White House task force says avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, don’t travel

WASHINGTON, DC -- President Donald Trump and his coronavirus task force on Monday issued new, stricter guidelines to stop the spread of the disease, including that states with evidence of community transmission should close bars, restaurants and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate.

The new nationwide guidelines also call on Americans to avoid gatherings of more than 10 people, cancel discretionary travel, avoid eating and drinking in bars, restaurants, and public food courts; and encouraging schooling from home across the country.

“My administration is recommending that all Americans, including the young and healthy, work to engage in schooling from home when possible, avoid gathering in groups of more than ten people, avoid discretionary travel and avoid eating and drinking in bars, restaurants, and public food courts,” Trump said. “If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now, we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus, and we are going to have a big celebration altogether. With several weeks of focused action, we can turn the corner and turn it quickly -- a lot of progress has been made.”

Holding up a piece of paper, Trump explained that everyone needed to comply for them to slow the spread.

"It's important for the young and healthy people to understand that while they may experience milder symptoms, they can easily spread this virus and they will spread it indeed, putting countless others in harm's way,” Trump said.

Asked by a reporter how long it would last, Trump replied, “people are talking about July, August, something like that.” He said he likes to say it “washes through” but “other people don’t like that term.”

The guidelines say that “In states with evidence of community transmission, bars, restaurants, food courts, gyms, and other indoor and outdoor venues where groups of people congregate should be closed.”

National Institute of Allergy and Infections Disease Director Anthony Fauci said it was important to be aggressive, but noted the new guidelines apply only to the next 15 days.

“We really want people to be separated at this time,” Amb. Deborah Birx, the White House’s point person on coronavirus, said.

President Trump said a nationwide quarantine was not being considered "at this point."

But he said “we may look at certain areas, certain hot spots, as they call them."

Asked "Are you considering instituting a nationwide lockdown, a nationwide quarantine? There are still some questions about that,' Trump then responded: “At this point, not nationwide. But there are some, you know, places in our nation that are not very effective at all but we may, we may look at certain areas, certain hot spots as they call them. We’ll be looking at that. But, at this moment, no we are not.”

President Trump was silent Monday morning on the plummeting markets, which had briefly caused trading on Wall Street to temporarily pause, although his top economic adviser said he had been with the president Monday morning and that Trump "was very calm about the market."

"It is what it is," the adviser, National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow, said. "We think it is going to get better, but we'll see how that goes."