President Donald Trump said his administration may extend the guidelines for social distancing past spring and into early summer at Thursday’s coronavirus task force meeting from the White House. In March, Trump said the guidelines would be in place until April 30.
Trump’s statement came at a time when many state governors are making plans on reopening businesses within their states through phased approaches that initially feature social distancing protocols as a criterion for opening their doors.
Although recent data indicated coronavirus cases could decline during the summer, Trump said the guidelines would continue “until we feel it’s safe.”
“We’ll have to see where [coronavirus] is,” Trump said. “I think people are going to know. You’re going to know. I’m going to know. I think people are going to know just out of common sense. At some point we won’t have to do that. But until we feel it’s safe we’re going to be extending.”
Trump’s statement came after a presentation from Bill Bryan, head of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security, who said that sunlight could potentially kill the virus in seconds. Higher heat and humidity levels also seem to have an effect on the lifespan of the virus, as do some disinfectants.
Household bleach could potentially kill the virus within five minutes while isopropyl alcohol could possibly destroy the virus on surfaces within 30 seconds.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
