Trump "Infection Peak Passed... Economic Reopening Guidelines to Be Announced Tomorrow"

"Very Excited" Mention
Opinions Also Heard from Key Economic Figures
"WHO Is a Tool of China" Criticism

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Donald Trump said he would announce new guidelines related to the response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) on the 16th.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

On the 15th (local time), President Trump, at a COVID-19 task force (TF) press conference held in the White House Rose Garden, said, "The data suggests that new infections caused by the coronavirus have peaked," and announced new guidelines for reopening the economy.

President Trump said, "It is clear that our aggressive strategy is working," adding, "The battle continues, but the data shows that we have passed the peak of new (infection) cases nationwide." He said, "I am very excited. Tomorrow will be a very important day and a really interesting time."

On the same day, President Trump spoke with key figures from various fields such as the economy and sports to hear their opinions on reopening the economy. Regarding this, The New York Times reported that business leaders conveyed to President Trump that more COVID-19 testing must be possible to restart economic activities. Some expressed concerns that employees returning to work might get infected with COVID-19 and file lawsuits.

In a briefing the day before, President Trump also mentioned that some states could change social distancing guidelines and resume economic activities even before May.

Regarding reopening the economy, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has taken a different stance from President Trump, mentioned that they are considering a phased approach to gradually reopen businesses that are more essential and have a lower risk of transmission.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of 8:14 p.m. on the same day, the number of COVID-19 infections in the United States has reached about 647,000. The death toll is 28,364.

Meanwhile, President Trump also devoted considerable remarks to criticizing the World Health Organization (WHO) on the same day. He pointed out that the U.S. supports the WHO with an absolutely larger amount of money compared to China and criticized, "WHO is a tool of China."

One foreign media outlet, citing White House officials, reported that the U.S. government is also considering transferring the funds intended for the WHO to the International Red Cross.

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