At a coronavirus task force briefing on Sunday, President Trump announced the social distancing guidelines aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus will be extended to April 30th.
"We will be extending our guidelines to April 30th to slow the spread," Trump said Sunday in the Rose Garden.
The extension was announced after the president said the peak death rate in the United States for the coronavirus is expected to hit in two weeks, according to models of the virus.
"Nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won," Trump said. "That would be the greatest loss of all. Therefore, the next two weeks and during this period, it's very important that everyone strongly follow the guidelines."
President Trump encouraged Americans to "strongly follow the guidelines" on social distancing, adding, "The better you do, the faster this whole nightmare will end."
Trump had previously stated a goal of opening the country up by Easter, April 12th. When asked about the Easter timeline by a reporter on Sunday, Trump said the goal was "just an aspiration," but one that had to be extended based on the incoming data.
The president said the administration's latest plans a summary of the taskforce's findings will be announced on Tuesday.
“We will be extending our guidelines to April 30 to slow the spread. On Tuesday, we will be finalizing these plans and providing a summary of our findings."
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