US President Donald Trump has said the White House coronavirus task force is to be wound down as the country moves into a second phase that focuses on the aftermath of the outbreak.
Mr Trump confirmed the plans after Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the group, told reporters the White House may start moving coordination of the US response on to federal agencies in late May. "Mike Pence and the task force have done a great job," Mr Trump said during a visit to a medical grade mask making factory in Arizona. "But we're now looking at a little bit of a different form and that form is safety and opening and we'll have a different group probably setup for that." He underlined his insistence on a dwindling coronavirus threat by refusing to