Coronavirus: Trump declares national emergency
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Evan Vucci/AP/Shutterstock (10434333bm) Donald Trump, Sauli Niinisto. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington Trump, Washington, USA – 02 Oct 2019
President Donald Trump has declared a national emergency in the US as the coronavirus outbreak continues to rage across the world.
In a televised address from the White House on Friday, Trump said the move was to further consolidate efforts to contain spread of the virus in the US.
“To unleash the full power of the federal government … I am officially declaring a national emergency,” he said.
“The action I am taking will open up $50 billion for states and territories and localities in our shared fight against this disease. Our overriding goal is to stop the spread of the virus.”
The development comes as the virus, recently declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), continues to affect countries across the globe.
Over 5,000 people have lost their lives to the outbreak since it broke out in Wuhan, China, last year December.
