U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he will not allow the coronavirus to do long-lasting damage to the U.S. economy and that he would consider how to move forward after a 15-day shutdown ends next week, even as the highly contagious disease is spreading rapidly and hospitals are bracing for a wave of virus-related deaths.
Trump issued guidelines a week ago that he said aimed to slow the spread of the disease over 15 days, including curbing unnecessary travel.
In the meantime, economic activity has ground to a halt in some states.
But watching the loss of many jobs and a sharp drop in stock markets, Trump has privately expressed worries to aides and allies about the impact of the restrictions on the long-term health of the economy.