US President Donald Trump announced that he is considering putting New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut under quarantine due to the coronavirus outbreak. He described the measure as undesirable, but potentially necessary given the existing conditions. The POTUS didn't elaborate on when and under which circumstances he will make a final decision on the matter, but he once again spoke in favour of reopening the American economy instead of shutting it down further.
Trump suggested that he could invoke the Defence Production Act again after already ordering the production of ventilators at General Motors’ factories. Ventilators are currently in high demand with hospitals treating patients suffering from breathing problems induced by the COVID-19 virus.
Heading to the Great State of Virginia now, will be there shortly. The #USNSComfort is “loaded to the gills” at Naval Station Norfolk, departing for New York City this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/1ZSUweoX7x
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 28, 2020
Trump also announced via Twitter that US Navy hospital ship the USS Comfort is loaded to help New Yorkers and will be departing for its destination shortly.
Coronavirus Outbreak in US
The coronavirus outbreak has struck the US hard, resulting in over 85,356 infections and 1,246 deaths. New York state alone has reported 44,635 cases so far, 6,876 have been confirmed in New Jersey, and Connecticut has registered around 1,012. While New Jersey is the second hardest hit state in the US, Connecticut ranks 14 in terms of the number of COVID-19 infections in the country.
The virus has also taken a heavy toll on the American economy, forcing many companies to shut down their activities and lay off many of their employees. It led to a sudden surge in unemployment benefit applications last week, with three million requests compared to the average 200k per week adjusted for seasonal movements.
This week, Donald Trump argued that the disease-related lockdowns were harming the American economy more than the coronavirus itself and called for a speedy reopening of businesses and the country. He suggested Easter as an approximate date by which he would like to see this happen.
