Trump wants to extend coronavirus social distancing guidelines

The coronavirus guidelines, which were first shared in mid-March and had already been extended once, were set to expire at the end of April but president Donald Trump said that his administration may extend its national social distancing guidelines until early in the summer or even later.

“We may, and we may go beyond that, we’re going to have to see where it is. I think people are going to know just out of common sense. At some point, we won’t have to do that, but until we feel safe we are going to be extending,” Trump said at a White House press briefing when asked if the federal guidelines would need to be extended at least until the start of summer.

Trump’s remarks came a day after multiple White House acknowledged that the US would likely still be dealing with the deadly coronavirus by the autumn and winter, when the flu season begins.

The federal guidelines, which were first shared in mid-March and had already been extended once, were set to expire at the end of April. While the White House’s guidelines are not legally binding on states, many of which have implemented their own social distancing rules, they recommend severe restrictions on normal behaviors, such as eating out at restaurants and socializing in groups.

The news that the federal guidance might be extended again comes as Trump and state leaders more aggressively look ahead to “reopening” the economy, which has been devastated by the coronavirus and the strict measures taken to contain it.