Getwell soon

It’s hoped the president’s diagnosis drives home the scary realities of the coronavirus.

The news early Friday that President Donald Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus sent shock waves across the nation and around the world.

The announcement rattled the markets, prompted concern from world leaders and further unsettled an already chaotic presidential race less than five weeks from the election.

This is about as 2020 as it gets. We wish a complete and speedy recovery to the president, first lady Melania Trump and others in the administration who may have been exposed to the virus that has killed more than 207,000 Americans, sickened countless others and wrecked the economy.

At 74, the president’s age, sex and weight put him in a group that is at higher risk of developing a severe case of COVID-19. We hope that the quick diagnosis and the health care he receives will spare him the need for intensive care or breathing assistance that has been required to treat thousands.

In wishing for the best possible outcomes for the president, we also sincerely desire that this news drives home the scary realities of the virus and the need to urge everyone to observe the simple guidelines of wearing a mask around other people, keeping a safe distance from others in public or crowded situations, and regularly washing our hands.

The president has at times reinforced these common sense guidelines, but has too often sent mixed or muddled messages about the severity of COVID-19 and the ease with which it is transmitted.

Even worse, the president has repeatedly undermined or even mocked advice about wearing a facial covering, a tool that medical experts and scientists have cited as the best way to slow the spread of coronavirus.

When asked at the presidential debate on Tuesday night about why he almost never covers his face in public, Trump pulled a mask from his suit pocket and said, “I put a mask on, you know, when I think I need it.”

But he then chided Democratic opponent Joe Biden and tried to score political points by suggesting the former vice president was being overly cautious.

“I don’t wear masks like him,” he said, motioning to Biden. “Every time you see him, he’s got a mask.”

We don’t yet know how the president was exposed to the coronavirus, but shortly before the news was announced Bloomberg News reported that Hope Hicks, a senior adviser who traveled with him this week, had tested positive.

Numerous photos show the president, Hicks and others in the administration walking and talking together without masks.

We hope everyone quickly recovers and can begin spreading the wisdom of masks and social distancing, instead of misinformation about the coronavirus.

Anna Moneymaker / New York Times President Donald Trump departs theWhite House inWashington aboard Marine One on Friday en route toWalter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he will be treated for the coronavirus. The White House says he was taken to the hospital “out of an abundance of caution.”