President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday over the coronavirus crisis, as he announced a set of measures to address a shortage in testing kits and cushion the economic fallout from the outbreak.
Speaking in the Rose Garden on Friday, Trump announced a range of actions, including decisions to waive student-loan interest, purchase large quantities of oil, set up drive-through virus testing in Walmart and Target parking lots, and confer new authorities on his health secretary to bypass hospital regulations.
Trump’s tone was somber. He warned the virus’s impact “could get worse,” adding that “the next eight weeks are critical.”
U.S. stocks reacted positively to the announcement. The S&P 500 climbed more than 9%, the most since 2008, providing some respite after stocks’ worst day since 1987 earlier this week.
The emergency declaration allows Trump to marshal additional resources for states and municipalities to combat the virus. It also marks a symbolic turning point for the president, who had repeatedly compared the coronavirus to the seasonal flu and insisted that his administration had the outbreak under control.
Despite being in close proximity to at least one person who tested positive for the virus, the president said that he’s experiencing no symptoms of the illness and has no plan to self-quarantine. Others -- including Senator Rick Scott and Senator Lindsey Graham, who were in contact with the same infected person -- also have no symptoms but have taken the advice of medical experts to isolate themselves.
Trump, though, said he’d probably be tested for the virus “fairly soon.”
The president also addressed widespread criticism that the government has fumbled the distribution of test kits, announcing what he called a new partnership with the private sector to test for coronavirus.
On the government’s failure to provide sufficient test kits across the country, Trump said: “I don’t take responsibility at all,” adding that his administration has had to redesign the public health system around the circumstances of the outbreak.
“We want to make sure those who need a test can get a test,” Trump said. He estimated 5 million tests would be available within a month, but said he doubted so many would be needed. He encouraged people who weren’t showing symptoms to refrain from seeking a test.