Trump's Last-Ditch Move... Drive-Thru Testing in Han

Emergency Declaration and Sudden Drive-Through Testing Announcement
Korean-Style Measure as Urgent Prescription for Presidential Election Crisis
Stock Market Surges with Positive Response

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] On the 13th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump officially announced the introduction of the Korean-style drive-thru testing while declaring a national emergency in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

Facing criticism over the failure to respond to COVID-19 and cornered ahead of his re-election, President Trump adopted the Korean-style solution to escape the crisis.

U.S. President Donald Trump is watching an explanation of the Korean-style 'drive-through' COVID-19 testing.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

According to the Associated Press and others, President Trump held a press conference at the White House Rose Garden and officially declared a national emergency.

President Trump stated that no resources would be spared in responding to COVID-19 and that state governments and others would have access to $50 billion in funds to respond to the outbreak.

President Trump specifically said, "I urge all states to immediately establish effective emergency operations centers," and revealed that he had been discussing the drive-thru testing method with pharmacies and retailers. He explained that the drive-thru testing allows people to be tested while remaining in their cars without needing to get out.

President Trump added, "I appreciate Google’s support in developing the website. It will be completed very quickly." He also introduced that Google deployed 1,700 personnel to develop the website.

Following President Trump, Debbie Bux, White House COVID-19 Task Force (TF) coordinator, took the podium and introduced that "large-scale testing has been conducted in Korea over the past few weeks," holding up a conceptual diagram summarizing the drive-thru testing process and explaining the procedure.

Coordinator Bux also said, "President Trump recognized that our current testing methods are insufficient to meet the demand of the American public and requested a comprehensive review of the testing approach."

The drive-thru testing method is already being implemented in the U.S. Drive-thru testing sites have been set up in New Rochelle, identified as a 'hotspot' in New York State, and are also operating in Colorado and other states.

When President Trump visited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the 6th, he was asked about Korea’s drive-thru testing and evaluated that Korea had many patients while the U.S. did not. However, as criticism over the rapid increase of patients in the U.S. intensified and after his national address on the 11th, the stock market plunged, putting him on the defensive, it appears he changed his stance.

President Trump’s choice is showing better results compared to the State of the Union address. On the day of the emergency declaration, he announced only the introduction of drive-thru testing sites and strategic oil purchases without presenting specific economic measures, but immediately after the speech, the U.S. stock and oil markets recorded sharp gains.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.