President Donald Trump is extending the voluntary national shut-down for a month as sickness and death from the coronavirus pandemic rise in the U.S.

The initial 15-day period of social distancing urged by the federal government expires today (Monday), and Trump had expressed interest in relaxing the national guidelines in at least in parts of the country less afflicted by the pandemic. But instead he decided to extend them through April 30, a tacit acknowledgment he’d been too optimistic. Many states and local governments have stiffer controls in place on mobility and gatherings.

94.1 WGFA