Trump and NY Guv Cuomo lock horns over 'opening up US' as New York sees 671 COVID deaths

While Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the US continue to rise - totalling 5,63,009 cases, President Trump, on Monday, took to Twitter to assert that 'it was the President's decision to open up the states, not the state governors'. He added that his administration was working closely with the Governors and will announce a decision soon. Trump has not announced a nationwide shutdown to deal with Coronavirus nad has threatened to slash funding to WHO claiming it was 'biased towards China'.

Trump: 'Decision of President to open up US'

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Cuomo: 'Plan to reopen must be based on data, not politics'

On the other hand, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the decision must be based on 'data and experts, not opinion and politics', at his daily press briefing. New York has seen 671 deaths in the past 24 hours, with the state tally at 10,056 deaths (1,89,415 cases). Cuomo, who has extended the lockdown in New York State till April 29, has maintained that the state has started finally 'flattening the curve' - adding that the worst of coronavirus pandemic 'is over'.

New York state virus death toll passes 10,000: governor

Trump and Cuomo lock horns

Cuomo has often locked horns with Trump, criticising his delayed response to the pandemic. While Cuomo had publically appealed the US government to provide 30,000-40,000 ventilators, Trump has rubbished it by saying, "You go into major hospitals sometimes, and they’ll have two ventilators. And now all of a sudden they’re saying, ‘Can we order 30,000 ventilators?’". New York is one of the worst-hit spot in the US and has now become the epicenter of the disease.

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Trump and Coronavirus

Trump who had earlier downplayed Coronavirus's effects - terming it a 'Chinese virus', has now called it the 'worst thing to hit the US'. The USA which has overtaken China in the number of positive cases has emerged as the epicenter of the pandemic with 5,66,654 cases and 22,877 deaths. While initially, Trump claimed to have the country 'up and running by Easter', he extended its social distancing restrictions till April 30. The White House, which has forecasted over 1,00,000- 2,40,00 deaths in the US, stopped federal funding to states for testing but reversed it after facing a severe backlash.

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