Others within the room urged being extra cautious, arguing {that a} ban might have unexpected penalties. “That is unprecedented,” warned Kellyanne
Others within the room urged being extra cautious, arguing {that a} ban might have unexpected penalties. “That is unprecedented,” warned Kellyanne Conway, the president’s counselor. Mr. Trump was skeptical, although he would later declare that everybody round him had been towards the concept. The 2 international locations have been in delicate commerce negotiations. Was this the time to impress China? he requested. And what in regards to the penalties on the economic system?
The president sided along with his extra aggressive aides, and announced the ban next day.
Nonetheless, Mr. Trump was publicly upbeat in regards to the results of the virus. At a marketing campaign rally in New Hampshire in early February, because the World Well being Group was asserting new circumstances by the tens of hundreds, he said of the coronavirus, “By April, you understand, in idea, when it will get just a little hotter, it miraculously goes away.”
In reality, the battle towards the virus was already starting to stumble.
A system used to trace vacationers coming back from China went offline simply as state officers have been informed to start monitoring them. Mr. Azar mentioned at a congressional listening to that he wanted at the very least 300 million respirator masks for well being care staff, however the nationwide emergency stockpile, the federal government’s reserve of catastrophe provides, held solely 12 million, and lots of of these had expired.
And a C.D.C. coronavirus take a look at distributed to state labs had a flawed element that led to typically inconclusive outcomes, crippling the nation’s testing capability for weeks, regardless of assurances by the administration that it was shortly being resolved.
People stranded in Japan on a cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, have been lastly returned dwelling Feb. 17, however the president became enraged when he discovered that 14 of the passengers had examined constructive for the virus within the strategy of being transferred to authorities planes.
He later mentioned that he was nervous that bringing again individuals who examined constructive for the virus would improve the general public tally of individuals contaminated in america.
The month ended with a whistle-blower’s claim that staff from the Division of Well being and Human Providers had been despatched to greet returning People from China at two army bases in California with out the private protecting gear that’s required for anybody coming into contact with probably uncovered sufferers. Not one of the staff examined constructive for the virus, however the allegation shook Congress.