partnership between the private sector and the public sector. bringing together state and local governments with the federal government to ensure that we can accomplish and achieve our the core elements of the plan include three elements. roebuck 's diagnostic plans and i really want to thank the governors and health officials who been working with us day and night to work through these issues —— robust diagnostic plans. as well as the americans i set society for microbiology who been working to make sure these plans have been efficient. increasing the numberof have been efficient. increasing the number of testing platforms, we now have multiple tests for different platforms. increasing the ability to collect samples, increasing testing and laboratory supplies and ensuring

we work together to make sure that every client sees the test they need. this is added with timely monitory symptoms and what i mean by thatis monitory symptoms and what i mean by that is symptoms bring together the ability to not only diagnose the symptomatic, but proactively and interactively work with individuals that we know are at higher risk. we worked with states to look at where the outbreaks have occurred when they're not in the large metros and we see it occurs very often in places of close settings. among our native americans and among our long—term care facilities, so an active monitoring programme that's active monitoring programme that's active integrated and innovated and then combining this with the third element, which is the rapid response programme. it relies on cdc to be working on local governments to ensure every symptomatic case and critically, a cinematic cases are quickly trapped and traced —— asymptomatic cases. then finally,

the plan includes approach of using science and technology to develop even newer platforms, merit efficient testing, ensuring that the antibody tests that are recommended by both the fda and cdc have high—quality and addicting both exposure to the virus and antibody development. finally working on innovative tests and antigen —based test thank you. ifi if i can have the next slide please. i want to spend a couple minutes going over where we've been, but more importantly, where we are going. i think we all can understand how we can group this into three distinct stages. first is our launch

phase. we are really engaging the emerging epidemic. in the types of things we need to do, for example, mobilise the private sector to develop test. i think you know over the past few months, the fda has issued 67 emergency use alterations, which is far outpacing anything that has been done or can ever been imagined. galvanising the research community and commercial lab, the reason we are here with a cla labs having done about 3 million tests is because of that day when it was galvanised by the president and the vice president. we also set models in the community. those first community— based testing site in the community. those first community—based testing site that we re community—based testing site that were federally supported under the direction of the us public health service, people who had been in japan testing people on the diamond princess to ensure it would be done right and it would be done safely for everyone involved. studio: let's go back to katty kay in dc. we've heard from deborah birxjust a

moment ago. kadi, donald trump likes the figures for this, butjoe biden seems to be ahead but doesn't have anything like the platform that this gives donald trump in the selection year. no. joe biden has been pretty invisible, have and he? he's done a few meetings. he is doing local media, which is probably a smart strategy. he's doing interviews with press in michigan and wisconsin and florida, the key swing states. i suspect that's about the most he can do, given that has on social media platform is much more limited. he doesn't have this opportunity to go before the country on primetime television across nearly all of cable networks every day for a couple of hours and get this kind of an audience. it is hard for the

democrats to break through.” an audience. it is hard for the democrats to break through. i was just trying to work out what was happening in terms of these checks that donald trump wanted to be personally signed by himself to people receiving benefits. is that being blocked or attempted to be blocked with yellow? schema nguyen announced that about five weeks ago. people are getting that now. —— steve mnuchin. i know a few people who have received their money. if you have had them deposited directly into their account. i don't know anyone personally who has actually received the chap with the name on it, but there was something of a holdup with that —— received the check. it took longer when steve mnuchin mentioned this in march. he said it would be two weeks when people got it. the people i know who got it only got it last week, so that's about five weeks later. there was also today a small business loan

programme that we spoke about last week, $310 billion in loans to small businesses. that was the second biggest sum of money being spent on small businesses. unfortunately, it crashed in the first hour because they were so many applications, but we heard from the administration that 100,000 people request —— had their loans or request by this evening. the money is starting to get out there. but it's now five weeks of lockdown and that means five weeks with no income, no ability to pay rent, no ability to pay salaried employees, and really devastation for americans. we are at that odd moment. let's listen to donald trump taking questions. what the advice from you on how to open

states? we recommend they do it as quickly as possible but safely. we wa nt quickly as possible but safely. we want everyone to be safe. i think you see that. you see a lot of governors get out and want to open up. governors get out and want to open many governors get out and want to open up. many are thinking about their school system. they have a long way to go for the season. i think you will see a lot of schools open up, evenif will see a lot of schools open up, even if it's for a very short time period. it would be a good thing because as you see in terms of what this vicious virus goes after young people seem to do very well. young people seem to do very well. young people seem to do very well, so i know there are some governors that are necessarily ready to open up states, but they may be ready to open up their school systems. but the word is safety. rapid but safety. i have a question regarding one of the members of your coronavirus task force. alex azar.

0n coronavirus task force. alex azar. on january coronavirus task force. alex azar. 0njanuary 28, he was in the briefing room and in the briefing room he told reporters that for the individual american, the virus should not be an impact on their day—to—day life. three months later, more than 55,000 fellow americans have now lost their lives. mr president, why is he still serving as the hhs secretary? isaac is a very unfair question because you have many great professionals. —— i think it's a very unfair question. many people on the other party have said the same thing with even more confidence. so a lot of people didn't get that right. i was very fortu nate, didn't get that right. i was very fortunate, whether it was for luck or whatever that we closed the border, we put a ban on china and are citizens coming in, you can keep out american citizens. you can't come back into your country, that's a tough —— a little tough to do. i

could tell you that nancy pelosi was dancing in the streets in chinatown. she wanted to go out and party and that was late into february, but you don't mention that. you should have no complaints. yesterday you said -- democrats inflated the mortality rate by underreporting. do you believe it's true that there some sort of conspiracy theory regarding the numberof sort of conspiracy theory regarding the number of infections was if you look at other countries, other countries are not reporting after accurately. i can only say what we are doing. it's very important to us to do very accurate reporting and that's what we're

doing. i want to ask you about the payment protection plan to help small businesses. there been a lot of concerns with the website not working. the american bankers association said they are deeply frustrated. until it's fixed, american banks will be able to help. ijust came american banks will be able to help. i just came out american banks will be able to help. ijust came out and i haven't heard. i heard there was a glitch. we will find out whether that's worked out. it did work out for the original amount of money. this is the second amount of money. this is the second amountandl amount of money. this is the second amount and i will find out about that. we're relying on the banks to go out. i wouldn't mind doing that. i don't know what the legal status of something like that is. i'm not involved in that process but i would certainly like to have it listed. i have to find out if there is a legal problem, but if there isn't, i would do it gladly. a majority of polls

show americans blame china for the spread of the coronavirus and yet they are taking advantage of the crisis to make the world more dependent on their supply chains. how do you hold china accountable and how do you keep our country... there are a lot of ways you can hold them accountable. we are doing very serious investigations as you probably know. we are not happy with china. we are not happy with that whole situation. we believe it could have been stopped at the source. it could have been stops quickly and it wouldn't have spread all over the world and we think that should have happened, so we'll let you know what the appropriate time. businesses are alighting on china for their supply chains, how do you fix that? if you look prior to this virus, the deficit was coming down under my administration because i put massive ta riffs administration because i put massive tariffs on china. we to look into

tens of billions of dialers, but it — gave tens of billions of dialers, but it —— gave it to some of the farmers. now all of a sudden, i think you know very well be taken in tens of billions of dollars. i helped the farmers by giving them $12 billion, all coming from china and we have plenty left over to. the following year, 16 billion and this year we are also helping ourfarmers, but nobody‘s ever done anything like that because they were targeted u nfa i rly that because they were targeted unfairly by china. so we're doing a very strong investigation and we'll let you know what the result of that is. we should be able to get the a nswe rs. is. we should be able to get the answers. as he talked about potentially reopening america, what data i will you look at in the future to see if restrictions need to bea future to see if restrictions need to be a reimpose? that's been the way it has been for me, maybe not for everybody but for me that's the way it's been from the beginning.

the governors, some of them are doing an extra ordinaryjob, not all of them but some of them. i think all of them have a chance to do that. some will be a little bit different. the areas are much different. the areas are much different. manhattan is much different. manhattan is much different than montana. you have a lot of different circumstances, but obviously, if you look at the virus, it hit some areas and not so much some others. some not at all. but the entire country has been impacted. west virginia, for example, i spoke to the governor and they were long before anything hit and they had numerous deaths even in west virginia and they were the last one to be had. so we're dealing with the governors. we had a really great call today as i told you. very, very solid. these were not complaining people, these are people that work... they had everything they needed. they had been the leaders, they had testing, they see their testing is growing, they're growing

their testing, we're getting them what they need. that was a group i wish, i'm sure some of you are on the line, and i think you know what the line, and i think you know what the result of that call was. following the question on holding china responsible, which are —— which are administration looking at doing the same as germany? germany is looking at things that we are looking at things and we are talking about a lot more money than they are. this is worldwide damage. this is damage to the world. attorney general william directed for prosecutors that might be violating

orders. what's the strategy there? will the federal government sue local authorities? you would have to ask the attorney general, but i think you wants to see everybody get back and wants to see people get back and wants to see people get back to work. he doesn't want people to be held up. in some cases perhaps it's too strict. he wants to make sure people have their rights and maintain their rights. a lot of people would agree with him, but you would have to ask that question specifically from a legal standpoint to him. it would depend on the state in the circumstances of the state. some states are perhaps a little early and some states are perhaps a little late. the attorney general doesn't want to have rights taken away. there are some people who aren't allowed to open up their store and are losing their livelihood. that closes death also between all the things that happened and this has been a big study. the

fa ct and this has been a big study. the fact that people aren't allowed to have their freedom causes tremendous amounts of problems, including death. so that's what he's talking about. governor low in larry -- governor larry hogan said he saw a spike in people using disinfectant after your comments last week.|j can't imagine why. can you take any responsibility? i can imagine that. anthony fauci says we need to increase testing by doubling at least as old as the rockefeller foundation. when are we going to be doubling? it doesn't really matter what they say they are and we just had a meeting about it. we will have much more than doubling very soon. there are big believers in testing and there are some governors that don't feel as strongly about it at all. you understand that, they feel much differently. we're going with

maximum texting because it's something we're very capable of doing —— maximum testing. i'd like you to answer that. mike? thank you, mr president. i hope the american people looking on today are as proud as the president as i am. of the incredible public and private partnership you heard from today. it was two months ago that we had done less than 10,000 tests for the coronavirus in the united states. because president brought together these incredible commercial lab, brought together the best known retailers in america, now, mr president, we have 5.4 million tests. as you said earlier today, we've done more than 200,000 tests ina single we've done more than 200,000 tests in a single day. as he met with

governors i heard about today