“LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL”
by Sharon Rondeau
(Mar. 31, 2020) — At Tuesday’s White House Coronavirus Task Force briefing, President Trump acknowledged that communities and states have made “sacrifices” in the wake of the pandemic, a situation he said America has never faced before.
FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers are assisting the hard-hit states of Louisiana, Michigan and New York, Trump said.
The State Department is evacuating American citizens from foreign countries which they were unable to leave as a result of travel restrictions, he reported, with a total of more than 25,000 already repatriated. “They were absolutely stuck and we got ’em out,” he said.
“I want every American to be prepared for the tough days ahead,” he said, adding, “The experts are predicting we will see some light at the end of the tunnel.”
New Jersey lost 29 people in one day, Trump said, and “hundreds” have been lost in a single day in other states.
“Our strength will be tested and our endurance will be tried” during the course of the crisis, he said. “…This is a plague.”
Trump said he has “watched” as medical professionals entered Elmhurst Hospital, which he mentioned on Monday, and “to see the scenes of trailers out there and what they’re doing with those trailers — they’re freezers, and nobody can even believe it.”
“The bravery is incredible,” he said, and that if he were wearing a hat, he would “take it off” to honor the front-line workers.
After several minutes Trump turned over the presser to Dr. Deborah Birx, a key member of the Task Force, who spoke, accompanied by slides, about the “curve” of the virus and the mitigation factors recommended by the administration to “flatten” the curve.
She reiterated that without mitigation, as many as 2,200,000 Americans could have died from the coronavirus, according to experts’ modeling.
Birx said that although staying home is “a sacrifice,” it is making an impact and reducing the number of infected people and that health-care workers are even more stressed.
“There are difficult days ahead,” NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said after Birx completed her presentation, acknowledging that the next two weeks could see sharp increases in confirmed cases and deaths. Both Birx and Fauci stressed that the additional national stay-at-home recommendation for 30 more days emanates from the need to continue distancing among people.
Both Fauci and Birx referred to the coronavirus as “an epidemic.” As many as 200,000 could still lose their lives, Fauci said.
Vice President Mike Pence said that 29 “major disaster declarations” for states have been approved by the administration and that approximately 17,000 National Guard members are now activated. More than 1.1 million coronavirus tests have been completed as of today, he said. “It’s imperative that you continue to report daily the results of those tests to the CDC,” he said, addressing himself to all laboratories conducting testing.
The National Guard is assisting in moving supplies to hospitals, Pence said, and that flights from “around the world” are sending medical supplies to the U.S. The administration will “leave no stone unturned” in combating the virus, he said.
He thanked the American people for their actions as well as residents of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey for observing a CDC-recommended “travel advisory” issued on Sunday. The tri-state area became the epicenter of the virus in the U.S., with California and Washington State, which had the earliest cases, having been able to mitigate the number of cases.
On Wednesday, Pence said he will visit a Walmart distribution center, and he thanked those supplying groceries to local supermarkets throughout the crisis. “We’re going to continue to work our hearts out” to supply medical personnel with the equipment they need, he said.
“We’ll get through this, but it will take all of us doing our part, and we’ll get through it together,” he concluded.
Trump, Fauci, and Birx then took questions.
In response to one question, Trump affirmed that “this is not the flu…” He said that the “projections are very sobering” and “this is not to be ridden out.”
He said that the CARES Act which he signed on Friday to revive the U.S. economy, is “well worth it” given the potential loss of life in the millions had mitigation and a shutdown of most businesses not been carried out.
As for whether or not another 30 days is “enough,” Trump said that he is hopeful that it will be sufficient but that a reassessment will be conducted.
When asked as to whether or not all state governors should issue “stay home” orders, particularly Florida, Pence said that the administration continues to give guidance to the entire country but that the crisis is “managed locally.” He said the administration has no plans to impose an individual state order unless something unusual were to occur.