The guidelines Trump issued came after lengthy and sometimes-contentious debate among his advisers over how stringently to recommend Americans remain in place and avoid large crowds. The White House had initially focused on international travel restrictions and ramping up testing capacity. Those arguments have been countered by health officials who say drastic measures are needed to "flatten the curve" — or slow the speed of contamination. Most are steps public health officials have been pushing since the start of the outbreak, including staying home from work when feeling sick and avoiding discretionary travel. His comments caused some consternation inside the White House because some officials believed he was getting ahead of where discussions stood in the task force.

Source: CNN March 16, 2020 19:33 UTC