Trump seeks to regain footing by shifting coronavirus focus to economy

Donald Trump has released new guidelines on coronavirus testing and reopening businesses as the President attempts to kickstart the US economy again.

In an attempt to re-focus the spotlight away from Trump's recent remarks, the White House unveiled what it described as a comprehensive overview of its efforts to make enough tests for Covid-19 available so states can sample at least 2.6% of their populations each month.

Areas that have been harder hit by the virus would be able to test at double that rate or higher, the White House said.

Mr Trump and administration medical experts outlined the plan on a call with governors on Monday afternoon, and the president announced that businesses would expand access to tests across the country.

“Testing is not going to be a problem at all,” Mr Trump said later in the Rose Garden. Many of the administration’s past pledges and goals on testing have not been met.

Trump has been criticised for suggesting that injecting disinfectant may be a way of treating coronavirus. Credit: AP

Monday’s developments were meant to fill critical gaps in White House plans to begin “reopening” the nation, ramping up testing for the virus while shifting the president’s focus towards recovery from the economic collapse caused by the outbreak.

At the same time, private Republican Party polling shows his path to a second term as president depends on the public’s perception of how quickly the economy rebounds from the state-by-state shutdowns meant to slow the spread of the virus.

Graph showing number of confirmed coronavirus deaths and cases. Credit: PA Graphics

Days after he set off a firestorm by publicly musing that scientists should explore the injection of toxic disinfectants as a potential virus cure, Mr Trump said he found little use for his daily taskforce briefings, where he has time and again clashed with medical experts and reporters.

Aides had been trying to move the president on to more familiar and safer, ground: Talking up the economy in more tightly controlled settings.

But hours after the White House scrubbed the nightly briefing from the official White House schedule, it reversed course.

Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said briefings would be held later in the week but “they might have a new look to them, a new focus to them”.

“We’re entering a phase of looking to reopen the country and with that, the president will be focusing a lot on the economy,” she said.

On the conference call with governors, Mr Trump suggested that many states should consider reopening schools before the end of the academic year, easing the way for parents to go back to work.

“Some of you might start thinking about school openings because a lot of people are wanting to have the school openings,” he told the governors.

Among Monday’s announcements was a new “testing blueprint” for states. It includes a focus on surveillance testing as well as “rapid response” programmes to isolate those who test positive and identify those with whom they came in contact.

The administration aims to have the market “flooded” with tests for the autumn, when Covid-19 is expected to recur alongside seasonal flu.

Coronavirus: Everything you need to know