It's been a very busy and a productive day here at the White House, President Donald Trump has no higher priority than the safety and health of the American people.

And President has directed our task force, employing the full resources of the federal government in full partnership with state and local health authorities to make that priority of reality.

As I stand before you today, we have more than 100 Corona virus cases in the United States that is counting domestic cases and cases of Corona virus of Americans that were returned from China or the diamond of Princess.

I'm pleased to report that most of those who contractor Corona virus within our care are continuing to recover.

But sadly, we received word today that another American has passed away and their family has our deepest condolences.

That being said, thanks to presidents, strong leadership and the professionalism of all of our federal agencies, Health and Human Service is CDC and state and local health officials all across this country.

The risk to the American public of contracting the Corona virus remains low to be clear if you are a healthy American.

The risk of contracting the Corona virus remains love, but it is still a good idea to engage in common sense practices that that are always recommended this time of year.

So as someone who has a mother is 87 years of age who has married kids living around the country, a brief tutorial on prevention for yourself, for your family and your loved ones, it's a good idea to stay home When you're sick.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Cover your cough or sneeze with tissue.

Throw the tissue in the trash, clean and disinfect frequently.

Wash your hands with either a disinfectant or with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and let me say again.

As we've said before, there's no need for Americans to buy masks.

And the common sense practices that I just described are all available at CDC dot gov.

Today we we had a series of meetings here at the White House and on Capitol Hill.

We met with executives of the airline industry, executives of commercial labs, executives of nursing homes and our team also met with the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the House of Representatives.

And we were pleased to learn that just shortly ago the House of Representatives passed a federal funding bill by a virtually unanimous marginal Now move to the Senate.

And the legislation implements the president's vision to ensure that not only do our federal agencies have the support resource is that they need, but also that our state and local partners have their support.

In my conversations with governors all the way through this afternoon, I know they're grateful for the bipartisan spirit that has characterized of this funding bill, and we'll continue to work through that process as president, Trump said.

We're all in this together and he deployed a whole of government approach.

But thanks for the president's leadership.

It has actually developed into a Hole of America approach, and the meetings today with industry leaders is a reflection of that.

As Dr Burkes will will indicate in just a few moments, with some of the data that we're evaluating from around the world.

It does appear that the elderly are the most vulnerable, especially those with serious health issues at the president's direction, As a result, Seema Verma will describe that the Center for Medicaid Medicare service's, has issued new guidelines for nursing homes nationwide.

We have raised the bar regarding infectious disease control at our nursing homes, and in addition, Administrator Verma will explain how we are going to focus.

All of our inspection resource is for the foreseeable future on compliance with infection control standards.

Generally, we we, uh we monitor our nursing homes for abuse and to collect.

But at the president's direction, we're going to focus exclusively on ensuring that those who are in nursing homes people operating the nursing homes, like many of the CEOs that we met with today, are complying with the new standards to keep our elderly safe.

President also met today with airline executives, and I'll reiterate, as the president said, our profound gratitude to our partners in the airline industry.

They have worked with us in a CZ we say flowing Americans through particular airports, that screening we're working very closely with the airlines on contact information.

If a person is tested is positive for the Corona virus.

We're working with the airlines to get all the information, not just about that person but about who they sat next to and who else was on the flight and the president are very grateful.

As we announced yesterday, I'm pleased to report that as of yesterday morning, in addition to the travel ban from China, we've suspended all travel coming in from China.

We've suspended all travel coming in from Iran, and even foreign nationals who visit either one of those countries are barred from coming into this country for 14 days.

Um, we also established a travel advisory for Italy, portions of Italy and portions of South Korea over the weekend.

But even as importantly, as of yesterday morning, we fully implemented a screening process.

All direct flights from all airports in South Korea and Italy are now being subject to multiple screens before passengers board to come to the United States of America.

State Department worked very vigorously bring that about and we're grateful for the cooperation the governments of Italy, governments of South Korea as well as our airline partners in making that a reality.

Finally, with regard to testing, we had a meeting today that gave us great hope for great progress in the near future on expanding testing across the country.

We have a ways to go yet, but I'm pleased to report, as we've been able to convey Thio state governments, governors around the country is that thanks to the good work of the FDA and Dr Steve Han who's with me here today?

Now all state laboratories, all university laboratories at the state level can conduct Corona virus tests without any additional assets or resource is from the federal government.

They have the FDA approved test.

They can conduct the test all across the country in all the states.

Beyond that, a CZ we announced through the efforts of HHS 2500 kits of tests are going out this week that 2500 kits, including test, has gone out this week.

That's roughly 1.5 million.

A test that will be available this week will continue to build on that number.

But perhaps most significantly, thanks to Dr Burke's efforts and leadership, we brought together today at the White House the leaders of all of the largest commercial laboratories in this country, companies like quest that have vast capabilities, logistics and testing capabilities, and we were pleased to report today that they have created a consortium to share information and to share Resource is and literally have told us, that is we go through what is called the validation process on testing that by next week individual companies will be able to do a CZ, they said, to meet thousands of tests of Corona virus if they are needed and required on many, many multiples, more of that in the not distant future.

Our objective here is Dr Vertes, raised with the task force is is we've got hospitals in affected areas and those that are requesting that have kits.

We've got universities and state labs that now can perform the test on a requested basis.

But our objective, ultimately and quickly as possible, is to have tests made through these commercial laboratories and commercial providers that your local doctor your your CVS, your med check is able to have a Corona virus test.

And, uh, that isn't there yet.

We're working to make that a reality, but again, it's one more example.

It's not just a whole of government approach.

It's a whole of America approach.

Whether be our nursing home industry with BR airline industry, whether it be our commercial laboratories, I can I can speak on behalf of President Trump and our entire task force when I say we're profoundly grateful for the spirit that's being reflected by companies all across the United States of America grateful for the leadership at the state level.

Uh, and, uh, and the American people should be confident that that spirit of partnership is going to continue to drive this at every level is we work our way through dealing with the Corona virus in the United States.

With that, I'm gonna recognize, uh, Dr Deborah Burke's for her comments.

Thank you, Mr Vice President.

Good evening.

Over the over the last 12 hours, we've been able to receive information both from South Korea and Italy adding to our China information.

And it's as we thought, the elderly and pre existing conditions have a more serious eldest went and confronted with the Corona virus reassuringly in South Korea.

No one has died under 30.

This is reassuring.

Tow us an immediate age in Italy Waas, 81 of those who succumbed those who became ill.

The median age was 60.

So we find this data reassuring.

But it also has really caused us to focus on the Americans who might be most vulnerable.

So we're focusing.

Resource is attention and all of our capacity to ensure those who have preexisting conditions and those who are our elderly have access to the best prevention and treatment options.

The prevention option slow right through all of us to ensure that we have good protective hygiene for our elderly clients around the globe.

Thank you.

Thank you, Seema.

Thank you.

And as you heard, because of the risk for our nation's seniors, we're doubling down on our efforts today.

We put out three memos.

One was to hospitals about triaging and placement for patients with suspected or confirmed Corona virus.

We also put out some information to nursing homes, about limiting visitors to nursing homes, monitoring staff.

And then finally, we put out some information to our state surveyors that are going to be serving our nation's nursing homes and hospitals around infection control.

So all of that information went out this morning.

Very good.

Thank you.

Seema.

CDC.

Barbara.

Well, thank you, Mr Vice President.

I think what I'd like Thio highlight today is the first echo with the vice President started with when he was given the American people.

The advice that he did as he went through that we do have listed out on our CDC website CDC dot gov.

It really is very important.

It's very pragmatic about washing your hands 20 seconds of soap and water or using the other disinfectants.

Obviously, training yourself to, uh, cover your sneeze or cough either in your elbow or with a Kleenex that he will dispose of.

I think very important things.

Working hard, not touch your face.

I think the most important thing for many of those individuals that might be a little tight.

Hey, if you get sick, stay home.

You're not helping your colleagues by going to work sick.

Um, and again, I think these were just very pragmatic.

We've listed them.

They're absolutely no different than what we asked the American public do for flu.

The second thing I would like to do is continue to get help from you to get those messages out.

The one that's the most important that the vice president also talked about is the role of mask.

We need these in 95 mask for the health care workers that are taking care of these patients we do not recommend them to be used by the general public and again you.

All of you tell the stories are able to be great communicators of that so that the American public, it's accurate information and gets good guidance from your experts that you'll reach out to for your stories.

So that's what I would ask you to do.

And I'll reiterate what the vice president said at the beginning that although we're continuing to see new community cases in this nation, um, the overall risk to the American public at this time still remain slow.

Thank you.

Thank you for took.

Thank you, Mr Vice President, Just to reiterate what was said by several of our colleagues here is that we make policy recommendations and analysis of what we're gonna recommend based on accumulation of data.

Data is very important.

With Dr Burke's just told you is data that underscores some of the things that we've been telling you.

You know, when you talk about risk, you know risk is something that's vague to people, and we've said many times if you talk about risk of infection throughout the country, it's a low risk.

If you talk about someone who is infected, and we do have infected people in this country.

You've heard that from from Dr Redfield.

You understand the situation that we have in Seattle if you do get infected if you're infected as taking Seattle as the microcosm of that it is exactly what Dr Burke said.

The risk of getting into difficulties is very heavily weighted towards people with underlying conditions and people with the elderly where the young people and there will be an exception here.

They're the same way we see with influenza.

But the risk for a young person who gets infected to getting into trouble is really low.

Based on a lot of data that's coming out of foreign countries, particularly out of China.

Great.

Take a doctor course.

I want to thank, uh, Vice President President for a very aggressive and careful leadership.

No, I was involved throughout my neurosurgical career with a lot of very, very complex cases and dealt with a lot of renowned physicians.

But I must say that the people on this task force there extremely impressive.

I have been considering all the various different possibilities.

Yeah, outlining scenarios for all the possibilities that can occur, and it's very comforting and recognize that the risk to ah healthy adult still remains quite low, largely because of the aggressive actions that have been taken and our continued to be taking every day and just one last point.

And that is the pharmaceuticals who normally our rivals have worked together voluntarily.

Wouldn't that be a great lesson for the politicians?

Quick informational announcement.

I'll be traveling with many members of the task force to Minnesota tomorrow will be visiting three m, which is poised toe literally.

Begin manufacturing millions more masks for health care workers, and then we'll be traveling on toe.

Washington State.

You meeting with Governor Endsley on with his health team to ensure that the full resources of the federal government are being brought to bear in support of ah, of their efforts to protect the health of people across the Seattle area.

So with that, let me start right here Hi, Washington, and then one about quarter.

I'll start with Washington.

Can you tell us a little bit more about how that meeting came to be?

Well, Secretary A's RV with you?

Is that a meeting that the governor asked you to come there and explain the, uh, I've spoken to Governor Endsley, who I know well from our time in Congress together.

Several times since being tapped to lead the White House effort on the Corona virus a week ago, he's been providing strong leadership for the state of Washington.

They have an outstanding health department.

But after meeting with members of the Senate and the House, particularly those from the Washington state delegation, we thought it would be important to bring our team out, to meet with their team on the ground and to make sure that they have the full support.

Our hearts go out to those that have been infected with the disease in the Seattle area, But also we understand that the anxiety this is created in the full community and we're gonna be going out just to make sure and sitting down with the governor and with his team that they have everything they need and all the support they need.