COVID-19: Trump set to dissolve virus taskforce, moves to open economy after lockdown

The President of the United States of America, Donald Trump is making moves to wind down the government’s COVID-19 taskforce team as his focus shifts towards opening the economy after a lockdown.

Trump said Anthony Fauci and Deborah Birx, the two senior medics who took prominent roles in the taskforce, would remain as advisers.

“We can’t keep our country closed for the next five years,” Trump said when asked why it was time to wind down the taskforce. The taskforce had done a “great job”, he said during a visit to a factory making personal protective equipment, but the focus now was “safety and opening”.

Read also: COVID-19 cases hit 46,500 in Africa —WHO

Thus far, more than 70,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the US, more than anywhere else in the world.

Meanwhile, China’s National Health Commission says the mainland had two new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday and 20 new asymptomatic cases. No deaths were recorded.

The two new cases were in people who had traveled outside China.

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