White House To Give Update On Coronavirus Plans And Tests

Updated at 9:15 a.m. ET

The White House is slated to give its latest update on what it's doing to try to slow the spread of coronavirus at 3:30 p.m. ET on Monday. The briefing had originally been set for 10:30 a.m. ET, but the White House announced it would be held later on in the day.

The briefing comes as the government rushes to ramp up testing for the virus, starting with health care workers, first responders and people 65 and older with respiratory symptoms and fevers above 99.6 degrees.

Public health officials have said they expect a surge in cases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to issue new recommendations about "social distancing" on Monday.

Late Sunday, the CDC recommended that gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled or postponed for the next eight weeks. This includes conferences, festivals, parades, concerts, sporting events and weddings.

States, cities, businesses and organizations have already taken unprecedented actions to keep people from congregating. Many schools are closed. New York City's mayor on Sunday night said bars and restaurants would be limited to takeout and delivery to try to slow the spread of the virus.

"The worst is yet ahead for us," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, at a White House briefing on Sunday. "It is how we respond to that challenge that's going to determine what the ultimate endpoint is going to be. We have a very, very critical point now."

President Trump was slated to have a call with leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations about the response to the pandemic at 10 a.m. ET and later will talk to the nation's governors, the White House said. [Copyright 2020 NPR]