Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday warned against reopening the country prematurely, saying the public health threat posed by the deadly coronavirus is a greater evil than the current economic hardship facing businesses and workers nationwide.
Speaking to reporters on a conference call, Pelosi roundly rejected the notion — one being promoted by a growing number of Republicans — that lifting social distancing restrictions for the sake of boosting the economy is worth the increased risk of spreading the coronavirus, even if it means more deaths.
The Speaker is calling for more widespread testing around the country, to gauge the regional prevalence of the deadly virus, before scaling back locally imposed prevention measures. Continue reading.