At the start of what is expected to be the deadliest week of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, the White House tried to offer some hope that measures to contain the spread were working.
The virus killed 1,264 over 24 hours in the U.S. as of 2:05 am ET on Tuesday, according to NBC New's tracker. A total of 10,906 have been recorded killed by COVID-19.
Meanwhile in China, where the pandemic broke out, not a single new death was reported, and the city of Wuhan in Hubei province, where the new virus was first identified, prepared for lockdown measures to be lifted.
April 6, 202003:01
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious diseases expert, said on Monday he was "cautiously optimistic" that the worst projections could be avoided "if we keep our foot on the accelerator" — referring to social distancing policies in force throughout much of the country.
Fauci and other officials leading the U.S. response to the crisis emphasized the importance of stay-at-home measures during a briefing.
"I don't think anyone has ever mitigated the way I'm seeing people mitigate right now," he said.
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Nevertheless, President Donald Trump cautioned that over the next week-and-a-half there would be a "big surge" in cases and deaths.
The president added that his administration was tackling hot spots, including New York, which has been hardest-hit by the virus in the U.S.
"We are pressing into action the full power of American government and American enterprise in our military has been incredible," he said.
While the lockdown was being lifted in Wuhan, the pandemic's original epicenter, a spokesman for China's National Health Commission cautioned the country still faced the risk of new outbreaks caused by domestic and imported cases.
Health officials reported 32 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus in mainland China on Monday, all of them imported, bringing the total to 81,740.
The former epicenter of the epidemic, Wuhan, reported only two new confirmed cases in the past 14 days.
People wearing face masks walk inside a barricaded residential compound in Wuhan, China, on Tuesday.Noel Celis / AFP - Getty Images
On Wednesday, its residents will be able to move in and out of the city for the first time since the city went into lockdown on Jan. 23 to stop the spread of the virus.
For more than two months, Wuhan has been under draconian containment measures with its public transportation completely shuttered and residents ordered to stay inside.
Ahead of the city’s reopening, Chinese state media trumpeted the success of the lockdown measures, praising the residents for their sacrifice, but also warning people against letting their guard down.
“Zero growth does not mean zero risk, and opening a city gate does not mean opening every family door,” Xinhua state news agency said Tuesday.
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The city has been showing signs of going back to normal since last week. With its subway and train service resuming last weekend, some businesses, supermarkets and shopping malls have also re-opened their doors.
Photos shared by state media in the past few days showed people venturing out into the streets, walking their dogs, buying food in the street markets and even relaxing on the banks of the Yangtze River — with many still wearing masks.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said in an interview with the BBC that the Prime Minister was "not on a ventilator" but had "received oxygen support."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today program that Johnson was "receiving the very best care" at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, after being taken into intensive care at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) on Monday.
"And of course, one of the reasons for being in intensive care is to make sure that whatever support the medical team consider to be appropriate can be provided," Gove said.
Gove later said he was self-isolating at home because a member of his family was showing coronavirus symptoms. Gove said on Twitter that he was not displaying any symptoms and was continuing to work. He's the latest in a long line of British government ministers and advisers to be forced into isolation.
Johnson's hospitalization has highlighted the lack of a formal line of succession in the UK government. Johnson, 55, nominated the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, who also holds the title of First Secretary of State, to deputize for him "where necessary." But the is no official deputy recognized by UK law or the country's largely unwritten constitution.
Few formal powers are invested specifically in the UK prime minister and key decisions are taken collectively by the Cabinet or its sub-committees. Many statutory powers are held by individual secretaries of state. But in recent decades, holders of the UK's top political office have adopted a more presidential style, and the sweeping nature of the ruling Conservative Party's most recent election victory was attributed to Johnson's personal appeal with voters.
"The Prime Minister has a team around him who ensure the work of government goes on," Gove told the BBC. He said Johnson had a "stripped-back diary" last week to make sure he could follow the medical advice of his doctors.
Gove confirmed that Raab was now in charge of seeing through Johnson's plan to tackle the novel coronavirus. "Dominic [Raab] takes on the responsibilities of chairing the various meetings the PM would've chaired but we're all working together to implement the plan that the PM has set out," he said.
But Gove sidestepped a question about who held the "nuclear codes," saying he would not discuss national security issues.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons defense select committee, tweeted good wishes to Johnson but added: "It is important to have 100% clarity as to where responsibility for UK national security decisions now lies. We must anticipate adversaries attempting to exploit any perceived weakness."
Johnson was taken to hospital on Sunday evening. At the time, Downing Street said the decision was a precaution because he continued to suffer from a cough and a fever ten days after testing positive for the coronavirus. But his condition deteriorated on Monday, Downing Street said, and he was moved to the intensive care unit at St. Thomas' Hospital.
Gove told Sky News on Tuesday morning that Cabinet ministers were not told about the Prime Minister's deteriorating condition until nearly an hour after Johnson was taken into intensive care.
Asked whether the government had been up front with the public about Johnson's condition, and whether the Cabinet had been taken by surprise, he replied: "Yes we were. The [daily coronavirus] briefing that was given at 5 o'clock was given at a time when we didn't know about the deterioration in the Prime Minister's condition."
"We were informed subsequently. The Prime Minister was admitted to intensive care at 7 o'clock, and that information wasn't given to us in government -- to those in the cabinet -- until just before 8 o'clock."
The coroavirus has hit the top of the British government hard. The Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said on March 27 that he had the virus, on the same day that chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, announced that he would begin self-isolation after displaying Covid-19 symptoms. Neil Ferguson, a top UK government adviser on the virus, said on March 18 he believed he had been infected. Various other senior government ministers and advisers have been forced to self-isolate.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said in an interview with the BBC that the Prime Minister was "not on a ventilator" but had "received oxygen support."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today program that Johnson was "receiving the very best care" at St. Thomas' Hospital in London, after being taken into intensive care at 7 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) on Monday.
"And of course, one of the reasons for being in intensive care is to make sure that whatever support the medical team consider to be appropriate can be provided," he said.
Johnson's hospitalization has highlighted the lack of a formal line of succession in the UK government. Johnson nominated the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, who also holds the title of First Secretary of State, to deputize for him "where necessary."
Few formal powers are invested specifically in the UK prime minister and key decisions are taken collectively by the Cabinet or its sub-committees. Many statutory powers are held by individual secretaries of state. But in recent decades, holders of the UK's top political office have adopted a more presidential style, and the sweeping nature of the ruling Conservative Party's most recent election victory was attributed to Johnson's personal appeal with voters.
"The Prime Minister has a team around him who ensure the work of government goes on," Gove told the BBC. He said Johnson had a "stripped-back diary" last week to make sure he could follow the medical advice of his doctors.
Gove confirmed that Raab was now in charge of seeing through Johnson's plan to tackle the novel coronavirus. "Dominic [Raab] takes on the responsibilities of chairing the various meetings the PM would've chaired but we're all working together to implement the plan that the PM has set out," he said.
But Gove sidestepped a question about who held the "nuclear codes," saying he would not discuss national security issues.
Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons defense select committee, tweeted good wishes to Johnson but added: "It is important to have 100% clarity as to where responsibility for UK national security decisions now lies. We must anticipate adversaries attempting to exploit any perceived weakness."
Johnson was taken to hospital on Sunday evening. At the time, Downing Street said the decision was a precaution because the Prime Minister continued to suffer from a cough and a fever ten days after testing positive for the coronavirus. But his condition deteriorated on Monday, Downing Street said, and he was moved to the intensive care unit at St. Thomas' Hospital.
Gove told Sky News on Tuesday morning that Cabinet ministers were not told about the Prime Minister's deteriorating condition until nearly an hour after Johnson was taken into intensive care.
Asked whether the government had been up front with the public about Johnson's condition, and whether the Cabinet had been taken by surprise, he replied: "Yes we were. The [daily coronavirus] briefing that was given at 5 o'clock was given at a time when we didn't know about the deterioration in the Prime Minister's condition."
"We were informed subsequently. The Prime Minister was admitted to intensive care at 7 o'clock, and that information wasn't given to us in government -- to those in the cabinet -- until just before 8 o'clock."
