Despite the World Health Organization stating that the U.S. has "potential" to become the next epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, Donald Trump reiterated his goal to open up the U.S. by Easter (April 12).
“Wouldn’t it be great to have all the churches full?” Trump asked in his interview with Fox News. “You’ll have packed churches all over our country … I think it’ll be a beautiful time.”
At a daily press briefing, the president also said, “America will, again, and soon, be open for business. Very soon. A lot sooner than three or four months that somebody was suggesting. Lot sooner. We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself.”
When asked on the matter, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a prominent member of the White House's coronavirus task force, noted that Donald Trump’s timeline for ending the social distancing in parts of the country by Easter Sunday should be "flexible."
At the same time, Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, highlighted, “We are now seeing a very large acceleration in the numbers of cases from the United States — so it does have that potential. We cannot say that that is the case yet, but it does have that potential."