By Tamar Lapin - NY Post - March 29, 2020 | 6:37pm
President Trump on Sunday announced that federal social-distancing guidelines would be extended to April 30 in an effort to curb the coronavirus outbreak.
The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government was set to expire on Monday.
But “Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won. That would be the greatest loss of all,” Trump said during a briefing outside the White House.
The US has more than 130,000 cases of COVID-19 and at least 2,300 deaths — and the death toll is expected to peak in two weeks, Trump said.
Trump had previously aimed to reopen the country on Easter, April 12, but said Sunday that was “just an aspiration.”
The mitigation methods aim to decrease the number of infections and deaths, and the more people adhere to them, “the faster this nightmare will end,” Trump said.
“I want the American people to know that your selfless, inspiring and valiant efforts are saving countless lives. You are making the difference,” he said.
Trump’s announcement came as White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci stood by a warning he’d given earlier in the day on CNN that US deaths from the virus could be between 100,000 and 200,000.
“I think it’s entirely conceivable that if we do not mitigate to the extent that we’re trying to do, that could reach that number … it’s possible,” he told reporters.
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