President Donald Trump said he will announce Thursday the first plans for lifting coronavirus lockdowns across the United States after the country passed the pandemic’s “peak,” mirroring a gradual easing in Europe.
His comments came shortly before the number of US fatalities — already the world’s highest — reached a new daily record and became the heaviest one-day death toll of any nation.
“It is clear that our aggressive strategy is working,” he told a news conference late Wednesday in Washington. “The battle continues but the data suggests that nationwide we have passed the peak on new cases.”
Trump said he would be announcing guidelines for a reduction in the lockdown in some states, possibly taking effect before the end of this month.
Earlier, Germany also unveiled its plans for cautious reopening, becoming the first major European nation to take on the delicate task of restarting its economy without triggering a new wave of infections before a vaccine can be developed.
Facing a difficult reelection in November, Trump predicted that the US economy, the world’s largest, would “come back quickly” from the paralysis induced by measures taken to slow the virus.
Around the world, the total number of COVID-19 cases soared past two million, according to an AFP tally, and the death toll topped 134,000, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The US saw 2,569 deaths over a 24-hour period, data from Johns Hopkins showed, with total US deaths above 28,300
In Riyadh, G20 nations of the world’s major economies announced a one-year debt moratorium for the world’s poorest nations, as the global economy enters the worst recession in a century.
Fallout, meanwhile, continued over Trump’s attack on the World Health Organization and suspension of US funding to the UN agency.
Despite criticism, Trump repeated his accusations Wednesday, saying the WHO covered up the extent of the virus when it first appeared in China, and that as a result France, Italy and Spain were caught unawares.
“Tragically, other nations put their trust in the WHO,” he said.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said this is “not the time” to cut WHO funding, while billionaire Bill Gates, a major WHO contributor, called the move “dangerous.”
European allies were similarly disapproving and Washington’s rivals also took aim — Russia condemning the “selfish approach” of the US, and China and Iran blasting the decision.
