April 17 coronavirus news

Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in Huntington Beach, a coastal community in California, to demand the reopening of the state's economy, according to the event's Facebook page. 

Many protesters ignored the state’s social distancing guidelines as they hugged and took selfies in an effort to show their opposition to the state's stay-at-home orders.

A large number of people in the crowd waved “Trump 2020” flags and other signage in support for the President’s campaign.

The demonstration included a stream of motorists honking and shouting in support for the protest. Only a handful in the crowd were wearing masks during the gathering.

Approximately two dozen mask-wearing police officers patrolled the event.

Similar protests have garnered attention around the country in other states.

Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah — states led by both Republican and Democratic governors — have all seen protests in recent days as people grow more concerned about the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday morning, President Trump said in a series of tweets that states should be liberated.

Trump later defended his tweets, saying the governors are being “too tough.”

President Trump addressed his recent tweets calling to “liberate” Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan — three political swing states that have Democratic governors. 

He said the governors who are implementing federal guidelines for stay-at-home orders to deal with the coronavirus are being “too tough.”

On Virginia, he said, "What they've done is very powerful. You know you could get the same result with doing a little bit less." 

He then went off on a tangent about the Second Amendment and claimed without proof that, "They want to take their guns away." Virginia has declared that gun stores are not essential businesses during the pandemic. 

“I think some things are too tough,” Trump said during Friday’s White House press briefing.

Asked whether these states should lift their stay-at-home orders, Trump said, “No, but I think elements of what they’ve done are too much. It’s just too much.”

The President said he wasn’t concerned about protesters spreading the coronavirus among participants attending demonstrations calling for states to reopen.  

Watch:

Live Nation, one of the nation's top concert promoters, is unveiling its plan to accommodate fans with tickets to canceled and postponed shows.

Venues hosting concerts will offer fans 150% of their ticket value as "concert cash," and those going to postponed shows will get "concert cash" once they attend.

The program is also offering an option to donate tickets to health care workers.

Dr. Deborah Birx said during Friday’s briefing that it’s unclear whether the US currently has enough coronavirus testing capacity for phase two of the administration’s guidelines for opening states.

Vice President Mike Pence said the administration is going to continue to scale testing as needed, calling on states to manage testing.

Vice President Mike Pence claimed Friday that there are enough tests for states looking to reopen under phase one guidelines. 

He reiterated, “Let me say that again: Given the guidance in the President’s new guidelines for opening up America again, states that meet the criteria for going into phase one and then are preparing the testing that is contemplated by going to phase one – our best scientists and health experts assess that today, we have a sufficient amount of testing to meet the requirements of phase one reopening if state governors choose to do that.”

Earlier CNN reported that while some labs say testing capacity is not an issue, others are still reporting shortages. 

While delays in testing – and shortages of testing supplies – have been reported across the country, it’s also possible that a slowdown in the pandemic is responsible for the reported decline in tests.

Currently in the United States, testing is primarily done on those who are symptomatic. While the US is still seeing an increasing number of cases, social distancing measures do seem to be working, limiting transmission of the virus.

Assuming there are enough tests available, that slowdown could explain why fewer people are needing tests at hospitals, doctors’ offices and other sites. Or, doctors may just be ordering fewer tests, perhaps reserving them for only the sickest patients.

If there isn’t widespread availability of testing, though, then the reported decline in cases may be misleading.

In a statement on Wednesday, the American Clinical Laboratory Association – which represents commercial labs such as LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics – said that testing capacity was not an issue.

“ACLA members have now eliminated testing backlogs, and have considerable capacity that is not being used,” the group said. 

“We stand ready to perform more testing and are in close communication with public health partners about ways we can support additional needs.”

Other groups, though, have reported problems. In a Monday letter to the White House Coronavirus Task Force, the Association of American Medical Colleges said labs are facing critical shortages.

It added that “laboratories across the country are working day and night to expand testing capacity but are severely hampered by shortages of needed reagents, swabs for testing, PPE, and specialized equipment designed by companies to be used with their own machines.”

Hawaii Gov. David Ige ordered all state-owned beaches closed Friday as part of the effort to combat coronavirus. 

Residents will still be allowed to swim and surf with social distancing, but cannot sunbathe, picnic, or play games on the sand.

Ige’s order also said recreational boating is limited to two people per boat, and that watercraft should maintain a distance of at least 20 feet. Hiking and fishing trips also are limited to two people at a time, except for relatives who live together.

The new rules are in effect until April 30.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said he tried to speak with President Trump after the President tweeted “LIBERATE MINNESOTA" on Friday but he didn't get a call in return.

Speaking at a news conference Friday, Walz said he called to ask, "What are we doing differently about moving towards getting as many people back into the workforce without compromising the health of Minnesotans or the providers?

He added that it "will probably take longer than a two-word tweet."

Protesters have gathered in front of the governor's residence for two days in a row to demonstrate against his statewide stay-at-home. Walz urged protesters to follow social distancing guidelines.

On Friday, Trump tweeted "LIBERATE MINNESOTA," one day after saying he was leaving the reopening decisions up to the governors.

Vice President Mike Pence on Friday described how the federal government is working with states to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pence said that a recent disaster declaration for American Samoa marked the first time in American history that all states and territories had been under a disaster declaration.

“We’re continuing to bring, at the President’s direction, full resources of the federal government to bear. Today, the President approved a major disaster declaration for American Samoa, and now all 50 states and all territories are under major disaster declarations for the first time in American history,” Pence said.

Pence also said there would be an additional call with governors on Monday on the topic of supplies.

“Today we issued a letter to our nation’s governors summarizing all the medical equipment and supplies that have been distributed to their state from FEMA between the first of this month and April 14 through Project Airbridge and through the commercial supply network,” Pence said. 

He continued: “We’ll be speaking with our nation’s governors on Monday and detailing that information at that time.”

Pence said the group will also discuss testing capacity and lab activation “very specifically” during the Monday call.

Watch:

President Trump laid out the administration’s swab testing efforts during Friday’s briefing. 

In the next few weeks, he said, the federal government will “be sending out 5.5 million testing swabs to the states.”

The swabs, he said, “can be done easily by the governors themselves. Mostly it’s cotton. It’s not a big deal, you can get cotton easily, but if they can’t get it, we will take care of it.”

People might soon be able to perform their own test swabs for Covid-19 at home with a newly designed, Q-tip-style swab, the FDA said Thursday.

CNN reported the FDA said it had worked with US Cotton to design the swabs, which are shorter than the swabs used by technicians, doctors or nurses to collect samples to test people for Covid-19 infection. The FDA also said US Cotton plans to manufacture large quantities of these swabs.