COVID-19: Governors ask Donald Trump to urge protesters to stay at home

Tens and thousands of protesters poured in the streets of the United States demanding ease in restrictions and reopening of the economy. The protests that started on April 19 saw people coming out in large numbers, violating all social distancing norms and demanding reopening of states. What's surprising is that the US President Donald Trump supported the protests and said that state governors have gone too far in imposing the lockdown. According to reports, Democratic governors have now asked Donald Trump to urge the Americans to stay at home and heed to the lockdown measures until the virus is contained. 

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Media reports suggest that governors from Michigan, North Carolina and other Democratic states have urged the federal government to reiterate the importance of staying at home and let the public know that it is important to reach minimum thresholds before starting to ease restrictions. US Vice President Mike Pence, who is also heading the coronavirus taskforce, has reportedly assured the governors that the administration would do so. However, Donald Trump is singing a different tune as he last week tweeted for some US states to be liberated, referring to Democratic-ruled states. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

New York City is the most affected region in the United States, where alone nearly 19,000 people have lost their lives. As per the data, the total number of infected patients in the United States stands at 7,92,938, nearly four times that of Spain, which is currently the second most affected country. There are 6,78,031 active infections in the United States, of which 13,951 remain under critical conditions. The United States has reportedly treated 72,389 patients successfully, which is a few thousand less than China, Spain and Germany. 

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The coronavirus outbreak has infected over 2.48 million people globally and has killed nearly 1,70,000 patients since it first broke out in December 2019. The virus is believed to have originated from a seafood market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the initial epicentre of the disease, where animals were reportedly being traded illegally. Other countries that are currently the worst affected are Italy, Spain, France, Iran, and the United Kingdom, where the death toll has surpassed 16,000 mark each. 

Read: China Reports 12 New Coronavirus Infections Including 8 Imported Cases

(Image Credit: AP)