President Trump is expressing hope about the “reopening” the United States. While he’s cautious, Trump said at his daily briefing that it would be safe to reopen the country when it is on the "downside of that slope."
Trump also noted it could be done in phases, meaning areas less affected by coronavirus could “open” sooner than others. And while officials are saying that there are glimmers of hope, Trump thinks the U.S. is "ahead of schedule" in slowing the spread of the illness. Still, just about everyone is clear that maintaining social distancing is important to achieve the opening Trump seeks.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon is denying to a new ABC News report, which claims that U.S. intelligence officials were warning about a contagion sweeping through China's Wuhan region as early as November. ABC News says two officials confirm that the intelligence report raised alarms because an out-of-control disease would pose a serious threat to U.S. forces in Asia. They also said the report was briefed "multiple times" to the Pentagon and the White House.
What has become clear? That there are memos from within Trump’s inner circle, which show that the White House was informed in early January – well before the President sounded an alarm and closed the borders.
Where does the United States stand with COVID-19? At last check, there are more than 432-thousand cases across the United States – with just over 14-thousand patients succumbing to the illness – though more than 23-thousand have Globally, the numbers stand at just over 1.4-million people infected by the virus – with more than 88-thousand dead. On the plus side, nearly 330-thousand have recovered (a jump of nearly 30-thousand in one day). But also, remember that raw numbers don’t tell the complete tale. Remember that for more than the 81% of people diagnosed, symptoms are considered mild.
Source: White House