Coronavirus Coverage: US Will Not Extend Social Distancing Mandate

Posted on by Dominique Noelle

President Trump said Wednesday the federal government’s social distancing guidelines will be “fading out” when they expire Thursday, counting on states taking charge as they pivot to reopening.

What We Know:

  • The administration says the cautionary guidance issued 45 days ago has been incorporated into recommendations given to the states on how they can begin gradually easing restrictions and reopening their economies.
  • The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter – a precursor to far grimmer reports that are expected this summer from the pandemic that has shut down much of the country and triggered a severe recession.
  • Trump, who has both threatened to force states to reopen and said decisions will be left to them, confirmed the White House will not be extending its “30 Days to Slow the Spread” guidelines when they expire Thursday.
  • Vice President Mike Pence, said the guidelines have been incorporated into the new guidance issued by the White House earlier this month that lays out how states can gradually begin to reopen as the rate of new cases slows. “The current guidelines are very much incorporated in the guidance that we’re giving states to up America again,” Pence said.

  • Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said the experimental drug introduced by the White House on Wednesday, reduced the time it takes patients to recover by 31% – 11 days on average versus 15 days for those just given usual care.
  • Trump said that the U.S. death total has risen so high in large part because of increased U.S. testing. The U.S. has dramatically increased its testing after a slow and rocky start, but many health experts say the country still must do more – as many as 5 million a day – to safely reopen the economy. Otherwise, they warn, cases will skyrocket as Americans return to work, creating another deadly spike.

Separately on Wednesday, Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, told Fox and Friends that the administration is preparing the country to “get as close back to normal as possible as quickly as possible”.

Related Posts