Coronavirus Update: Scott Morrison, Donald Trump Discuss US-Australia COVID-19 Response
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed that he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump Wednesday about the coronavirus crisis sweeping the world and the issues revolving the World Health Organization (WHO).
The world is still reeling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Australia, who has so far been successful in curbing the spread, is still imposing strict measures to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases. It currently has 6,647 cases and only 74 deaths, as of April 22, 5:08 p.m. Sydney time, according to Worldometer data.
The United States, however, has not been as lucky. It continues to top the world’s list of novel coronavirus cases with 819,175. Deaths have already surpassed the 45,000 mark, also the highest in the world.
With this, Morrison revealed that he and Trump had a “very constructive discussion” to address both countries’ health responses to the pandemic. The two leaders also discussed growing plans to reopen their economies.
“Just got off the phone with U.S. President Donald Trump. We had a very constructive discussion on our health responses to COVID-19 and the need to get our market-led and business centers economies up and running again,” the PM tweeted.
Morrison also confirmed the WHO was one of the topics they discussed. Earlier this month, Trump revealed that he will be halting funding for the global health body, citing the “organization's role in severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.”
We also talked about the @WHO & working together to improve the transparency & effectiveness of international responses to pandemics.
— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) April 22, 2020
Australia & the US are the best of mates & we’ll continue to align our efforts as we work towards the recovery on the other side of this virus.
The conversation comes just a day after the Australian prime minister discussed the same issues with Microsoft founder, Bill Gates. On Tuesday, Morrison and the philanthropist discussed the future of WHO and possible COVID-19 vaccines.
Morrison also spoke with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron by phone on Wednesday, Reuters reported.
Morrison’s recent activities reveal how the Australian government is dealing with the pandemic. Despite the government urging states to open schools, it confirms that social distancing measures will stay in place.
