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President Donald Trump on Friday said he “most likely” would get tested “fairly soon” for the disease COVID-19 caused by the new coronavirus, with his remarks coming during a news conference in which he declared a national emergency because of the fast-spreading illness.
On Thursday, Trump had said that he was not concerned that a Brazilian official he met had tested positive.
That official was Fábio Wajngarten, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s communications director. Wajngarten joined Bolsonaro on a three-day trip to the U.S. and on Saturday was at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where he posted a photo of himself with the U.S. president.
Trump’s emergency declaration on Friday puts into play more funds for states, territories and municipalities. The president also said Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG, +9.40% GOOGL, +9.24% Google business was assisting in the development of a website that will help determine whether a test is warranted and to facilitate testing at a nearby location.
Related: What a national emergency declaration means
And see: Coronavirus update — 137,066 cases, 5,069 deaths, the reality of COVID-19 hits home for Americans
U.S. stocks SPX, +9.29% DJIA, +9.36% closed sharply higher Friday but have been hammered this month by coronavirus-related worries.
