Coronavirus US news: Trump tells Americans to 'enjoy their living rooms' and says army may assist states battling deadly pandemic
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump encouraged Americans to self-isolate and “enjoy their living room” as the country battled to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 4,500 confirmed cases nationwide and at least 95 deaths.
The president told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday that his administration was considering providing US military assistance to states battling severe outbreaks of the new coronavirus, as New York and California announced major shutdowns for some of the largest cities in the country. His administration also said it was considering sending checks to all Americans in an effort to slow the economic downturn seen in recent days as the pandemic moved society to a screeching halt nationwide.
The House of Representatives meanwhile passed an emergency relief package late on Monday, which now moves on to the Senate, as the government seeks $850bn (£704bn) to battle the disaster. The latest developments come as three states across the country hold their Democratic primaries, with several others delaying their votes due to the pandemic.
Defence Secretary Mark Esper also said on Tuesday that the Pentagon will provide civilian health authorities with five million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators to help in a national response to the pandemic.
Mr Esper told Pentagon reporters that the ventilators are designed for use by deployed troops and the military will need to train civilians on how to use them. He said some may have "single-use" limitations. And he said the first million respirator masks will be made available immediately.
US officials have talked about the shortage of ventilators to help treat patients with the virus.
Mr Esper stressed that although the Defence Department is prepared to help civilian authorities in any way possible, there are limitations to the assistance and trade-offs that must be considered. "We want to be the last resort", he said, adding that the first line of defense in fighting the virus should be state and local authorities.
Mr Esper also said he has asked the Navy to prepare its two hospital ships — the USNS Mercy in San Diego and the USNS Comfort in Norfolk, Virginia — for deployment. He said the Pentagon will also talk with state and local leaders to see if there is any need for field hospitals.
He said the field units could be used to take the pressure off local hospitals by locating them nearby and using them to perhaps treat trauma patients. Doing so, he said, could free up hospital rooms so they could be used for infectious patients.
The Pentagon has said its hospital ships and field units are designed mainly for treating combat casualties and have areas where multiple patients are together in one room. As a result, they aren't set up to handle patients who need isolation.
Mr Esper made clear that the Pentagon expects to be part of the COVID-19 fight for the long haul, even as it reports increasing numbers of military members being stricken by the disease. The Pentagon said that as of Tuesday morning, 36 military members had been confirmed as having the virus, up from 18 the day before. On Tuesday the Navy reported two sailors had tested positive for the virus — one aboard the USS Coronado and another aboard the USS Ralph Johnson.
Mr Esper said he is considering activating National Guard and Reserve units to help states with planning, logistics and medical support as needed.
"As we get requests in we will look at activating, if we need to, at the federal level or using the Reserves - whatever the case may be", he said.
Additional reporting by AP, See live updates as they came in below.
Trump 'looking at sending $1,000 cheques to Americans immediately' to battle economic slowdown
A more welcome line from Mnuchin was the news that the administration is looking into the logistics of sending Americans $1,000 (£830) cheques to get them through this, as advocated by Mitt Romney yesterday.
Chris Riotta has this one.
200 Connecticut nurses sidelined after being unable to receive Covid-19 test, governor says
An estimated 200 Connecticut nurses are unable to work after coming in contact with someone with Covid-19, the state's governor says.
Ned Lamont spoke to MSNBC's Chris Hayes about how the coronavirus has impacted hospitals, specifically the locations being unable to test nurses so they can go back to work.
"I can tell you Danbury Hospital is already at capacity, and they have 200 nurses who are on furlough because they were in contact (with someone with Covid-19)," Lamont said.
"If I could test those nurses, I could potentially get them back into the game a lot sooner," he added, pointedly.
Here's Danielle Zoellner's report.
How long is all of this self-isolation going to last?
The Independent's Clark Mindock has more on how long US health officials say this may last as the number of cases in the country soar past 4,500 and the death toll reaches at least 95:
Amazon suspends shipments to its warehouses
"We are temporarily prioritising household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfilment centres so we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers," an Amazon spokesperson told The Independent.
Here's Danielle Zoellner with more:
ICYMI: Trump discusses cutting US pandemic response team in newly resurfaced video
Here's the president discussing how he fired the US pandemic response team a few years back, despite claiming just weeks ago that he had no idea it even existed:
Andrew Yang responds to Trump wanting to send $1,000 checks to all Americans
The former 2020 presidential Democratic hopeful said his "phone is blowing up" after the president suggested checks upwards of $1,000 would benefit Americans as the nation battles the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic:
Breaking news: Coronavirus cases pass 5,000 in the US
The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the United States has surpassed 5,000, according to the latest data, as testing continued across the country and experts said the true number of cases was likely far higher.
The latest figures came shortly after Donald Trump held a press conference in which he urged Americans to stay at home for the foreseeable future and “enjoy their living room” rather than taking flights or congregating in large groups.
Story to come...
Latest figures on the coronavirus in the United States
Here's my piece on the number of confirmed cases in the US passing 5,000:
New York City may implement "shelter in place" directives
Here's The Independent's Danielle Zoellner with more:
New York City residents should prepare for a shelter-in-place order to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, the mayor says.
Rumours circulated about the city implementing the order after San Francisco announced on Monday its residents were expected to abide by its own shelter-in-place rule.
If implemented similar to that of San Francisco's, residents in NYC would only be allowed to travel outside their homes to get food, medicine, or for exercise.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he would make the decision within the next 48 hours and encouraged New Yorkers to prepare for the order now.
His response to combating the spread of the coronavirus differs from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who said on Tuesday a shelter-in-place order was not under consideration for the city.
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