Trump’s own task force to reopen the economy warned him that he needed to dramatically increase testing before the economy can safely reopen.
Wall Street Journal: “Business Leaders Urge Trump to Dramatically Increase Coronavirus Testing”
Associated Press: “But in a round of calls with business leaders earlier in the day, Trump was warned that a dramatic increasing in testing and wider availability of protective equipment will be necessary for the safe restoration of their operations.”
Washington Post: “President Trump’s attempt to enlist corporate executives in a push to reopen parts of society amid the coronavirus pandemic got off to a rocky start Wednesday, with some business leaders complaining the effort was haphazard and warning that more testing needs to be in place before restrictions are lifted.”
Trump’s own top health officials agree that we need to ramp up testing before we can safely reopen the economy.
Dr. Anthony Fauci: “We have to have something in place that is efficient and that we can rely on, and we’re not there yet.”
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn: “Further ramping up testing, both diagnostic as well as the antibody tests, will really be necessary as we move beyond May into the summer months and then into the fall. … We need to do more. No question about that.”
Surgeon General Jerome Adams: “And as we ramp up testing and can feel more confident that these places actually can do surveillance and can do public health follow-up, some places will be able to think about opening on May 1. Most of the country will not, to be honest with you, but some will.”
Wall Street is frustrated with Trump’s handling of the crisis and says the virus needs to be under control before we reopen the economy.
Politico: “WALL STREET TO TRUMP: KEEP IT SHUT — The White House held a call this morning with top Wall Street titans and other senior bankers and financiers to talk about how to reopen the economy, part of a barrage of phone confabs between President Donald Trump and executives from industries including hospitality, health care, technology, construction, sports and many more. … Beyond the haphazard nature of the call, senior bankers are getting increasingly frustrated with Trump’s approach to the crisis. They say pressure tactics to reopen the economy as fast as possible make no sense if the virus isn’t fully under control and consumers and businesses don’t feel safe to resume anything close to normal activities.”
As Trump continues to push forward to reopen the economy on May 1, testing is still “woefully short” of where it needs to be.
New York Times: “Testing Falls Woefully Short as Trump Seeks an End to Stay-at-Home Orders”
New York Times: “As President Trump pushes to reopen the economy, most of the country is not conducting nearly enough testing to track the path and penetration of the coronavirus in a way that would allow Americans to safely return to work, public health officials and political leaders say.”