The US Treasury Secretary warned that if the activity is not reopened there may be “permanent economic damage”

The US Secretary of the Treasury, Steve Mnuchin, warned this Sunday about the possible “permanent damage” to the economy that a prolonged extension of the economic closure could have, due to the measures taken to prevent the advance of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mnuchin stressed that the reopening must be done “in a thoughtful way”, referring to the caution necessary to avoid new spikes in infections, but emphasized the need to resume activity.

Consulted in the chain Fox News On a prolongation of the quarantine measures, he commented: “I think there is a considerable risk of not reopening. Would cause permanent economic damage to the American people“

Regarding the reopening process, he indicated that it will be done in such a way that people “can work safely and with social distancing,” but ensuring that people can go to stores, and taking into account that part of the public will have doubts about the risks.

Larry Kudlow, presidential economic adviser, also championed the idea of ​​reopening the economy.

“Why not trust companies?Kudlow continued. “They know, on their side, that people must be protected” and, “on the other hand, that it is necessary to reactivate as soon as possible to face the economic problem, the recession due to the pandemic,” he said in statements to ABC.

Mnchin also announced that the shocking unemployment rate reported on Friday by the United States government, raised to 14.7% in April, is on the way to worsening before the expected rebound.

“Reported numbers are likely to get worse before improvingMnuchin said. The April figure shattered the post-World War II record of 10.8%, touched in November 1982.

In this regard, the White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett indicated that unemployment could approach 20% as a consequence of the coronavirus crisis, an unprecedented figure in the country since the Great Depression of the 1930s. “Given the requests (for dismissal subsidies), it seems that we will probably approach 20 percent in the next report,” he said in CNN.

In recent days, two employees of the “west wing”, where the Oval Office is located – a military man in the service of the president and the spokeswoman for vice president Mike Pence – tested positive for the new coronavirus, despite strict health precautions taken there.

In addition, three front-line members of the crisis unit of the US presidency in charge of coordinating the fight against COVID-19 decided to enter a preventive quarantine for their possible exposure to the virus.

Among them is epidemiologist Anthony Fauci, who advises Trump daily, as well as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Robert Redfield, and Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

(With information from AFP and Reuters)

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