President Trump Declares National Emergency to Combat Coronavirus Concerns

With the number of coronavirus cases still on the rise here in the United States, President Trump is taking aggressive and appropriate action in order to mitigate its spread.

The COVID-19 strain of coronavirus that is currently troubling the globe is dangerous, certainly, but there are very simple and appropriate precautions that can be taken in order to neutralize our risks.  Frequent hand washing is numero uno, of course followed by “social distancing”, in which we temporarily retreat back into our homes for a temporary isolation.  This will starve the virus of new hosts, thus quickly diminishing its lifespan.

In order to make this sort of pseudo-shutdown work, however, the Government may need to be intimately involved.  That’s where Trump’s emergency declaration comes in.

President Donald Trump on Friday announced a new series of measures to combat the coronavirus and treat those who are affected, while pushing back on criticism that his administration was unprepared to confront the pandemic.

Speaking in the White House Rose Garden, Trump declared a national emergency that could free up $50 billion to help fight the pandemic and said that he was empowering the secretary of Health and Human Services to waive certain laws and regulations to ensure the virus can be contained and patients treated.

“To unleash the full power of the federal government … I am officially declaring a national emergency,” Trump said.

“Two very big words,” he added.

The impact could be huge.

Trump said the action would “open up access” to up to $50 billion “for states and territories and localities in our shared fight against this disease.”

The President also announced partnerships with several major medical laboratories and multipurpose retailers in order to increase the capability to test for COVID-19 around the nation.