WASHINGTON, D.C., March 13, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — President Donald Trump has declared a national state of emergency due to the global pandemic of COVID-19.
Trump made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying America was now in a new phase of its reaction to the spread of the coronavirus.
“I am officially declaring a national emergency, two very big words,” Trump said, adding that that change of status will allow access to nearly $50 billion in funds.
Trump also said the country will be asking every state to set up emergency centers to deal with issues related to the coronavirus. He will ask every hospital to engage an emergency plan, he said.
Trump also said the national emergency degree will allow hospitals to waive existing regulations that limit the space that can be used to treat patients, the rules for how long patients should be kept in the facility, and other rules.
“No resource will be spared,” Trump said.
The president also revealed new partnerships with the private sector to increase the number of tests available to diagnose possible patients. He claimed medical company Roche is ramping up, and could have a half million tests available by early next week, 1.4 million by later in the week, and 5 million within the next month, Trump said.
The new test has been approved, Trump said, and the process has been expedited.
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