Official White House Photo by D. Myles Cullen(WASHINGTON) — As the Easter weekend begins, President Donald Trump will likely not see the “packed churches” he once envisioned last month.
But while he has not given a specific date calling for an “opening up” of the country, the focus of the economic task force being set up by the White House is to find ways to have a majority of the U.S. open once the current social distancing guidelines expire April 30, administration officials have told ABC News.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who sources say would be a key member of that still-unannounced task force, has said he “absolutely” thinks it’s a possible for some businesses to be back up and running in May.
Trump has continued to predict the country will quickly return to normal and bounce back like never before, but he has limited say in when and how that could begin. Many governors have instituted stay-at-home orders and other lockdowns until at least June.
And Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top expert on infectious diseases, has cautioned that the virus dictates the timeline and warned that to “gradually” reopen the country widespread testing must be in place, so doctors can better identify, isolate and trace cases.
Asked about the need for nationwide testing in order to send Americans back to work at Thursday’s briefing, the president largely dismissed the question, touting the country’s testing of two million people “a milestone anywhere,” while saying that testing all 325 million Americans is impractical and “not gonna happen.”
“We want to have it and we’re going to see if we have it. Do you need it? No. Is it a nice thing to do? Yes,” the president said.
As even Trump’s allies reportedly question whether his daily briefings are hurting his campaign, and the president has appeared to cut back on how long he answers questions, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll released Friday shows his approval for his handling of the crisis continues to be underwater for back-to-back weeks.
Here are the latest developments in the government response:
Surgeon General says ‘most of the country’ will not be open by May 1
While the Trump administration reportedly eyes the date, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said Friday morning that most Americans will not be able to return to their normal lives on May 1, after the current White House social distancing guidelines are set to end April 30.
In an interview with Fox News Friday morning, Adams said the administration would be “data-driven” in determining when to reopen businesses around the U.S., echoing comments from Vice President Mike Pence at Thursday’s briefing that the task force is assessing the spread of the virus on a “county by county” level.
“There are places around the country that have seen consistently low levels,” Adams said. “And as we ramp up testing and can feel more confident that these places actually can do surveillance and can do public health follow-up, some places will be able to think about opening on May 1.”
“Most of the country will not, to be honest with you, but some will,” he continued, “And that’s how we’ll reopen the country: place by place, bit by bit, based on the data.”
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, another high ranking Trump official, told CNBC Thursday he thinks it’s “absolutely” a possibility, assuming the health crisis stabilizes, for businesses to be back up and running in May.
“I think as soon as the president feels comfortable with the medical issues, we are making everything necessary that American companies and American workers can be open for business and that they have the liquidity they need to operate their business in the interim,” Mnuchin said.
Trump expected to issue prayer proclamation, encourage social distancing through holiday weekend
President Trump is set to issue a “prayer proclamation” on this Good Friday and call on Americans to maintain social distancing guidelines through the holiday weekend, a senior administration official tells ABC News.
It’s an important message for President Trump to deliver considering he previously envisioned an Easter reopening where churchgoers would pack the pews in celebration.
The president has, of course, since reversed from that Easter goal, claiming he only meant ever meant it as an “aspirational” goal.
Bishop Harry Jackson will join the president for today’s blessing event, scheduled for noon in the Oval Office.
Fauci says US days away from widespread antibody testing
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top doctor on infectious diseases, said he believes the country is days away from having a large number of antibody tests available but emphasized the importance of properly validating before a widespread rollout.
“Within a period of a week or so, we are going to have a relatively large number of tests available,” Fauci told CNN Friday morning.
He didn’t rule out the possibility that Americans could at one point carry certificates of immunity, saying it’s “possible.”
Fauci also noted that the availability of antibody tests doesn’t change the need for widespread testing to determine who was actively infected and infectious.
On the cusp of Easter weekend, Fauci urged Americans to adhere to federal social distancing guidelines.
“I know, particularly in a season like the Easter season and Passover, how difficult that is, but we really need to do it, because it is working,” he said. “So even though we’re in a holiday season, now is no time to back off. As I say so often, now is the time to actually put your foot on the accelerator. Because we’re going in the right direction. Let’s keep in that direction.”
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