While Italy sees small signs of hope as the Coronavirus mortality rate drops for a third day in a row, infectious disease experts in the United States warn that the pandemic could still kill 100,000 to 200,000 Americans and potentially infect millions.
In a move motivated by the nation’s rapidly growing numbers — as of Monday, there are more than 122,653 confirmed cases of Coronavirus in the United States and at least 2,112 people have died— the White House announced that they will be extending all social distancing guidelines and travel bans to April 30.
“The peak in the death rate is likely to hit in two weeks…nothing would be worse than declaring victory before the victory is won…therefore, we will be extending our guidelines to April 30 to slow the spread,” said President Trump.
“We’ve got a serious problem in New York, we’ve got a serious problem in New Orleans and we’re going to have serious problems in other areas,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on CNN’s State of the Union.
When asked when the U.S might lift some of the mandatory social distancing measures, Fauci stated: “the virus itself determines that timetable.”
To prepare for continued Coronavirus outbreak in the U.S over the next few weeks, citizens are encouraged to continue all social distancing measures: stay home from work, avoid all nonessential travel, order take-out from bars and restaurants, and gather in groups of 10 or less.
For the latest updates on the Coronavirus and travel in the United States, visit the CDC.