While Donald Trump is talking about lifting the lockdowns and social distancing in place across the United States to try to control the coronavirus outbreak and COVID-19 pandemic by Easter, New York Gov Andrew Cuomo (D) believes that such measures could last for many more months.

In the United States, there have been 54,453 cases of the disease reported, and 737 deaths, according to the most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Governors and mayors across the country have closed schools, government offices, restaurants, bars, theaters and other establishments–anywhere where a crowd could assemble and potentially spread the virus.

However, Trump has created controversy this week by saying that he wants those extreme measures to end by Easter.

Public health professionals say that would be harmful to the containment of the virus.

Cuomo, governor of a state which is the site of the most COVID-19 cases in the nation, said that the containment measures must be for the long-haul.

“It’s going to go on for a period of time. This is not a short-term situation. This is not a long weekend. This is not a week. The timeline, nobody can tell you, depends on how we handle it. But 40 percent, up to 80 percent, of the population will wind up getting this virus, all we’re trying to do is slow the spread,” Cuomo said. “But it will spread. It is that contagious. Again, that’s nothing to panic over.”

He added, “We’ll manage at capacity rate. But it’s going to be four months, six months, nine months, you look at China, once they really change the trajectory, which we have not done yet, eight months, we’re in that range. Nobody has a crystal ball. Nobody can tell you, well, I want to know.”

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