US coronavirus death toll passes 1,000 as Senate approves economic rescue package
Trump says ‘our country wasn’t built to be shut down’ and vows not to allow ‘the cure be worse than the problem’
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Your support makes all the difference.The US death toll from the coronavirus pandemic has topped 1,000.
The number of dead in the US rose to 1,041 on Wednesday, with nearly 70,000 people infected with Covid-19.
In recognition of the scale of the threat, the US Senate passed a $2.2 trillion (£1.8bn) economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems.
The Senate passed the vote unanimously despite misgivings on both sides about whether it went far enough or not far enough.
The 880-page measure is the largest economic relief bill in US history.
The rescue package includes a $500bn (£420bn) fund to help hard-hit industries and a comparable amount for direct payments of up to $3,000 apiece to millions of US families.
The legislation will also provide $350bn (£294bn) for small-business loans, $250bn (£210bn) for expanded unemployment aid and at least $100bn (£84bn) for hospitals and related health systems.
Donald Trump, the US president, has called for Americans to observe social distancing for 15 days, including staying at home from work and closing bars and restaurants.
However, he has also said ”our country wasn’t built to be shut down” and vowed not to allow “the cure be worse than the problem”.
The president appeared concerned the outbreak’s devastating effects on financial markets and employment will harm his chances at re-election later this year.
“The LameStream Media is the dominant force in trying to get me to keep our Country closed as long as possible in the hope that it will be detrimental to my election success,” Mr Trump tweeted on Wednesday.
Democrats argued Mr Trump was prioritising the economy over the health and safety of Americans.
“I’d like to say, let’s get back to work next Friday,” said Joe Biden, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. “That’d be wonderful. But it can’t be arbitrary.”
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