Three months and 50,000 deaths: the defining Covid-19 moments in the US timeline
From grim milestones to record unemployment rates and protests against stay-at-home orders, the pandemic has upended life across the US
In just three months, Covid-19 has upended life in the US, ravaging cities and businesses and overwhelming hospitals woefully unprepared. What started as a single infection in Washington state ballooned until the US became the global hotspot for Covid-19, with exponentially more confirmed cases than any other nation.
Mixed messages from Donald Trump and his administration have caused confusion over when or if Americans will return to life as usual. Squabbles between the president, governors and mayors have inspired headlines as critics assail missed chances to contain the virus.
Now, the US has passed another grim milestone, 50,000 Covid-related deaths, while closing in on 1m confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins University.More than 26 million are out of work and protesters are demanding an end to stay-at-home orders, even as experts say such rallies could make outbreaks worse.
These are the defining moments from the US under Covid-19 so far.
21 January
The US confirms its first case of Covid-19, after a 35-year-old man who lives north of Seattle returns from Wuhan, China. A day later, Trump tells CNBC: Its one person coming in from China, and we have it under control.
29 January
The White House announces a taskforce to monitor, contain and mitigate the spread of the virus.
30 January
The World Health Organization (WHO) labels the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. But Trump continues to downplay it, telling a crowd in Iowa: We only have five people. Hopefully, everythings going to be great.
31 January
Alex Azar, secretary of health and human services, declares a public health emergency. Trump restricts travel from China, a decision that he later claims, erroneously, saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
5 February
After becoming the third president to be impeached, Trump is acquitted by the Republican-controlled Senate.
6 February
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ships coronavirus testing kits to labs, but early tests are contaminated, handicapping the response. The US experiences its first known death from Covid-19, in California, though it will not be identified and reported as such for months.
24 February
The economy shows signs of free fall, even as Trump tweets: Stock Market starting to look very good to me! His administration asks Congress for $2.5bn to pay for vaccine development and protective equipment.
26 February
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces that a patient in California has tested positive for Covid-19, potentially the first US case where the source of infection is unknown. At Life Care Center, a nursing home outside Seattle, two residents contract the virus. Dozens will succumb. Trump taps Mike Pence to lead the coronavirus response.
29 February
The US makes public what is then believed to be its first Covid-related death, a man in his 50s. The case is in Washington state, ground zero for the virus. Trump restricts travel from Iran.
6 March
Trump signs an $8.3bn aid bill that receives near-unanimous support in Congress. He says: Anybody that wants a test can get a test, a claim that confuses Americans and hamstrings healthcare workers.
11 March
TheWHO redefines the outbreak as a pandemic. Trump restricts travel from Europe, excluding the UK. Days later, he announces a bar on travel from the UK and Ireland.
12 March
Broadway closes and the NCAA cancels March Madness. The US has more than 1,600 confirmed coronavirus cases, across almost every state.
13 March
Trump declares a national emergency, the same day Washington state orders its schools closed.
18 March
Trump signs a second coronavirus relief bill.
19 March
Californians must stay at home to curtail the spread of the virus. A day later, New York issues a similar order, beginning a war of words between Trump and a number of governors.
24 March
Trump tells Fox News he would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter, 12 April. He faces immediate criticism.
26 March
The US reports its first 1,000 deaths. The next day, Trump signs a $2.2tn stimulus package that includes a $1,200 check for many Americans. Trump later takes heat for making sure the checks, intended to help struggling workers during catastrophic levels of unemployment, bear his signature during an election year.
28 March
The US death toll doubles, to more than 2,000, in just two days.
31 March
In a significant shift in tone, exactly a week after he floated the idea of reopening the country by Easter, Trump says our country is in the midst of a great national trial, unlike any we have ever faced before.
3 April
The CDC recommends all Americans wear face coverings in public after weeks of suggesting otherwise. New Yorks mayor warns that D-Day is looming as hospitals struggle to find personal protective equipment, ventilators, beds and staff.
13 April
Trump claims total authority over the states, saying: The president of the United States calls the shots. He is challenged by governors, who say he does not have the constitutional right to reopen the country without their involvement.
17 April
Two days after thousands of protesters in Michigan gathered to decry their states stay-at-home order, Trump tweets to LIBERATE MINNESOTA, LIBERATE MICHIGAN and LIBERATE VIRGINIA. Protesters in other states follow suit.
23 April
The House of Representatives approves another relief bill to help small businesses and hospitals, after previous funds for small businesses fell into the hands of large companies such as Shake Shack and Potbelly. At a press briefing, Trump seems to suggest people might inject disinfectant as a way to fight the virus.
24 April
Trump claims he was being sarcastic about the disinfectant. The US surpasses 50,000 Covid-related deaths.
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/apr/25/us-coronavirus-timeline-trump-cases-deaths