u00a0before\u00a0the briefing, Trump spoke on the phone with nine executives of top network service providers to thank the companies \u201cfor their tireless work to keep Americans connected during this time of social distancing,\u201d said White House\u00a0spokesman, Judd Deere. \u201cThe\u00a0president thanked these leaders for not only rising to the increased\u00a0demand\u00a0but\u00a0extending services to all Americans at no additional cost and for waiving bills and late fees for those experiencing financial hardship.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent days, the president\u00a0has adopted a more somber tone about the\u00a0overall\u00a0human toll that is going to be caused by the\u00a0coronavirus\u00a0in the country. Earlier he had brushed off the disease as nothing worse than the annual waves of influenza and stated,\u00a0\u201cthe cure can\u2019t be worse than the disease,\u201d\u00a0suggesting he would relax\u00a0now-extended restrictions\u00a0so the economy\u00a0would\u00a0not\u00a0be\u00a0more severely crippled.<\/p>\n
The president has now pivoted from leaning toward the advice of some on his economic team who advocated loosening the social distancing restrictions to the public health officials \u2013 and members of his reelection team \u2013 with dire warnings.<\/p>\n
Trump this week began publicly warning of the worst-case scenario of more than\u00a02\u00a0million Americans dying of the virus if people returned\u00a0to work and school prematurely.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday,\u00a0Trump\u00a0also suggested\u00a0a fourth phase spending bill by Congress\u00a0that would\u00a0total $2.2\u00a0trillion (a similar price tag that was on the third phase), but this legislation, he said,\u00a0would\u00a0focus\u00a0solely on jobs and rebuilding the country\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a strong dollar. People want to invest in the United States\u201d so \u201cthis would be a great time to borrow money at a\u00a0zero interest\u00a0rate\u201d\u00a0to fund fixing roads, highways, tunnels and bridges, Trump\u00a0said.<\/p>\n
Democratic congressional leaders have also started work on potential programs for a fourth phase bill, including infrastructure efforts that would put people to work, more money for unemployment benefits and\u00a0more\u00a0help for hospitals.<\/p>\n
Republican leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have been cooler to the idea of more action now.\u00a0 McConnell said on the Hugh Hewitt radio show Tuesday, \u201cLet\u2019s see how things are going and respond accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n