Coronavirus: Trump to declare national emergency and invoke Stafford Act, reports say

Millions of dollars in relief funds could be freed up to states combatting outbreak

Donald Trump will declare a national state of emergency as the US braces for the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports.

His action will reportedly invoke the Stafford Act to provide billions of dollars in disaster relief funds to state and local governments responding to the crisis.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, coordinates $40bn in funding that could be used to mobilise health centres, patient transports and other needs in the event hospitals and health providers are overwhelmed with patients as officials predict a surge in new Covid-19 cases requiring emergency medical attention.

Mr Trump has previously relied on the Stafford Act for disaster declarations for California wildfires and flooding in the Midwest.

He told reporters on Thursday: "We have very strong emergency powers under the Stafford Act ... I have it memorised, practically, as to the powers in that act. And if I need to do something, I'll do it. I have the right to do a lot of things that people don't even know about."

The president is holding a press conference on Friday afternoon.

Nearly 1,700 cases of the flu-like respiratory illness have been confirmed in the US, though health department officials in cities and states across the country believe that number is or will become significantly higher because of the lack of testing abilities. At least 41 people have died.

Democrats have pressed the administration to make the emergency declaration, which could allow states to request that the federal government share 75 per cent of expenses related to emergency medical care and supplies, among other public health requirements.

But the president has been wary to tell Americans to take the same health precautions urged by health officials within his own administration, as school systems and major events, including entire professional sports seasons, cancel or suspend all activities under threat of the deadly outbreak. Instead, the president and his allies have blamed subsequent panic on partisan leadership and the media, while economic fears have sent the markets into a tailspin after months of the president relying on a healthy stock market for proof of his legitimacy in office.

In their response to the president's address to the nation on Wednesday night, Democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders on Thursday also pressed Mr Trump to declare a national emergency as they outlined their pitches to respond to the pandemic.

The president's likely declaration also comes at the urging of hospitals and doctors and nursing groups, including the American Hospital Association and American Medical Association, to help cover the costs of caring for uninsured patients. It also could waive certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program requirements.

State and local officials also are pressing the Trump administration to decentralise coronavirus testing from the federal level and allow local authorities to take control.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo suggested that up to 1,000 labs in the state could be set up relatively quickly to begin testing.

The White House has only rarely invoked a federal emergency declaration for a public health threat.

On Wednesday, Mr Trump announced severe travel restrictions from Europe in to the US, despite health officials across the US pointing to the increasing likelihood of pervasive community spread among people already in the country. The travel ban excludes the UK.

The president said he was "marshalling the full power of the federal government" to confront the outbreak.