5:30 PM Eastern UPDATE: Trump Declares National Emergency to Help Fight COVID-19.

“I am officially declaring a national emergency, two very big words. I’m urging every state to set up emergency operations centers effective immediately.”

— Donald Trump, President of the United States, March 13, 2020

President Trump declared a national emergency in the White House Rose Garden on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020, surrounded by American corporate leaders and medical experts. Image by Erin Schaff/NYT. — President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in the White House Rose Garden on Friday afternoon, March 13, 2020, surrounded by American corporate leaders and medical experts. Image by Erin Schaff/NYT.

5:30 PM Eastern UPDATE: March 13, 2020 Albuquerque, New Mexico – As the United States reached a total of 2,269 confirmed COVID-19 cases with 48 deaths, at the White House Rose Garden this afternoon, President Trump declared America in an official “national emergency.” That declaration will release about $50 billion to help lift restrictions on hospitals and doctors to expand coronavirus testing and to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Corporate leaders of companies such as Walmart and CVS also spoke briefly about providing some of their parking spaces to construction of drive through coronavirus test stations, as Colorado has done. Further, Trump said he would help young people by waiving the interest on student loans during the coronavirus crisis and that he will take advantage of low oil prices and buy more for U. S. oil reserves.

This afternoon as Trump spoke, the world number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 145,308 with 5,416 deaths and Spain declared a state of emergency ordering its first mandatory nation lockdown following Italy — a nation that has been crippled badly by a huge surge of cases and deaths that have overwhelmed their hospitals, doctors and nurses.

See: Worldometers.com