Trump tests negative for Covid-19

President Donald Trump has tested negative for Covid-19, his physician said, following concerns about his exposure to a disease that has paralysed the globe.

Trump agreed to the test after coming in contact with several members of a Brazilian presidential delegation visiting his Florida resort who have since tested positive for the virus.

“This evening, I received confirmation that the test is negative,” the president’s physician, Sean Conley, said on Saturday.

Trump, 73, had dismissed concerns about his exposure to the disease which has killed at least 51 Americans and upended daily life across the country, with millions working from home and schools shut.

New York, the most populous US city, saw its first Covid-19 death on Saturday, as store shelves were stripped bare after days of panic buying.

Across the Hudson River in Teaneck, New Jersey, Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin called for a citywide self-quarantine after 18 cases were confirmed in the township.

“What we are saying is that we are ground zero,” Hameeduddin said.

“Expect or act as though you’re going to infect somebody or somebody is going to infect you.”

Vice-President Mike Pence announced further curbs on travel to the United States, saying a ban imposed on European nations over the pandemic would be extended to the United Kingdom and Ireland tomorrow.

The restrictions threw airports across the country into disarray, with travellers forced to wait hours for medical screenings before passing through Customs.

Trump advised against non-essential travel and said officials were considering imposing domestic restrictions.

“If you don’t have to travel, I wouldn’t do it,” Trump said.

“We want this thing to end.”