The Trump administration is informing Americans that they need to brace for “a very painful two weeks” that could end with hundreds of thousands of deaths due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The White House made the somber announcement during Tuesday’s meeting of the coronavirus task force. President Trump is urging Americans to remain under lockdown until at least Apr. 30, as public life slows down to a standstill.
“The surge is coming, and it’s coming pretty strong,” Trump said during the public briefing.
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The estimates, which are based off of recommendations from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Dr. Anthony Fauci and other top experts, are that between 100,000 and 240,000 Americans will ultimate die of coronavirus with most of the damage coming in the next couple weeks. They warn that there could be 1.5 and 2.2 million deaths if drastic measures are not taken.
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“It is absolutely critical for the American people to follow the guidelines,” Trump said at the briefing, referring to his administration’s “30 Days to Slow the Spread” plan. “It’s a matter of life and death.”
While Trump has somewhat downplayed the coronavirus threat in recent weeks, he is now urging Americans to behave with the utmost caution during the most dangerous days of the pandemic that are soon to come.
“This is going to be a rough two week period,” Trump said. “As a nation we’re going to have a really rough two weeks. Our strength will be tested and our endurance will be tried.”
“This could be a hell of a bad two weeks. This is going to be a very bad two or maybe even three weeks. This is going to be three weeks like we’ve never seen before,” he added.
Trump had previously said that he intended to re-open the country by Apr. 12, hoping that the nation could return to normalcy by Easter Sunday. He was forced to revise his optimistic projections in lieu of the projections.
“There’s no magic bullet, there’s no magic vaccine or therapy. It’s just behaviors,” said Dr. Deborah Birx, adding that only social distancing and proper medical care can change “the course of the viral pandemic.”
“As sobering a number as that it is, we should be prepared for that,” Fauci said of the prospect of hundreds of thousands of coronavirus-related deaths. “No one is denying that we are going through a very difficult time right now.”
The President was quick to praise the health care workers who are on the front lines of this war against an invisible enemy.
“I watched the doctors and nurses walking into the hospital [in Elmhurst, Queens] this morning and it is like military people going into battle, going into war. The bravery is incredible,” Trump said of health care employees working in the area in which he grew up. “If I were wearing a hat, I’d rip that hat off so fast and I would say, ‘You people are just incredible.’”
Big League Politics will continue to provide the latest in coronavirus coverage as the pandemic continues to worsen.
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