US to classify coronavirus risk by county

The US administration is crafting new guidelines state and local authorities can use to determine, on a county level, whether restrictions put in place to control the spread of the coronavirus can be lifted safely.

President Donald Trump sent a letter today to the nation's governors outlining a plan to classify counties based on their risks for the spread of the virus. The idea is to help officials make informed decisions "about maintaining, increasing or relaxing social distancing and other mitigation measures they have put in place." The plan would use three tiers of risk classification: high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk, according to the letter.

Trump said the federal government will use "robust" surveillance testing to monitor the spread of the virus. The president has come under sharp criticism for the pace at which the US has rolled out testing kits.

Trump has said he wants the US "opened up" by Easter Sunday on 12 April, but many health experts have warned against trying to relax safety measures that quickly.

"As we enhance protections against the virus, Americans across the country are hoping the day will arrive soon when they resume their normal economic, social and religious lives," Trump said.