By Breitbart. President Donald Trump announced Thursday at the White House the new set of guidelines created by the coronavirus task force to reopen states in the country.

Each state, Dr. Deborah Birx explained, would be required to set up screening and testing sites and be able to trace contacts of patients testing positive for the virus.

They would need to have the ability to also screen for asymptomatic cases in places serving vulnerable and older Americans in places like nursing homes.

The state would have to have a sufficient supply of medical protective equipment for doctors and medical professionals and be equipped for a surge in ICU capacity.

If each state could meet the core responsibilities, they could enter into a phase one stage of reopening. (Read more from “How Each State Can Reopen Under President Trump’s Guidelines” HERE)

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Governors Sketch out New ‘Normal’ as Trump Eyes Reopening Parts of Country

By Politico. Even as President Donald Trump prepares to release his guidelines for how states can ease stay-at-home and social distancing restrictions, governors in California, New York and other states are starting to roll out their own ideas.

The plans are less elaborate blueprints than outlines of what the new “normal” might look like. But they could give homebound, increasingly anxious Americans rattled by the economic toll from the pandemic some sense of what’s to come.

Most of the scenarios focus on an easing of restrictions at the end of this month or in the first half of May. And the governors already are warning that a premature reboot could spell disaster without a clear sense of who is sick and where.

“It would really be the worst possible time for us to try to put more people out there and endanger them,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, chairman of the National Governors Association, said Thursday on NBC’s “Today” show about the prospect of lifting restrictions now. (Read more from “Governors Sketch out New ‘Normal’ as Trump Eyes Reopening Parts of Country” HERE)

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By Fox News. President Trump’s decision to suspend funding to the World Health Organization amid the coronavirus crisis touched off an international war of words overnight as Democratic lawmakers in Washington as well as international bodies like the European Union condemned the move.

The president announced Tuesday that the United States would immediately halt funding for the health organization, saying it had put “political correctness over lifesaving measures,” noting that the U.S. would undertake a 60-to-90 day investigation into why the “China-centric” WHO had caused “so much death” by “severely mismanaging and covering up” the coronavirus spread.

Republicans on Capitol Hill, many of whom have been sharply critical of the World Health Organization and calling for weeks to get tough on the organization for allegedly helping China suppress information about the outbreak in the early stages, cheered the president’s decision. . .

Glad to see @realDonaldTrump halt funding to the @WHO. We need to review their role in helping Communist China lie about the #Coronavirus, before any more taxpayer money is spent.

This was the right move and I look forward to a full Congressional investigation into the WHO. https://t.co/FmyQ3C5yHW

— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) April 14, 2020

But the partisan divide quickly opened. Following the announcement, House Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., and House Subcommittee on National Security Chairman Steven Lynch, D-Mass., penned a letter to the president slamming his decision to withhold funding to the organization amid the global pandemic.

“While we may agree that the WHO has shortcomings that must be corrected, your attack on the global health organization can easily be seen as a deliberate but transparent effort to deflect responsibility for your own failures onto others,” Maloney and Lynch wrote, adding that Trump’s “attempt to blame the WHO for trusting China reflects an astonishing level of hypocrisy given your own fawning and widely publicized praise of President Xi Jinping and his government for their handling of this crisis.” (Read more from “War Erupts When Trump Suspends Who Funding” HERE)

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WHO ‘Regrets’ Trump’s Decision to Withhold Funding, Says Focus Is on Saving Lives in Coronavirus Pandemic

By CNBC. The World Health Organization is turning to other countries to help fill any gaps in financing its Covid-19 response work after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States would withhold contributions.

“The United States of America has been a long-standing and generous friend to the WHO and we hope it will continue to be so,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Wednesday. “We regret the decision of the President of the United States to order a hold in funding to the World Health Organization.”

Trump announced Tuesday that the U.S. will suspend funding to WHO while it reviews the agency’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. He said the administration will conduct a “thorough” investigation that should last 60 to 90 days.

Trump criticized the international agency’s response to the outbreak at a White House press conference, saying “one of the most dangerous and costly decisions from the WHO was its disastrous decision to oppose travel restrictions from China and other nations” that Trump imposed early on in the outbreak. (Read more from “WHO ‘Regrets’ Trump’s Decision to Withhold Funding, Says Focus Is on Saving Lives in Coronavirus Pandemic” HERE)

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By PJ Media. The president seemed to signal on Sunday that we will be going back to work soon, but suggested we’re going to need masks. After announcing that governors should get their act together quickly, Trump added, “Also, gear up with Face Masks.” The intent is clear—when we come out of lockdown, we’ll be covered up.

Governors, get your states testing programs & apparatus perfected. Be ready, big things are happening. No excuses! The Federal Government is there to help. We are testing more than any country in the World. Also, gear up with Face Masks!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 12, 2020

….It is the decision of the President, and for many good reasons. With that being said, the Administration and I are working closely with the Governors, and this will continue. A decision by me, in conjunction with the Governors and input from others, will be made shortly!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2020

(Read more from “Back to Work in May? President Trump Signals It’s His Call and You’re Going to Need a Mask” HERE)

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Trump Defends Response to Coronavirus, Says He’s Not Firing Fauci

By Reuters. President Donald Trump defended his response to the coronavirus outbreak on Monday and said he did not intend to fire Anthony Fauci after the leading U.S. health expert said earlier mitigation efforts could have saved more lives.

At a contentious briefing with reporters, Trump lashed out at media coverage that has focused on gaps in the U.S. government’s response after initial warnings about the pandemic disease which has now spread throughout the United States.

The president asserted he had the ultimate authority to re-open the largely shuttered economy despite an earlier deference to U.S. state governors and constitutional questions about whether that decision-making fell within his purview. . .

Trump said he and Fauci had been on the same page “from the beginning” and declared he liked the respected doctor. “I think he’s a wonderful guy,” Trump said, while adding that not everyone was happy with the health expert. (Read more from “Trump Defends Response to Coronavirus, Says He’s Not Firing Fauci” HERE)

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