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Members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force are scheduled to give updates Friday on new developments regarding the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The press conference is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. ET and can be watched on the White House official website or C-SPAN. Fox News channel also airs the daily coronavirus briefings in their entirety.
The United States has over 671,400 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus and 33,286 deaths, along with 56,236 recoveries, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus resource center.
President Donald Trump said at Thursday briefing that the U.S. has completed over 3.5 million tests. He also said he believes there will be far fewer deaths than the lowest projections of 100,000 deaths from two weeks prior.
"Our experts say the curve has flattened and the peak in new cases is behind us nationwide. More than 850 counties, or nearly 30 percent of our country, have reported no new cases in the last seven days. Because of our early and aggressive action, we have avoided the tragedy of healthcare rationing and deadly shortfalls that have befallen many other nations," Trump said.
The president also unveiled a three-phase plan for reopening the economy called "Opening Up America Again," as 22 million Americans have now filed for unemployment due primarily to businesses deemed non-essential by states across the country being shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19.
"My administration is issuing new federal guidelines that will allow governors to take a phased and deliberate approach to reopening their individual states," Trump said, adding that Dr. Deborah Birx, response coordinator for the Coronavirus Task Force, led the crafting of these guidelines "in consultation with scientists, experts, and medical professionals across government."
Birx said that the guidelines for all phases include practicing good hygiene such as washing hands and disinfecting surfaces, the use of face coverings in public, and staying home when feeling sick.
"We did not put a timeline on any of the phases. We want governors with the data that they have community by community to be setting up those timelines," Birx said.
Phase one is for states that satisfy a gating criteria that includes "14 days of decreasing evidence of illness," Birx said. This phase would have businesses return employees to work in phases and "encourage telework whenever possible." Schools that are currently closed would remain closed.
"Large venues, including sit-down dining, can operate under strict physical distancing protocols and maintain those six feet [of distancing]," Birx said.
Phase two would have non-essential work travel resume and the reopening of schools, daycare centers and camps. Large venues can also begin to operate under "moderate" physical distancing. Phase three would have employers resume unrestricted staffing at their work sites.
