WASHINGTON (WAND/NBC) President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday.
The move would allow more direct relief to Americans affected by the coronavirus, according to NBC News.
"To unleash the full power of the federal government … I am officially declaring a national emergency," Trump said in a nationally televised address from the White House Rose Garden.
"Two very big words," he added.
Trump said the action would "open up access" to up to $50 billion "for states and territories and localities in our shared fight against this disease."
He also said he was ordering every state to set up emergency operation centers to help stem the spread of the disease, and announced that he was empowering the secretary of Health and Human Services to waive certain laws and regulations to ensure the virus can be contained and patients treated.
As panic began to set in over the outbreak, Trump tried to quell the fears of Americans across the country by giving a speech from the Oval Office on Wednesday night. He announced that he would ban many foreign travelers from Europe for the next 30 days and offered a series of economic relief actions to help workers and companies deal with the outbreak.
Many major public events, including all NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB preseason games and Broadway shows, have been canceled this week, and Thursday saw the Dow's worst day since the 1987 crash.
