The President of the United States, Donald Trump, declared a state of national emergency to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, which, in practice, allows to mobilize more public resources for States and municipalities, according to an administration source cited by the media. from the country.
The president announced the measure this afternoon at a press conference in the gardens of the White House, in a country where a large number of universities have already closed, sports competitions have been suspended, cultural activities have been canceled and millions of people are already working from home.
The measure will allow the use of 50 billion dollars available in the special disaster fund. With the declaration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate the response to the crisis. The health emergency declaration is an exceptional measure that, in the last 60 years, has been applied only twice due to an infectious outbreak: Bill Clinton in New York and New Jersey in 2000 as a result of the West Nile virus, according to Bloomberg data. As a whole, it seems to be the first time that such a measure has been taken
For Trump, this measure adds – and comes the next day – to the ban on flights to and from Europe. The United States administration took its first steps quickly, given the spread of the coronavirus in Asia and Europe, but Trump has been very erratic in his speech.
The United States is still a country relatively unaffected by Covid-19 at the moment: 1,700 confirmed cases and 41 deaths in a population of 327 million people – but experts cited by the press warn that the number will increase. However, health services have complained about the lack of testing for people with symptoms.
Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans are trying to strike a deal in Congress to approve a package of emergency economic measures that will alleviate the disaster that the crisis represents for millions of families in a country where most workers are unlikely to benefit from sick leave.
The deal has proved to be difficult. House Speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi – Trump’s declared enemy – announced this Friday that she would vote for a bill that “puts families first.” The legislation, said Pelosi, “guarantees free coronavirus tests for those in need, including those without health insurance.”
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