CDC: Cancel larger events
Guidance comes as Trump calls for calm
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that gatherings of 50 people or more in the U.S. be canceled or postponed over the next eight weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The dramatic recommendation Sunday night came as Americans struggled to come to terms with how to change their daily habits.
The CDC added that proper precautions should be taken at any event, including making sure people are washing their hands and not getting too close.
But in a sign of the difficulty of striking the right balance, the statement from the CDC also said the recommendation does not apply to “the day to day operation of organizations such as schools, institutes of higher learning, or businesses.”
The announcement came hours after President Donald Trump called on Americans to cease hoarding groceries and other supplies, while one of the nation’s most senior public health officials called on the nation to act with more urgency to safeguard their health as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the United States. Dr.
Anthony Fauci says he would like to see aggressive measures such as a 14-day national shutdown.
Trump assured Americans, after speaking with leading grocery chain executives, that grocers would remain open and that the supply chain remained healthy. Speaking at the same White House news conference, Vice President Mike Pence urged Americans to buy the groceries they need only for the week ahead.
“You don’t have to buy so much,“Trump said at a news conference. “Take it easy. Just relax.”
The comments from the president came after the government’s top infectious disease expert said he would like to see aggressive measures such as a 14-day national shutdown that would require Americans to hunker down even more to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Still, Fauci said travel restrictions within the United States, such as to and from hard-hit Washington state
and California, probably would not be needed anytime soon.
Officials in Washington were preparing for what was expected to be a long-haul effort to try to stem the virus that has upended life around the globe.
“The worst is yet ahead for us,” Fauci said. “It is how we respond to that challenge that is going to determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be.”
Trump on the other hand offered an optimistic outlook even as officials said the infection rate in the U.S. was surging. The president acknowledged that the virus was “very contagious” but asserted that his administration had “tremendous control” over the spread of the disease.
Earlier Sunday, Trump held a call with more than two dozen grocery store and supply chain executives to discuss their response to the coronavirus outbreak. Retailers have reported shoppers flocking to stores to stock up on food and other essentials. Consumers have expressed frustration that some items — such as hand sanitizer and toilet paper — were becoming
more difficult to find.
The Trump administration said millions of new coronavirus tests would be made available in the coming weeks, including tests that speed processing of samples, but it was encouraging Americans to exercise restraint in seeking to get tested.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coordinator for responding to the pandemic, said those most vulnerable to the respiratory disease and the health care providers treating them should go first.
“We ask you to prioritize them and prioritize them in the lines,” she said.
Birx said that will result in a “spike” in positive results as more people gain access to tests.
Pence said that he and the president would brief the nation’s governors on Monday “specifically about our expanding testing to the American people.“
Pence said the federal government on Monday will release updated guidance concerning restaurants, bars and other establishments. California and Illinois are among jurisdictions that have ordered restaurants and bars to close to help slow the spread
of the virus.
Asked whether restaurants and bars around the nation should close for the time being, Fauci said he wanted to wait for the guidance to come but allowed, “That could be.”
Expanded protocols were also on the way to protect the president and his staff. Starting Monday, those who enter the White House complex will have their temperatures taken, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Congress had started work on a new aid package after the one just approved by the House early Saturday, which provided direct relief to Americans suffering physically, financially and emotionally from the pandemic. It included sick pay and other resources and was pending in the Senate.
Pelosi also urged lawmakers to have most of their Washington staff telework from home, as health officials urge social distancing.
Fauci said the country should do as much as “we possibly could,” even if officials were criticized for overreacting.
He said he raised the issue of measures such as a shutdown with the Trump administration, and said officials were open to his ideas.
“I think Americans should be prepared that they are going to have to hunker down significantly more than we as a country are doing,” said Fauci, who heads the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health.
Trump in recent days has imposed sweeping travel restrictions for much of Europe. On Saturday, he added the United Kingdom and Ireland to a list of countries that
would face travel restrictions over the next 30 days. The State Department on Sunday said it would allow U.S. personnel to leave their diplomatic or consular posts worldwide if they or family members were medically determined to be at a higher risk of falling very ill if exposed to the virus.
Trump also has pledged broadened U.S. testing for the virus as major employers such as Apple Inc. have sent workers home to telework and several states and big cities, including Los Angeles and Boston, shuttered down schools for a week or more.