US President Donald Trump said Tuesday his administration's coronavirus task force would soon be replaced with a new advisory body, as the US moves into a different phase of responding to the pandemic, the New York Times reports. But on Wednesday, President Trump instead said the coronavirus task force would continue to work "indefinitely," CNBC adds.
The task force, created in late January, is being led by Vice President Mike Pence, and includes National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci and response coordinator Deborah Birx, it adds.
According to the Times, President Trump, while touring a mask manufacturing plant, praised the task force, but said it was now time to focus on safety and re-opening the country and that the task force would be replaced. Vice President Pence further said the group would wind down its efforts by the end of May.
CNBC also reports that when asked yesterday why he was shutting the task force down when public health experts predict a resurgence in cases later in the year, President Trump responded that "we can't keep our country closed for the next five years."
However, CNBC reports that this morning, President Trump tweeted that the task force would continue on and focus on safety and reopening the country.