The number of people infected by the coronavirus in theUnited States crossed one million and the fatalities jumped to nearly 59,000,but several states initiated the process to reopen their economies amidst signsof decline in both new cases and deaths.
We continue to pray for the victims as well as for thoseAmericans who are grieving their lost ones and their loved ones. There’s neverbeen anything like this. We suffer with one heart but we will prevail. We arecoming back, and we’re coming back strong, US President Donald Trump said atthe White House during his remarks on the Paycheck Protection Program.
The US on Tuesday became the first country in the world tohave more than one million cases of coronavirus. It accounts for nearlyone-third of the 3.1 million cases globally.
With nearly 59,000 deaths, the US also accounts forone-fourth of the over 213,000 global fatalities.
“Now that our experts believe the worst days of thepandemic are behind us, Americans are looking forward to the safe and rapidreopening of our country, Trump said.
Throughout this ordeal, millions of hard-working Americanshave been asked to really make tremendous, tremendous sacrifices. It issacrifices like nobody thought would even be possible; nobody thought we wouldever be talking about something like this, he said.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom outlined the phasedreopening of his state.
“We are not going back to the way things were until weget to immunity or a vaccine. We will base reopening plans on facts and data,not on ideology. Not what we want. Not what we hope,” he told reporters.
More than 1,800 people have died due to coronavirus inCalifornia so far. Schools and colleges, he said, could start in July-August.
California and Washington were among the first two states toimpose stay-at-home order. Now more than 95 per cent of the country’s 330million population are under stay-at-home order.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has also announced first phasereopening of the state.
Tennessee on Monday allowed reopening of restaurants andlater this week retail outlets could resume their businesses.
Pennsylvania has announced three-phase reopening of thestate beginning May 3.
States like South Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, Ohio, haveannounced phased reopening of their economies. The state of Utah Tuesdayannounced relax restrictions and offered a mask to its residents.
In New York, the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak inthe US, non-essential businesses are ordered to stay closed till May 15. NewYork along with other states including New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania,Delaware, and Rhode Island and Massachusetts have announced to coordinatereopening.
Responding to questions, Trump said the US has done more testingthat any other country in the world. “We’re doing more testing than anyother country in the world by far So, we’re going to show more cases becausewe’re doing much, much more testing, double than anybody else, he said.
Trump said he relied on experts, who apparently went wrongon this.
We were listening to experts and we always will listen toexperts. But, the experts got it wrong. A lot of people got it wrong. And, alot of people had no idea it would be this serious, he said.
I listened to experts. I’ll tell you what. I did somethingthat the experts thought I shouldn’t have done. I closed down our country andour borders. I did a ban on China from coming in, other than US citizens, andwe did very strong checks on even our US citizens, he asserted.
The United States, he said, is opening up again.
I think it’s going to be very, very successful. I think thatthird quarter, it’s obviously a transition quarter, but I think it’s going tobe okay, maybe better than okay. Then I think fourth-quarter will the great andI think next year is going to be a tremendous year for this country, Trumpsaid.