Donald Trump has announced the US will close its border with Canada to non-essential traffic in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus, which he again referred to as the 'Chinese virus', prompting further allegations of racism. The US president wrote on Twitter that the closure would be by mutual consent and that trade would not be affected.
At a White House coronavirus taskforce briefing, Trump added that non-essential travel would be restricted but trade between the two countries would continue. The move was welcomed by Canada, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was a collaborative and reciprocal measure that would allow essential travel to continue. Trudeau has been in self-quarantine after his wife tested positive for Covid-19.
The US Senate also passed legislation providing billions of dollars to limit the damage from the pandemic, including free testing, paid sick leave and expanded safety-net spending. Trump is expected to sign the bill into law. Congress and the White House are discussing additional stimulus measures that could cost more than $1tn.
Trump also said he would invoke the Defense Production Act to boost production of emergency supplies, but later appeared to walk back the statement, saying he had only signed an executive order signalling he would invoke it if needed. The total number of known US infections has surged past 7,000, with cases reported in all 50 states.
