Watch live: Coronavirus task force holds briefing as Trump rolls out guidelines for reopening US
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Members of the coronavirus task force are expected to hold a press briefing Thursday amid signs that the curve is flattening in some hard-hit areas.
President Donald Trump is expected to roll out guidelines on how the U.S. can start to reopen for business in areas where coronavirus cases are on the decline and testing ramps up.
For weeks, government officials across the federal, state and local levels have been responding to the outbreak, issuing financial aid and guidance on dealing with the spread.
The first wave of stimulus relief checks were deposited into some Americans' bank accounts last weekend, according to the IRS. Millions more can expect to receive theirs in the coming weeks as part of the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill passed to aid Americans suffering financially as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Already, the Small Business Administration's rescue loan program hit its $349 billion limit and the nation's top lawmakers are sparring over a deal to replenish its funds.
Trump has said he believes some states will be able to "reopen" their economies before the end of April. But New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Thursday that his state and several others on the East Coast would extend their nonessential business shutdowns until at least May 15.
California on Wednesday released a list of requirements that must be met before its mitigation efforts can be moderated. And top CEOs say widespread testing must be available before the nation can get back to work.
Task force members include Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; Vice President Mike Pence; Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar; Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and Ken Cuccinelli, acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, among others.
The outbreak has spread to dozens of countries globally, with more than 2 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 138,008 deaths so far, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. There are at least 639,600 cases in the United States and at least 30,985 deaths, according to the latest tallies.