U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday unveiled a new coronavirus testing "blueprint" that he said would amplify the screening strategy and help prevent the spread.
Gavino Garay has more.
Trump returns to the podium after two-day hiatus
(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING: "We are deploying the full power and strength of federal government." U.S. President Donald Trump's pause in holding White House coronavirus briefings only lasted the weekend as the president was back in the Rose Garden on Monday, briefing reporters on a new nationwide testing strategy… The president touted the country's efforts on testing- which many governors have said is not robust enough to reopen their economies, and said the federal government's plan would ramp it up even more and eventually allow pharmacies to do testing.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING: "The testing is not going to be a problem at all... Today we're releasing additional guidance on testing to inform the states as they develop their plans for a phased and very safe reopening.
Our blueprint describes how states should unlock their full capacity, expand their number of testing platforms established; monitoring systems to detect local outbreaks and conduct contact tracing." Trump took a temporary hiatus from hosting the task force briefings over the weekend after his advisers said the sessions, held nearly every day for more than a month, had begun to show him in an unfavorable light, especially after last - when he asked his medical experts if using disinfectants that kill the virus on surfaces can be used in the body to treat the virus.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP SAYING: "Is there a way we can do something like that by injection, inside, or almost a cleaning?" The president later said he was being sarcastic.
The White House announced on Monday morning that Monday's session was canceled, only to reverse course hours later and put the briefing back on Trump's schedule.
White House officials said future briefings will shift more toward economic reopening.
Republicans increasingly see restoring economic growth from June as critical to improving Trump's re-election prospects in November.
During Monday's appearance, the president talked about the economy before Coronavirus..
Saying before he was forced to shut it down..
He had built quote - "The greatest economy the world has ever seen."