Los Angeles mayor: “The best way to save lives is to make sure we don’t open the economy early”

The mayor of Los Angeles urged the US to continue social distancing and ramp up coronavirus testing, warning that President Donald Trump’s plan to reopen the country could place lives at risk.

“The best way to help the economy is to make sure that we have the public health side taken care of, and the best way to save lives is to make sure that we don’t open the economy early,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a press conference Friday.

This came shortly after Trump announced he was convening a second coronavirus task force — called the ‘Opening our Country Council’.

According to previous CNN reporting, modeling suggests several red states will not hit their worst points until nearly the end of April — which means it’ll be nearly impossible to reopen the economy in those areas by early May, as Trump has pushed to do.

Garcetti urged national leadership to follow the guidance of medical professionals and prepare for the possibility of extended stay-at-home orders.

“This is something that will require national leadership… it’s not something that we can wall off,” he added.