Trump news: President cancels briefing before quickly changing his mind, as US coronavirus cases approach 1 million
Following furious social media posts about media criticism over his dangerous suggestion that disinfectant could treat coronavirus, Donald Trump returned to the White House for the first briefing since making those remarks, though he had signalled over the weekend that they were no longer worth his time.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany also said the briefings would return later in the week in a different form.
The change in focus to the briefings come as the number of US Covid-19 cases neared one million on Monday. Physical distancing measures would need to remain in place throughout the summer, according to coronavirus response coordinator Deborah Birx.
Asked whether he takes responsibility for calls to poison control centres in the wake of his potentially lethal suggestion, the president said "no, I don't" and said he "can't imagine why" people would be calling with complaints or illness.
The White House unveiled a nationwide testing plan, coordinating with pharmacy stores and health industry executives to expand testing capacity across the US in an effort for states to meet criteria in the president's Opening Up America Again guidelines.
Meanwhile, several states will begin easing their quarantine measures this week, beginning to reopen their economies and allow residents to return to work, despite reports of a lack of testing capacity and under-tested populations that could mask the spread of the disease in community across the US.
Texas businesses will begin reopening this Friday, but the San Francisco Bay Area and all of Louisiana have extended their shelter-in-place orders through mid-May.
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