Trump issued instructions to slow the spread of nCoV for 15 days, but acknowledged the pandemic could last until August.

"We have an invisible enemy," US President Donald Trump said at a White House press conference on March 16, referring to the unpredictable Covid-19, and gave instructions for Americans to follow. The procedure is to prevent the spread of nCoV in the next two weeks.

"With a few weeks of key action, we can turn things around quickly. The government is ready to do anything," Trump said. "Our whole nation unite and will defeat the virus."

The US President's Prevention of Epidemic Guidelines calls for people to avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people, and to avoid eating and drinking at bars, restaurants, food courts, working or studying at home whenever if possible, "avoid arbitrary travel, shopping and social visits". The guidelines also recommend that the elderly and people with underlying medical conditions should stay home, away from others.

Also at the press conference, when asked if the US could fall into a recession because of Covid-19, Trump said "maybe", but added: "We are not thinking about recession, we are think of nCoV ".

Before the question "when the pandemic will subside," Trump said that if done well, the US can overcome "the epidemic crisis in July or August". His statement seemed less optimistic than the previous statement that Covid-19 would "disappear" when the weather warmed.

The US has so far recorded more than 4,600 nCoV infections and 87 deaths due to the epidemic, prompting Trump to declare a national emergency. Many states and US cities have closed all schools, bars, restaurants and cinemas since March 17 in response to the disease.

The Ohio governor announced that the state's primary election could be delayed until June, amid an outbreak of the disease. But speaking at a press conference on March 16, President Trump said the postponement of elections was "unnecessary".

Covid-19 appeared in 162 countries and territories after the onset in Wuhan, China in December 2019, leaving more than 182,000 infected and more than 7,100 dead. The World Health Organization (WHO) declares this is a global pandemic and calls on nations to strengthen their countermeasures.