Washington - US President Donald Trump
pressed his case on Tuesday for a re-opening of the US economy
by mid-April despite a surge in coronavirus cases, downplaying
the pandemic as he did in its early stages by comparing it to
the seasonal flu.
Trump and his coronavirus team on March 16 put in place
recommendations for people across the country to cut down social
and professional interactions for 15 days in a bid to reduce the
virus' spread.
But the president, a Republican who is seeking re-election
in November, has begun to chafe at the economic repercussions.
During a live town hall broadcast on Fox News Channel, he
said he would like to have businesses opening their doors again
by Easter, which will be celebrated on April 12.
"I would love to have the country opened up and just raring
to go by Easter," he said.
The president said the country did not take drastic measures
to fight car crashes and flu deaths similar to those it is
taking for the coronavirus. He said Americans could continue
practicing social-distancing measures, which health experts say
are crucial to prevent infection, while also going back to work.
"We lose thousands and thousands of people a year to the
flu. We don't turn the country off," Trump said. "You can
destroy a country this way by closing it down."
The president has come under criticism from fellow
Republicans and others for saying he would like to reopen the
economy, even as the Pentagon and others forecast the outbreak
could last for months.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, told CNN on
Tuesday: "We don't think that we're going to be in any way ready
to be out of this in five or six days or so, or whenever this 15
days is up from the time that they started this imaginary
clock."
Fox has come under criticism for its own treatment of the
virus as some opinion program hosts played it down in the early
period of its spread.
The president, who said early on in the crisis that the
virus was under control, has been stunned by its impact on the
economy and the stock market.
"Our people want to return to work," he said on Twitter
earlier on Tuesday. "They will practice Social Distancing and
all else, and Seniors will be watched over protectively &
lovingly. We can do two things together. THE CURE CANNOT BE
WORSE (by far) THAN THE PROBLEM!"
Trump and his economic and health advisers are mulling how
to proceed after the 15-day period of tough measures to slow the
pandemic.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow, speaking to
reporters at the White House, said the Trump administration was
looking at low-infection areas where the economy might be
reopened after a 15-day shutdown period ends next week.