Trump would seek to reduce social distancing after 15 days

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The importance of distance to contain the covid-19 5:09

(CNN) - Another week of voluntary isolation - or, for many Americans, mandatory closings - is posing tough questions to President Donald Trump about how long the coronavirus mitigation measures he recommended will last and whether the economic consequences are worth it.

At a press conference Monday, Trump said Monday that he hopes to reevaluate his instructions for people to stay home amid the outbreak of the coronavirus in the United States.

“We cannot allow the cure to be worse than the problem itself. We are not going to let the cure be worse than the problem. "At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision on the path we want to take," he said during the daily coronavirus briefing.

Trump said he hopes the United States will soon be "open for business."

He added: “And essentially, we are referring to the moment of opening, essentially, the opening of our country. Because we have it closed well enough to get rid of this invisible enemy. ”

Trump had previously suggested on Twitter that he believe the answer may be negative.

"WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF," the president tweeted Sunday night. "AT THE END OF THE 15-DAY PERIOD WE WILL MAKE A DECISION ON HOW WE WANT TO FOLLOW," he added.

Aides had said earlier that Trump yearns to reduce the guidelines for the coronavirus pandemic when the 15-day period ends, that is, in a week from Monday. However, many health experts don't think that time will be enough to know if the measures he announced last week - including the recommendation to close schools, limit meetings and keep at least 1.8 meters apart - will be enough.

Trump and some of his top officials are increasingly anxious about the social distancing measures put in place to combat the coronavirus, White House sources close to the matter said. A senior official said the president is losing patience with the period of national voluntary isolation that has frozen the US economy.

Meanwhile, public health experts advising the president and his team on the pandemic continue to argue that general measures that urge people to work from home, avoid restaurants and large gatherings should remain ongoing.

The dynamics have led to a solid internal debate on how best to balance the country's health - with potentially thousands of lives at stake - and economic health.

• READ: 6 facts to understand the incredible sacrifice that medical personnel fighting against the coronavirus pandemic are making

"The President is right, the cure cannot be worse than the disease, and we are going to have to make some difficult compensations," Trump's chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Fox News on Monday. "Last night I spoke to the president about this, so we will discuss several things. Let's give it one more week ”, he completed.

Some of Trump's allies have continued to publicly hint that the measures announced by the White House last week were too stringent and caused unnecessary financial pain. Many of his conservative allies distributed an editorial in The Wall Street Journal last week, questioning whether the shutdown was worth it in exchange for a shattered economy.

That has helped fuel growing opposition among some Trump aides over a protracted blockade.

Discussions about what to do at the end of the 15 days are already underway with the advisers. Trump wants people to return to work, but his medical advisers continue to explain that the country has a way to go before it comes out of the worst of the outbreak, a source familiar with the matter said.

While White House officials want to lower the guidelines on concerns of a severe economic slowdown, they also believe that the president may relax some measures while ensuring that in areas most affected by the coronavirus - such as New York, California and Washington - they continue. You maintain your own strict restrictions on everyday life, regardless of federal guidelines.

But not all of Trump's allies seem to be on the same page. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on Twitter on Monday that "we should always be wrong to do more, not less, when it comes to containment."

"President Trump's best decision was to stop travel from China from the beginning," Graham wrote. "I hope we will not undermine that decision by suggesting that we back down aggressive containment policies within the United States," he added.

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Trump has been evaluating the situation with advisers inside and outside the White House, the source said.

Officials are unsure what Trump will ultimately decide after 15 days, as Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease specialist and who has pushed for tough mitigation measures, will continue to act as a critical voice behind the scenes.

Trump initially resisted Fauci's recommendations about taking steps to motivate social estrangement during the first stage, people familiar with the deliberations said. After receiving strong criticism for not acting more decisively, Trump went ahead with the recommendations, but remains unconvinced that it was the right decision.

Trump has been irritated by images of young people enjoying their spring break in Florida, while ignoring the voluntary isolation measure, said a source close to the White House who is involved in the response to the coronavirus.

"What is the point of social distancing if 20% ignore the order?" Trump told some attendees, according to the source.

With the exception of doctors and public health experts, almost all of the president's top advisers are eager to relax national guidelines to begin reopening the economy.

"I don't know anyone who is arguing that we should continue as we are," said a senior White House official. "Everyone here is pulling in the same direction."

Some conservatives have already suggested that the United States went too far in limiting people's movements to protect health at the expense of companies, including Fox News presenters Laura Ingraham and Steve Hilton.

"Do you know that famous 'cure is worse than disease' phrase?" Hilton asked during her monologue Sunday night. "That is exactly the picture we are heading towards," he added.

• READ: Another effect of the coronavirus: the increase in poverty

But one person who is not backing down is Fauci. If it were up to him, an official said, "there would be no human contact until July."

In recent days, Fauci has openly voiced his disagreements with Trump, including interviews openly discussing his role in correcting the president's false or misleading statements.

"I can't jump in front of the microphone and push it," Fauci said in an interview with Science magazine. "Okay, he said so. Let's try to correct it next time. "

This Monday, Trump began retweeting messages that appear to encourage the end of strong social distancing measures after the current 15-day period, despite concerns from public health officials that it will not be long enough to mitigate the worst of the coronavirus.

"15 days," one user tweeted. "Then we isolate high-risk groups and the rest of us go back to work before it all ends for everyone!"

"Reduce the curve, NOT the economy," a follow-up tweet reads.

"After 15 days the world can start to heal!" Another user tweeted.

This Monday, the president retweeted a user, responding to his original tweet, who wrote: “Correct. Fifteen days, then we keep high-risk groups protected as needed and the rest of us go back to work. ”

Economic slowdown Social distancing Economy