President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House, Saturday, April 4, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

President Donald Trump took an optimistic tone about the COVID-19 outbreak on Sunday as he spoke with reporters at the White House. He indicated that when the pandemic subsides, the U.S. economy will make a strong comeback.

When a reporter asked why grocery stores are remaining open despite the closures of other businesses, Trump replied, “We’ll answer that question later. All I can say is right now is things are looking really good, and opening up with a bang will be a great thing. And there is nobody going to be happier than me.”

Currently, only nine states have not issued shelter-in-place orders, while the rest have encouraged Americans to practice social distancing. The states that have implemented these measures have allowed essential businesses to remain open amid the pandemic.

The White House has urged Americans to cover their faces when going out in public – especially in major hot spots like Los Angeles, New York City, and Detroit. Grocery stores are one type of business that is deemed to be essential. In most of these states, restaurants are allowed to remain open as long as they are limited to providing take-out service.

Earlier last week, the President indicated that the coronavirus situation would become more difficult in the next couple weeks as the virus reaches its peak. “We are really coming up onto a time that’s going to be horrendous,” he told reporters.

U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams gave a similar warning on Sunday, indicating that this week will “be the hardest and saddest week of most Americans’ lives.” However, both Trump and Adams have expressed confidence that after the peak season passes, the nation would recover. Adams stated that there is “a light at the end of the tunnel if everyone does their part for the next 30 days.”

On Saturday, Trump expressed his desire to reopen the U.S. economy. “You know, I had an expression, the cure can’t be worse than the problem itself. Right? I started by saying that, and I continue to say it,” he concluded. “The cure cannot be worse than the problem itself. We got to get our country open.”

COVID-19 has certainly had a deleterious impact on American society and the economy. But, as they say, “this too shall pass.” The economy will eventually recover, and things will go back to normal, in a sense. The question is: What will “normal” look like after the crisis has passed?

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

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