With COVID-19 Cases Surging in the US... Trump Indicates Easing of 'Social Distancing' Measures

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Despite the surge in confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the United States, President Donald Trump hinted at the possibility of lifting movement restrictions within weeks. It is interpreted that President Trump, concerned that a severe economic recession caused by COVID-19 ahead of the November presidential election could hurt his re-election chances, is advocating for the resumption of economic activities.

According to Bloomberg News and others on the 23rd (local time), President Trump said at the COVID-19 Task Force (TF) press conference held that day, "We will not let the situation worsen more because of the cure than the problem (COVID-19)," and "We will not let the U.S. economy slow down for too long while fighting COVID-19." He added, "Our country (the U.S.) will not remain in shutdown," and "America will reopen businesses again soon, and it will not exceed 3 to 4 months."

President Trump's remarks were first mentioned on Twitter the night before. He said, "We will decide which way to go when the 15 days end," suggesting the possibility of changes after the 15-day deadline of the COVID-19 guidelines, including 'social distancing' measures, which began on the 16th and ends on the 30th.

Following the tweet, foreign media cited sources reporting that since last week, President Trump, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and Larry Kudlow, Chairman of the White House National Economic Council (NEC), have been considering easing various restrictions in light of the economic impact. The Washington Post (WP) reported that President Trump is concerned about the impact of the sharp rise in unemployment and severe economic contraction on his re-election and has begun consulting those around him on what measures to take in the future.

At the press conference, President Trump argued that if a severe economic recession occurs due to social distancing, other problems such as suicides caused by COVID-19 issues could arise, and that it is possible to conduct quarantine work and resume economic activities simultaneously.

However, health authorities are opposing this. Health experts argue that it would hinder efforts to respond to the spread of COVID-19 and insist that broad guidelines must be maintained. In response, President Trump said, "The COVID-19 TF medical staff did not support this," adding, "We are just having a conversation together."

On the same day, the U.S. became the country with the third highest number of COVID-19 patients after China and Italy, as the cumulative number of confirmed cases exceeded 40,000. In particular, New York State, where the COVID-19 situation is most severe, surpassed 20,000 patients. Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that 5,707 new patients were confirmed in one day, bringing the total number of patients to 20,875. This is even larger than France, which has the seventh highest number of confirmed cases worldwide (20,123).

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