April 13, 2020 / Lisette Voytko, Forbes Staff
Topline: President Trump ordered 600,000 COVID-19 tests from South Korea in late March, Reuters first reported Monday, with the first shipment expected this week, as Trump faces mounting pressure to reopen the economy amid skyrocketing unemployment and a volatile stock market, but experts say widespread testing is among the measures needed to make that happen.
- Trump requested the tests on March 25, 2020, Reuters reported, the same day that the U.S. COVID-19 death toll surpassed 1,000 and the Senate approved the $2 trillion emergency spending bill.
- The 600,000 tests were the first bulk order from the U.S. federal government, according to Reuters, although South Korea has previously shipped tests to cities such as Los Angeles, California.
- South Korea has been praised for its efficiency in dealing with coronavirus, the Washington Post reported, by rapidly scaling up testing, which slowed cases—and caused just 200 deaths—as compared to spiking numbers in the U.S.
- A U.S. cargo plane is scheduled to transport the tests on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
- Critics say the Trump administration was slow in its response to the virus, including a ramp-up of widespread testing that health experts say is vital to controlling the outbreak.
- Trump has floated the idea of reopening the country on May 1, 2020, but some within his administration, along with state governors, have cautioned that lifting restrictions too quickly could cause a resurgence of the disease.
