VP Pence: We’ll soon guide regions on how to open, get people to work
US Vice President Mike Pence has said that in the days ahead, the US government will be providing guidance to the United States’ regions “where there’s frankly very little outbreak of coronavirus” about how to open businesses and get people to work as soon as responsibly possible. VP Pence was talking to CNBC’s Wilfred Frost on the business television channel’s show “Squawk on the Street” today.
“And in the days ahead, we’re going to be giving guidance specifically to different regions of the country about how, as the President says, we are going to be able to open the country and get people back to work just as soon as we responsibly can,” said VP Pence, according to the unofficial transcript of the interview US and Global News received from NBCUniversal, the owner of CNBC.
Before revealing that, the vice president said during the interview that as White House Coronavirus Task Force Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said yesterday at the press briefing, there are areas of the US where the coronavirus outbreak is quite small.
“But there are areas of the country, as Dr. Deborah Birx said yesterday at our press briefing, where there’s frankly very little outbreak of coronavirus,” said Pence.
He added that as President Donald Trump wrote to governors in a letter yesterday, the government will assess the data county-wise.
“And as the President told Governors in a letter yesterday, we’re going to be examining that data on a county-by-county basis,” said the vice president.
Mentioning that President Trump had said he would like to see businesses re-opened possibly by Easter, Frost had asked how likely it was and what conditions needed to be met for that to happen.
“Well, the President expressed really an aspirational goal, Wilf, that as we continue to follow the data, as we continue to call on every American regardless of whether they’re in an area where there’s a significant outbreak of coronavirus, to put into practice the 15 days to slow the spread,” VP Pence replied.
He added, “And we’re incredibly inspired by the way the American people and businesses have been stepping forward to put these mitigation practices, social distancing into effect. We think the more we do that, the more we can hasten the day that — the President said he would love to see it around Easter, but whenever that day is that we can responsibly begin to open up portions of the country.”
Pence clarified there will be areas of the country where mitigation efforts will continue.
“But let me be very clear, there’s going to be areas of the country where we need to continue to lean into mitigation efforts,” said the VP. “And notably, it would be the Greater New York City area of course including New Jersey. We’re tracking New Orleans and Detroit. Of course, Seattle and California.”
Watch the full interview on CNBC’s website, here.
Image credit - James McNellis (CC BY 2.0)
