Trump Signs $500 Billion Aid Bill As U.S. Virus Deaths Rise To 50,000
By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion bill on Friday to aid employers and hospitals under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic as the related death toll rose to more than 50,000 Americans.
The package was the latest effort by the federal government to help keep businesses afloat. They had had to close or dramatically alter their operations as states try to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease COVID-19.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the massive coronavirus relief bill during a session where several legislators were wearing masks. There was an extended period of voting to allow them to remain at a distance from one another in line with public health authorities’ recommendations.
During Friday’s signing of the package, Trump thanked Congress for “answering my call” to provide critical assistance and said it was “a tremendous victory. He also clarified comments made Thursday when he suggested injecting COVID-19 patients with ultraviolet light or disinfectants. Medical experts immediately rejected this idea. President Trump told reporters he had been “sarcastic.”
The president has been frustrated over what he views as bureaucratic hurdles towards developing a vaccine or treatment of COVID 19. Trump wants to move towards reopening the economy. Over the past five weeks, roughly 26 million people have filed for jobless aid, or about 1 in 6 U.S. workers, according to the U.S. Labor Department.
Some states are relaxing rules. Nonessential businesses in Georgia— including hair salons, tattoo parlors, and bowling alleys — were reopening Friday, despite a statewide increase in COVID-19 deaths.
Worldwide, over 2.7 million people have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 193,000 people have died in several nations. In the United States, there were fears that the death toll of roughly 50,000 would rise as there have been over 880,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases.
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