U.S President Donald Trump has announced that he needs all or large swathes of the United States reopened by Easter without first informing his top public health officials. President Trump appeared in public with his infectious disease official Anthony Fauci and a State Department infectious disease expert Deborah Birx. Fauci informed reporters he had a candid conversation with Trump in the Oval Office just before the appearance. Point to be noted that Trump appeared along with Fauci, Birx, and other officials in the briefing room for a coronavirus update. But, unexpectedly, President didn’t inform the duo and other members of his coronavirus task force that he was going to tell Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer that he needs all or most of the country open for business by 12th April 2020.
Fox News studio in Washington, DC stopped Stephanie Grisham, before her first day back at the White House after 14 days of self-quarantining at home. It is noteworthy that she had a contact with a Brazilian official (who later tested positive) at Trump’s South Florida resort. The press secretary of White House was asked whether Donald Trump consulted with his experts before making the declaration, which has been panned by Democrats and health experts. Grisham said, “I don’t know how well informed they were, the president listens to his medical team”. But, Grisham made clear who will make the call, even if governors and mayors will not be bound by it, when it comes to just when Trump might say parts or all of the country should go back to work.
Grisham said, “They’ll make some recommendations and he’ll make a final decision”. Her comments came hours after the U.S Senate passed a $2 trillion economic improvement package designed to empower the U.S economy midst the Covid-19 epidemic. Hundreds of thousands of jobs already have been lost and a Labor Department unemployment report due on Thursday morning. The U.S Senate is expected to vote on the bill after vote from the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is trying to find a way to pass it and send it to Trump’s desk without calling the 435 House members back to Washington.