President Donald Trump drew criticism on Monday, March 16, for labeling coronavirus as a ‘Chinese virus’.
Following an address on Monday afternoon, during which he discussed the possibility of a recession and emphasized the need for social distancing, the US President made the controversial statement.
In support of industries affected by the coronavirus, Trump tweeted, “The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus. We will be stronger than ever before!”
However, his tweet has been criticized by many, including the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Robert Redfield, for being “inaccurate and potentially harmful in promoting racist associations between the virus and those from China.”
See some of the tweets below:
Trump, who has been accused of losing control of the situation, released a series of sweeping guidelines that will temporarily reshape the norms of American society in the next 15 days. The US has had more than 4,600 confirmed cases of the virus, with 79 known deaths from the infection.