Trump calls for easing social distancing by April 12

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Updated at 6:00 PM CT

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he wants to ease COVID-19 social distancing guidance for the nation by April 12.

"I would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter," Trump said during an early afternoon interview on Fox News.

However, he appeared to somewhat back off the Easter timeline in a news conference later in the day, saying the eased advice may only apply to certain parts of the country that have been less seriously affected by COVID-19.

"We want everyone to understand that we are continuing to evaluate the data. we are working with the task force to make decisions based on what is the best interests of our fantastic country," Trump said.

Public health officials in the administration said they intend to evaluate data collected during the administration's recommended 15-day social distancing period to decide how to proceed. The administration has recommended avoiding social gatherings of more than 10 people, avoiding eating in restaurants and bars and avoiding discretionary travel.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that Trump's April 12 deadline is "flexible" and that to make a decision on lifting social distancing recommendations, officials need more data on community spread in areas that do not have obvious outbreaks.

"I think people might get the misinterpretation, you're just going to lift everything up and even some place [with confirmed cases increasing], you know that that's not going to happen," Fauci said Tuesday evening.

However, most shelter-in-place orders and school closures are determined by state and local officials, not by the federal government.

The administration identified New York as a particular area of concern. Ambassador Dr. Debbie Birx, the Trump administration's coronavirus response coordinator, called for people who have traveled to New York City recently to self-quarantine for two weeks. Birx said around 60% of the newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 are coming from the New York metro area.

"Everybody who was in New York should be self-quarantining for the next 14 days to ensure that the virus doesn't spread to others," Birx said.

Earlier Tuesday, the American Hospital Association, American Medical Association and American Nurses Association urged all people to stay home to help healthcare workers gain time, equipment and resources to avoid an unmanageable surge in COVID-19 cases.

"Staying at home in this urgent moment is our best defense to turn the tide against COVID-19," the groups wrote.

Former Trump administration FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who has been an outspoken voice on the public health response to COVID-19, cautioned against a premature return to regular activity levels.

"There are two ways to end this. Let a vast swath of people catch covid which is unthinkable, or break the epidemic. We must choose the latter," Gottlieb tweeted Monday evening.