This archive report was first published on 6 May 2020.
Published on May 6, 2020, US President Donald Trump has announced plans to disband the White House coronavirus task force, citing progress in the country's fight against the pandemic.
During a visit to a mask-manufacturing factory in Arizona, Mr Trump said: “We are bringing our country back,”
However, the US is still grappling with the virus, with new confirmed infections per day topping 20,000 and daily deaths exceeding 1,000.
US health officials warn that the virus may spread as businesses begin to reopen, and the country currently has 1.2 million confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 70,000 related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Mr Trump's comments come as the US prepares to reopen its economy ahead of the presidential election in November, with some states already beginning to lift restrictions.
However, Democratic governors in badly hit states have been cautious, calling for more testing and other safeguards before easing lockdowns.
Mr Pence earlier told reporters that the task force could soon be disbanded, citing the country's progress in fighting the pandemic.
He said the Trump administration was “starting to look at the Memorial Day [late May] window, early June window as a time when we could begin to transition back to having our agencies begin to manage, begin to manage our national response in a more traditional manner”.
