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U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency to open up 50 billion U.S. dollars in federal aid to help combat the spread of COVID-19 across the country.
"I am officially declaring a national emergency. Two very big words," Trump told reporters in the Rose Garden.
The declaration would effectively create access to up to 50 billion U.S. dollars in federal aid to help Americans affected by the outbreak and help states fight the pandemic, according to the president.
Trump said he was empowering the secretary of health and human services to waive certain laws and regulations to ensure the virus can be contained and patients treated.
He also said that he was ordering every state in the country to set up emergency operation centers in a bid to help stem the spread of the disease.
The national emergency declaration "will unlock additional resources and authorities for states like Washington on the front lines of this crisis. I am hopeful the president's actions today will provide the assistance I asked for to help the workers, businesses, families and communities that are being impacted across Washington state," Washington Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement.
