The White House Corona Virus Task Force is about to hold the briefing.

The president at the podium.

Let's listen in a lot of things going on, we're gonna be going over the hill and a lot of meetings and from the financial.

This is a medical situation out of financial situation financial.

That was moving along very nicely.

I wanna thank you for being here and update you on the progress we've made after a week of extraordinary mobilization, you know, war against the virus.

Governors, mayors, businesses, charities and citizens were all working with urgency and speed toward one common goal which is saving American lives.

We're in communication with foreign countries.

It's now at 148 foreign countries.

Can you believe that?

100.

You talk about a spread, you talk about a a violent spread 148 countries, not even believable.

There's been a week of national action and of great national solidarity.

People are getting along.

We're getting along with Republicans and Democrats, independence and liberals and conservatives.

And actually, it's a very nice thing to say.

We're all one beautiful big American family, and that's taking place right now.

Last night I approved a major disaster declaration for the state of New York.

I worked very closely with Governor Cuomo and is the first time in our nation's history that a president's used the Stafford act to declare a major disaster in response to a public health crisis never happened before.

I'm considering other areas where we may or may not be doing that and working very closely with Gavin Newsom, governor of California and others.

We may be doing the same thing, depending on their needs, thinning or what they're asking for.

It's been unprecedented action in New York, and we've had a tremendous federal response all over the country, and I want to thank all the people in the federal government and obviously in the state, governments and local governments.

We are working hard, everybody is working hard and the people standing alongside of me, a working very hard that I can tell you.

We've also reached agreements with Canada and Mexico on new travel rules at our northern and southern borders.

Toe hold the entry of the Chinese virus well, continuing trade and commerce.

And we've had very good talks I've with Prime Minister Trudeau.

And today, this morning with President Lopez Obrador.

We talked about joint measures that we're taking to prevent the spread of the virus in our countries and to temporarily suspend non essential travel.

Uh, we had a great conversation this morning.

President of Mexico, and our close cooperation with Mexico and Canada will keep our people healthy, keep their people healthy, keep everybody safe.

Yesterday had a call with 12,000 small businesses, representatives of these businesses.

That's the engine of our country.

People don't realize that, you know, you read all about the big ones.

But the small business when you add them up together is really the engine economic engine of our country.

And I assured them that my administration is doing everything within its very considerable considerable power, frankly, to support them and their employees.

Nobody's ever done what we've done.

Likewise, I had calls during the week with all sorts of representatives and systems like the hospital system.

We spoke to many of the hospital systems throughout the country, nurses and doctors representatives representing hundreds of thousands of nurses and doctors, airlines and cruise ship companies.

The Business Roundtable, which was fully attended.

And it's all of the top CEOs of of our country and beyond.

Frankly, the businessmen of really these the world world styled businessmen, these air businessman that control the biggest companies in the world.

Many of them have taken hits, and many of them are just going forward That they got their businesses have been, have been great.

Some have been very badly affected.

Some haven't been affected it all, and frankly, some are doing very well.

They continue to do very well.

It's, uh, Wal Mart as an example, has been really helpful to us.

Doug McMillon, that of Wal Mart really helpful to us.

And I guess I assumed that doing pretty well because people is certainly buying by more than even a clip at Christmas by substantial numbers.

Pretty amazing, but they're doing incredibly.

They put on tremendous extra staff.

You don't have empty shelves.

A lot of things have happened that a very good restaurants, fastfood executives, grocery stores, all retailers, literally all of them, uh, in groups, and we spoke with the G seven leaders at length as you know you probably know about that.

Spoke to many of the governor spoke to almost all of the governors of conference calls and many of the governor's individually and very importantly, the religious leaders.

We had a great conversation yesterday, the vice president and myself, with the religious leaders of of our country, many of the religious leaders, and we've had a number of them during the course of the last two weeks, actually.

But yesterday we had Avery very significant call with the religious leaders of our country.

I signed legislation providing American workers with paid sick leave and paid family medical leave at no cost to employers and free testing for those who need it.

The testing's going very well, and the admiral will speak to that along with Tony, were working quickly to pass additional legislation that will provide massive relief to small businesses and affected industries and give direct payments to our great workers and hard working American families has never been anything like we're doing on the hill right now.

They're negotiating.

Mitch McConnell, Chuck Schumer, the roll up there, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.

They're all negotiating and everybody's working hard and they want to get to, Ah, a solution.

That's the right solution.

I think we're getting very close.

We've also announced that we've moved Tax day from April 15th July 15th which is a big deal, giving businesses and individuals extra time to file and pay without interest or penalty.

So we moved the date way back on, so it'll be July 15th instead of your traditional April 15th.

And very importantly, uh, you will have a lot of time, but you're not gonna have interest penalties or any kind of penalties.

By filing at that later Date Hut announced that foreclosures and evictions air suspended for single family home owners with F H A insured mortgages for the next 60 days.

And our great head of HUD, Who's with us today?

Ben Carson's gonna say a few words in a moment.

The Department of Education will not enforce standardized testing, which is another big deal requirements for students and elementary through high school for the current school year.

Not fair to do that.

So waving that, I would imagine it's probably the first time ever that's been way.

But I think it's only fair to the students and to the parents of the students.

It is also waving interest and other things that we're discussing right now on federally held student loans and directed that borrowers be allowed to suspend their student loan payments without penalty for at least 60 days.

And we'll be talking about student loans out the students.

They're under a great burden right now, so we will be talking about that further.

But where we're waving during the 60 day period, various elements and very important elements on student loans.

Big subject.

I signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act, as you all know, giving us powerful new authorities to help states, cities and hospitals procure needed supplies.

There's been a clear call to action to the private sector on the call is made right here.

It's been a really pretty amazing what's happened with the private sector.

There, really, in a six year, I think, which has responded in full force, helping to produce and supply much needed masks, swabs, sanitizers, ventilators and everything else is there's a move on that's incredible right now and by way of example, Haynes.

Everybody knows Haynes, great company great consumer cotton products company is retrofitting its manufacturing capabilities in large sections of their plans to produce masks.

And there in that process right now, then, in my direction, the FDA has taken rapid steps to make these items available for medical use.

Right now, being most excitingly to me is what the FDA has done in order to get possibly a very successful numbers, not just one or two number of therapeutics medicines that can help help people that are already sick, help people not get sick.

And obviously you know about the vaccine.

And Tony will discuss that a little bit later, but the vaccine is moving along.

But this is something that right now for right now this is what we really it's incredible.

And what the FDA has done and Dr Stephen Hahn was highly respected.

Came is a just a highly respected man.

He's been fantastic.

He's only been here for a couple of months, and he's, uh, he's gotten thrown into the swim of it, and he's really standing up.

But the FDA has really moved the mountains.

I said it this morning that move mountains to get approvals on things that, uh, maybe work will find out very soon, and we'll take along an example of the here.

No, Ricard, which is, uh, this is really an example where we'll repurpose ing alcohol.

They went out and repurpose their alcohol production capabilities in Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas and West Virginia to make hand sanitizer.

That's a big difference.

And they've been unbelievable.

They really have for no record.

Their first delivery will be on Tuesday.

It's going to go to various states, gonna start, I think, in New York, and they're gonna work their way around.

They're making a tremendous amount of hand sanitizer in a very high level, too.

By the way, we've activated the National Response Coordination Center to a Level one.

The highest level is the nerve center of all of our government response to crisis and its coordinating very closely with our nation's governors, our nation's governors.

Many of you were at the call yesterday with the governors, and, uh, I think you can see the relationship.

And we've had numerous calls with governors, by the way.

But the relationships are pretty amazing.

They like their loving what we're doing, and tthe e coordination between the federal government and the governor's states and even local has been pretty incredible FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor, who's with us will soon be providing you with an update on the center's operations.

And FEMA's been incredible.

We got them involved last week, very much involved, another involved nationwide.

We've dramatically expanded telehealth so Americans can see a doctor without leaving home something which more and more people are using.

And now they're really using it.

And now the ones that are using it are loving it.

And I think we're gonna change the way our country functions medically and probably in other ways because of what's going on right now.

This will reduce the chance of infection and preserve hospital capacity, so it sells a lot of problems.

Every American has a role to play in defending our nation from this invisible, horrible enemy.

It really is.

It's an invisible enemy, and we will be successful, very successful, hopefully very much sooner than people would even think.

So we say stay at home and save lives.

It is a time of shared national sacrifice, but it's also a time to treasure our loved ones and to take stock of what is most important our faith, our families, our neighbors and our great country, and I want to thank all of you.

Uh, the incredible people of our country, the citizens of our country that what you've done and the way you're responding has just been a very special something that we will never forget that the history books will never forget.

Then we're gonna have a great victory.

We're gonna be celebrating a great victory, and they're not too distant future.

And I just want to thank everybody.

And now I'll introduce our vice president, Mike Pence's led the task force.

And I will tell you this he has not slept much.

Maybe a tiny bit, maybe a little bit, but not much.

And, uh, he's done an incredible job, Mike.

Thank you.

Please.

Uh, good afternoon, all on.

Thank you, Mr President.

The White House Corona Virus Task Force met today.

We briefed the president on our latest recommendations to continue a two presidents direction and to lead not a whole of government approach, but the whole of America approach.

You just heard.

The president described one inspiring story after another the way the American people are responding the way American businesses are responding religious communities across this country.

The American people are coming together.

They're responding with common sense, compassion and generosity.

People are heeding the advice of state and local authorities, and tens of millions of Americans are putting into practice 15 days to slow the spread.

We are way are officially a Mr President six days into ar 15 days.

And as we look all across this country, Um, while we strongly support the decisions that governors in states where we have significant outbreak have taken, we encourage every American to listen to those state and local authorities For every American.

This is what you can do to make a difference over the next week and a few days to protect your health.

Protect your family's help.

But most especially slow the spread and the potential for the Corona virus to impact the most vulnerable, as the president said, we've been, we've almost been overwhelmed At the outpouring of support from American businesses, the president spoke yesterday, toe thousands of small businesses.

We spoke to manufacturers yesterday and in fact, the president indicated the FDA, in record time, just approved one manufacturer that would be producing millions of surgical masks in a matter of weeks for the American people thief pastors we spoke to way want to thank all the religious leaders from every community of faith in the country.

Making the hard choice to suspend service is toe have online service is even while those ministries air continuing to support food banks and come alongside of the most vulnerable.

And, of course, the chorus of prayers that is coming up from communities of faith around the country is making the difference that it always has in the life of this nation.

One thing the president and I promise, was to remind people that on the the weekends that you're not in the pews, it's still the good.

It's still a good idea if you can, to go ahead and make that donation, because all the ministries are continuing to play a vital role in our communities, and we encourage your continued support.

The president and I are grateful that the American people are listening to state and local authorities and putting into practice all of all of the recommendations in the president's Corona virus guidelines.

And, uh, as you will hear in just a few moments from Admiral Gua, um, testing is expanding rapidly across the United States of America.

State run drive throughs are expanding across the country.

And, as you will hear detail this morning now more than 195,000 Americans and Maur who had been symptomatic have been tested.

That number does not include county hospitals or or healthcare labs around the nation, some 15,000 in number and among the number of the Maur than 195,000 that have been tested.