US DECLARES EMERGENCY DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
President says he will most likely be tested for contagion
Washington, March 14: US President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the novel Covid-19, unlocking up to $50 billion in federal funds to combat the fast-spreading pandemic that has killed over
5,000 people and triggered fears that the deadly outbreak will lead to a global economic recession.
The announcement came as infections and deaths soared in Europe, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) calling the continent the pandemic's current epicentre.
The deadly virus, which has killed over 5,000 people globally, including 41 in America has spread to
46 of the 50 US States, with nearly 2,000 cases being reported from across the country. “It could get worse. The next eight weeks are critical,” Trump told a press conference at the Rose Garden in the White House.
“To unleash the full power of the federal government today I'm officially declaring a national emergency,” he announced and said that the action will open up access to up to $50 billion in the fight against Covid19. The declaration of a national emergency, a rarely used presidential power, allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist state and local governments and coordinate the nation's response to the crisis. The deadly virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, has infected more than 134,000 people globally.
The US president has asked every State to set up emergency operation centres immediately. Every hospital has been directed to activate its emergency preparedness plan so that they can meet the needs of citizens, he said.
The emergency orders confer broad new authority to the secretary of health and human services, Washington, March 14: US President Donald Trump has said he will most likely be tested for the novel Covid-19, stressing that he had displayed no symptoms. “I didn't say I wasn’t going to be tested Most likely, yeah,” Trump said on Friday.
His remark came after he was repeatedly asked at a press conference at the White House Rose Garden as to why he was not undergoing tests given that he had last weekend met a Brazilian official who was found positive for the virus later. Trump had met Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his communications chief Fabio Wajngarten at his Florida resort Mar-aLago. Wajngarten tested positive for the virus, while Bolsonaro tested negative. “Not for that reason, but because I think I will do it anyway,” Trump said, two days after the White House said there was no need for the president to undergo tests for the Covid-19.
The US president said the tests would be conducted “fairly soon”. “We’re working on that. We're working out a schedule,” he said.
To a question, Trump said he has “no symptoms” of the virus. “We have no symptoms whatsoever. We had a great meeting with the president of Brazil, Bolsonaro, great guy, very, very tremendous. He’s doing a fantastic job for Brazil. He tested negative, meaning nothing wrong this morning,” he said.
“We got that word too because we did have dinner with him. We were sitting next to each other for a long period of time,” Trump said, adding that he sat with Bolsonaro for probably two hours, “but he’s tested negative, so that’s good”.
Earlier this week, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham had said, “The President has not received Covid-19 testing because he has neither had prolonged close contact with any known confirmed Covid-19 patients, nor does he have any symptoms.”
“President Trump remains in excellent health, and his physician will continue to closely monitor him,” the press secretary had said.
The White House Medical Unit and the United States Secret Service has been working closely with various agencies to ensure every precaution is taken to keep the first and second Families, and all White House staff healthy.