Trump admits virus is hitting US hard
MILLIONS of Californians were ordered to stay in their homes for the next three weeks as US President Donald Trump for the first time acknowledged the coronavirus wasn’t “under control”.
Mr Trump’s admission that the US was possibly headed to a recession routed Wall St as businesses, schools and events continued to
SARAH BLAKE
shutter across the country. The new reality was likely to last until July or August, Mr Trump said, in his most sober assessment of the threat posed by COVID-19, as his chief medical officer warned America was at an “inflection point” and needed drastic action to avoid the tragic circumstances Italy faces.
Mr Trump released new federal guidelines to limit gatherings to fewer than 10 people, to homeschool and not go to bars, restaurants or travel for the next 15 days so the health system can cope.
He also warned people not to eat and drink in bars, restaurants and food halls.
“If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now, we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus,” Mr Trump said. Mr Trump’s guidelines are not enforceable and he said he was considering instituting a nationwide curfew.
The guidelines mirrored steps taken in some states, with New York shutting its casinos, theatres and gyms, and closing its school system.
In California, millions of residents in six counties near San Francisco, home to much of Silicon Valley, were ordered to “shelter in place” for the next three weeks.