Trump declares national emergency over coronavirus outbreak

President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency in an attempt to speed up response to the coronavirus outbreak. The president said the move will open up access to $50 billion in federal funds for states, territories and localities in the shared fight against the coronavirus. 

“I am officially declaring a national emergency. Two very big words,” Trump said from the White House on Friday afternoon. 

Trump urged every state to immediately set up emergency operations centers and said the government will give doctors, hospitals and health care facilities maximum flexible to respond to the outbreak, including waiving laws to enable tele-health services and allow doctors to work in states with the greatest needs. 

As of Thursday, there were more than 1,600 cases of coronavirus reported in the US and 41 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Concerns over the spread of the virus have led to the cancellation of large tech and cultural events. Some schools have shut down, and many companies have asked employees to work from home. 

On Wednesday, Trump announced restrictions that prohibit travel from Europe to the US, in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus and the respiratory disease it causes, COVID-19. Earlier Wednesday, the World Health Organization had officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. 

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The new strain of coronavirus has infected more than 136,000 people and caused more than 5,000 deaths globally. 

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.