Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced Friday that restrictions on travel will be imposed to stop what he claimed was the “viral spread at our borders.”

“Our nation’s top healthcare officials are concerned about the great public health consequences of mass, uncontrolled cross-border movement,” Trump said as he again appeared at the daily White House briefing on how the government is responding to the coronavirus crisis.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is exercising its authority under Title 42 of the U.S. Code to give Customs and Border Protection the tools it needs to prevent the virus coming through the northern and southern borders,” he continued.

“We are treating the borders equally. A lot of people say they are not treated equally. Well, they are. As we did with Canada we are working with Mexico to implement new rules at ports of entry to suspend non-essential travel,” Trump said.

“This is a joint comprehensive effort in collaboration with our neighbors. All of those measures that we are putting in place will protect the health of all three nations and reduce the incentive for a mass global migration that would deplete the health care resources needed for our people,” Trump said. “So we are working very closely with Mexico and very, very closely with Canada. And the relationship has never been better. We are all working towards the game goal.”

“Our nation’s top healthcare officials are extremely concerned about the great public health consequences of mass, uncontrolled cross-border movement. And that would be, mostly and even beyond, but mostly during this global pandemic. Every week, our border agents encounter thousands of unscreened, unvetted, and unauthorized entries from dozens of countries. And we’ve had this problem for decades — for decades. You know the story,” he said.

“We’ll be stronger than ever before, and we have learned a lot about relying on other countries. Some good things came out of it and some not so good things came out of it.” Trump said. “I would like to invite our team to provide information on the new measures of the viral spread of our borders.”

“The United States and Mexico have agreed to restrict non-essential travels across our shared borders,” said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, referring to the disease, as Trump did, as the “Chinese virus.” “Both our countries know the importance of working together to limit the strength of the virus.”

The restrictions of all nonessential travel between Mexico and Canada will go into effect on Saturday, March 31, said Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf.

“Under section 362 of the Public Health Service Act,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, “the CDC is suspending the entry of certain persons into the United States because of the public health threat that their entry in the United States represents.”

“This order applies to persons coming from Mexico and Canada who are seeking into the country illegally and normally are held in a congregate setting like a Custom and Border Protection,” Azar continued. “We are talking about significant numbers of illegal immigrants.”

Significantly, Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation’s leading expert on pandemics, said he supported the new travel restrictions.

“There’s a fundamental health reason for doing that,” he said.

Fauci applauded New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s move to shut down 100% of the workforce, excluding nonessentials services, saying, “I strongly support what he’s doing.”

“I was in New York City on September 11th, 2001, and I know what New Yorkers can do. So, please, cooperate with your governor, cooperate with your neighbor,” Fauci said. “It is very important.”

Asked if there will be a nationwide lockdown to keep people at home, Trump said he doesn’t think so.

“California and New York have done that,” Trump said, but as for other states, he said, “I don’t think so. You go out to the Midwest and other locations, and they’re watching their television but they don’t have the same problem.”

After the FDA walked back Trump’s comments Thursday that a drug was already approved to treat COVID-19, Fauci was asked if there has been some promise with hydroxchloroquine.

“The answer is no,” he said. “The evidence you are talking about is anecdotal evidence. We are trying to strike a balance between making something of a potential of the effect to the American people available and at the same time we do it under the protocol that’ll give us the information that’s truly safe and effective.”

Fauci has said there is no “magic drug” to treat coronavirus, Trump was asked if he agrees with him.

“It may work and it may not work. I agree with doc, I may work or may not good. I feel good about it,” Trump said. “Just a feeling.”

Trump also said, “I invoked the Defense Production Act. And last night, we put it into gear.”

Trump also announced another big step to ease the economic hardships on Americans amid the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier Friday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tweeted that — under the president’s direction — the federal government was postponing Tax Day until July 15.

As California effectively shuts down, and the State Department warns Americans not to leave the country, President Donald Trump’s approval for his handling of the novel coronavirus outbreak is on the rise even after he downplayed the threat of COVID-19 on American life for weeks.

Trump has shifted his approach and tone this week to the coronavirus response, giving daily briefings on the crisis alongside the White House task force since Saturday and proposing new economic and public health measures to combat the virus.

Here are Friday’s most significant developments in Washington:

• Dr. Anthony Fauci is expected to return to the White House coronavirus task force briefing scheduled for 11:45 a.m.
• Trump has a phone call with small business owners on COVID-19 response in the afternoon
• Negotiations underway for economic stimulus package which includes a proposal to send relief checks directly to Americans
• At least two members of Congress accused of insider training amid COVID-19
• State Department tells Americans “Do Not Travel” abroad

Here is how developments unfolded on Friday:

“Phase three” negotiations underway

Negotiations between Republicans and Democrats on that $1 trillion stimulus package began on Capitol Hill Friday — the measure includes a provision that would send money directly to American households. The current GOP plan says that Americans who made up to $75,000 last year would receive a $1200 check, with the check amount scaling down until capping off at $99,000 and with an additional $500 per child.

Democrats, however, are not yet on board. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer say the current package tilts too much toward helping big businesses without focusing enough on people who have lost work. It would also scale back a paid sick leave measure Congress passed just this week.

“We are beginning to review Sen. McConnell’s proposal and on first reading, it is not at all pro-worker and instead puts corporations way ahead of workers,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement Thursday night, hours after the GOP plan was introduced on the Senate floor.

Mnuchin says Tax Day moving to July 15

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin tweeted Friday morning that the federal government is moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15 as the novel coronavirus rocks the U.S. economy.

“All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties,” Mnuchin said.

Senators accused of insider training

At least two Republican senators — North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr and Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler — are also under fire this morning for alleged insider trading, after reports show they each sold off more than $1 million in stocks of businesses negatively impacted by COVID-19 just before the market plunged but after they had received classified briefings on the virus.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary expects Mexico border restrictions will go in place “today”

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf appeared on Fox Business this morning then briefly spoke to reporters at the White House, in which he said that he expected travel and border restrictions to be reassessed every 30 days, that Mexico border restrictions similar to those on Canada would likely go into place today, and that Americans did not need to rush home from abroad.

“There’s a lot of commercial flights out there,” Wolf said, noting both U.S. and foreign carriers are operating. “You don’t have to get on the plane right away. We don’t need a mad rush into our airports. We’re going to screen you. We’re going to take you.” His comments come as the State Department suspends visa services at all U.S. embassies and consulates around the world — for foreigners immigrating to America or just visiting as a tourist or business traveler.

Poll: Majority of Americans approve of Trump’s response

In the new ABC News/Ipsos poll, 55% of Americans approve of the president’s management of the novel coronavirus crisis, compared to 43% who disapprove. Trump’s approval on this issue is up from last week, when the numbers were nearly reversed. Only 43% approved of Trump’s handling of the pandemic and 54% disapproved in last week’s poll.

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