1st time in history: Trump declares major disaster in all US states

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• President Donald Trump declared a major disaster for the state of Wyoming on Saturday as identified cases in the United States have reached over 519,453.
• According to Judd Deere, Trump’s deputy press secretary, it was the first time in the US history that a president has declared a major disaster in all the 50 states right away.
• The declaration made federal funding available to state and local governments.

President Donald Trump’s major disaster declaration for Wyoming on Saturday closed the list of all 50 states under disaster — marking the first time in history where all 50 states were catastrophic due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Deputy Press Secretary Judd Deere, it was the first time a president has ever declared a major disaster in all the states of America straightaway.

The declaration comes as positive cases of COVID-19 in the United States reached over 519,453 as of Saturday afternoon. Governor Mark Gordon of Wyoming showed support to the pronouncement, saying “Though Wyoming has not reached the dire situations of some states, this declaration will help us to prepare and mobilize resources when we need them.”

As confirmed by the White House, the declaration enables federal funding to state and local governments, and some non-profit organizations. It also permits state governments to seek assistance from federal agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The coronavirus causes the disease called COVID-19, which is characterized by fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). COVID-19 can range in severity from mild to deadly and is highly contagious.

Public officials have been urging citizens to practice social distancing and implemented ‘stay-at-home’ orders as ways of mitigating the virus.

Americans are strictly encouraged to refrain from making close contact with one another, maintain proper hand-washing and remain in their homes as much as possible.

Social distancing guidelines are helping and it is showing signs, according to Trump.

“Nationwide, the number of new cases per day is flattening substantially, suggesting that we are near the peak and our comprehensive strategy is working,” the president said on Friday during the daily coronavirus briefing.

Trump also mentioned that he would officially convene an “Opening our Country Council” next week. This will be composed of medical experts and business leaders who will focus on helping to reopen the country’s economy. The proposed assembly has been snarled by the social distancing orders across the board.

As of Saturday afternoon, over 20,071 people have died in the US due to the virus — already surpassing the most-hit country Italy — and a figure which has doubled, from 10,000 to more than 20,000, in just five days.

There have been 1.75 million cases and more than 100,000 fatalities brought by COVID-19 globally.

Source: New York Post