U.S. President Donald Trump pauses as he addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Washington - The New York Times revealed that White House trade adviser Peter Navarro circulated a memo dated January 29th warning administration officials that the coronavirus pandemic could wipe out hundreds of thousands of jobs, erase trillions of dollars in economic activity, and sicken if not kill millions of people. He also argued for "an immediate travel ban on China".
"The lack of immune protection or an existing cure or vaccine would leave Americans defenseless in the case of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak on US soil," Navarro wrote in his January 29th memo.
"This lack of protection elevates the risk of the coronavirus evolving into a full-blown pandemic, imperiling the lives of millions of Americans".
According to the NY Times, Navarro wrote a second memo on February 23 warning that an "increasing probability of a full-blown COVID-19 pandemic that could infect as many as 100 million Americans, with a loss of life of as many as 1.2 million souls.
" He urged the White House Coronavirus Task Force to negotiate a relief package for Americans who would get sick or lose their jobs and businesses in a pandemic.
The US has now recorded more than 12,000 deaths from the virus, with more than 383,000 confirmed cases. (QNA)
