President Donald Trump sent a letter to America’s governors on Thursday announcing that the administration would be releasing new guidelines for state and local officials that would allow them to be flexible in responding to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which came from China.
“There is still a long battle ahead, but our efforts are already paying dividends. As we enhance protections against the virus, Americans across the country are hoping the day will soon arrive when they can resume their normal economic, social, and religious lives,” the letter stated. “In furtherance of this shared goal, my Administration is working to publish new guidelines for State and local policymakers to use in making decisions about maintaining, increasing, or relaxing social distancing and other mitigation measures they have put in place.”
“This is what we envision: Our expanded testing capabilities will quickly enable us to publish criteria, developed in close coordination with the Nation’s public health officials and scientists, to help classify counties with respect to continued risks posed by the virus,” the letter continued. “This will incorporate robust surveillance testing, which allows us to monitor the spread of the virus throughout the country. Under these data-driven criteria, we will suggest guidelines categorizing counties as high-risk, medium-risk, or low-risk.”
“As testing gives us more information about who has been infected, we are tracking the virus and isolating it to prevent further spread,” the letter added. “This new information will drive the next phase in our war against this invisible enemy.”
Trump concluded the letter by expressing his sympathies for the “heavy toll” that the coronavirus has taken on Americans, including those who have “tragically succumbed to its ravages.”
During a press conference on Thursday Trump said that sections of the country may re-open for work if they have not been hit hard by the coronavirus and that the administration may make an announcement on that next week.