The number of coronavirus cases
detected in the United States rose past half a million over the
Easter weekend with more than 18 600 deaths, as President Donald
Trump said the decision on when it was safe to reopen the
country would be the biggest he had ever had to make.
Public health experts have warned that the US death toll
could spike to 200 000 over the summer if unprecedented
stay-at-home orders that have closed businesses and kept most
Americans indoors are lifted after 30 days.
Trump, seeking re-election in November, has said he wants
life to return to normal as soon as possible and that the
sweeping restrictions on movement aimed at curbing the spread of
the Covid-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus carry their
own economic and public-health cost.
"I'm going to have to make a decision, and I ... hope to God
that it's the right decision," he told reporters on Friday.
"It's the biggest decision I've ever had to make."
Trump said the facts would determine the next move. Asked
what metrics he would use to make his judgment, he pointed at
his forehead: "The metrics right here, that's my metrics."
The current federal guidelines run to April 30. The
president will then have to decide whether to extend them or
start encouraging people to go back to work and a more normal
way of life.
Trump said he would unveil a new advisory council next week
that will include some state governors and will focus on the
process of reopening the U.S. economy.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits in the
last three weeks surpassed 15 million, as weekly new claims
topped 6 million for the second straight time last week.
The government has said the economy purged 701,000 jobs in
March. That was the most job losses since the Great Recession
and ended the longest employment boom in US history that
started in late 2010.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease
expert, and other health officials have pointed to declining
rates of coronavirus hospitalizations and admissions to
intensive care units - particularly in hard-hit New York state -
as signs that social distancing measures are paying off.
The stay-at-home orders imposed in recent weeks across 42
states have taken a huge toll on American commerce, with some
economists forecasting job losses of up to 20 million by month's
end, raising questions about how long business closures and
travel restrictions can be sustained.
The Trump administration renewed talk of quickly reopening
the economy after an influential university research model this
week lowered its US mortality forecasts to 60 000 deaths by
August 4, down from at least 100 000, assuming social-distancing
measures remain in place.
However, new US government data show infections will spike
over the summer if stay-at-home orders are lifted after 30 days,
according to projections first reported by the New York Times
and confirmed by a Department of Homeland Security official.
Only Italy has recorded more coronavirus fatalities than the
United States.