President Trump Activates National Guard In CA, WA And NY

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump activated the National Guard in California, New York and Washington state to counteract the spread of the new coronavirus in the three states.

"We're dealing also with other states. These states have been hit the hardest," Trump said during a Sunday press briefing.

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The announcement from the president means that the state governors will keep command of the National Guard, but the federal government will provide additional resources and funding for the states.

As of Sunday afternoon, New York has more than 15,000 confirmed cases, followed by Washington state at close to 1,700 and California at about 1,500. Earlier in March, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle, a suburb outside of New York City that had been dubbed the epicenter of the virus.

Several states are on varying degrees of lockdown to combat the spread of the virus, with multiple states across the country enforcing strict closures of "non-essential" businesses.

During the White House briefing on Friday the president announced an effective closure of the U.S. border with Mexico, prohibiting most travel except for trade. The restriction brings it in line with the announcement for the Canadian border earlier this week.

The U.S. also said it is suspending interest on student loans to help young people cope with job losses and the financial crunch.

According to the coronavirus tracker from Johns Hopkins, there are over 32,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the United States and more than 400 deaths.