Remember 15 days to slow the spread.

This afternoon we're announcing new guidelines for every American to follow over the next 15 days.

A year ago we were a couple days into it.

Avoid gathering in groups of more than 10 people.

Avoid discretionary travel.

15 days in mid-March.

Maybe that's all it would take.

We will be extending our guidelines to April 30th.

Of course, the campaign soon became 30 days to slow the spread.

But again, with the implication of a limited timeframe.

We can expect that by June 1st we will be well on our way to recovery.

We think by June 1st a lot of great things will be happening.

Back then there was still so much we didn't know about the coronavirus.

We didn't know about the importance of masks.

In fact, no one at the White House that day was wearing one.

We didn't know about asymptomatic transmission either.

And we didn't understand that the virus spreads primarily through the air,

not from touching surfaces.

But amid so many unknowns, one thing was obvious.

Even then, just days into the pandemic.

We could have seen it coming.

These types of events were not a surprise.

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