Daily US Times: US President Donald Trump said he would extend nationwide social distancing guidelines for another 30 days. The comment contradicts his previous comment where he wished to reopen American business before Easter Sunday.

The president said this on Sunday. He announced 15-day guidelines two weeks ago which is set to end on Monday.

Over the past week, he was looking to relax them, arguing to reopen some parts of the country by Easter, on April 12, which has drawn a lot of criticism.

But on Sunday, he said he would decide to extend the guidelines to April 30 – which include suggested limits on large gatherings.

At a White House press conference, he said “The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end,” adding that he would be finalizing a new plan and strategy early this week and announcing the details on Tuesday.

The announcement marked an abrupt turnaround of his stand a week ago. Even as his health advisers warned of dire consequences if people were allowed to return normal life and gatherings, Trump appeared intent on allowing a return to normal life.

On Sunday’s press conference, he acknowledged that the spread of the virus had not slowed, at least not yet. Trump said that modeling shows that the peak of the death rate will likely hit in two weeks, but stressed that he hopes the country will be on its way to recovery by June 1.

”A lot of great things will be happening,” he said and again reiterated his intent to return life to normal.

The White House’s social distancing guidance urged older people to stay at home and advises all Americans to avoid groups of more than 10.

Over the past weeks, several options had been discussed among Trump’s advice on possible alternatives, including allowing some states to return to normal more quickly.

But persistent problems in testing have prevented the officials to understand the clear picture of the virus’s spread, which ultimately left the authorities without a clear idea of which states were faring better than others.

America’s top infectious disease specialist Dr. Anthony Fauci predicted on Sunday more than 100,000 Americans could eventually die from coronavirus with millions more infected.

Trump said he didn’t believe the larger numbers Fauci had mentioned earlier in the day and called him to the podium, but Fauci only reiterated the figures he cited earlier.

He said it is “entirely conceivable” that more than a million people in the US could contract coronavirus, but added that mitigation and extending the social distancing guidelines through April will hopefully curb those numbers.

Fauci was among the health advisers on Trump’s team encouraging a continuation of the current guidelines after Trump heard from business leaders and some conservative allies that the restrictions were more damaging than the virus itself.

Trump: Social Distancing Guidelines Extended To April 30

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