As the World Health Organisation (WHO) warns the US could be the next coronavirus epicentre following a surge in cases and deaths to 43,925 cases and 547 respectively, Donald Trump is under fire for hinting at a return to business as usual within weeks, prioritising the health of the economy over that of Americans.

“We are watching a train wreck in slow motion,” commented former White House ethics chief Walter Shaub. “If Trump carries through on this threat to ‘open’ things up real soon, the death toll will be catastrophic.”

On Capitol Hill, Republican and Democratic senators have assured the public they are “very close” to agreeing terms on a $2trn (£1.7trn) stimulus bill and expect to finalise a deal on Tuesday.

The president appeared to declare victory over the virus — "we win" — as he looks to restart the US economy by Easter, despite no evidence that Americans can safely return to work without spreading the virus within three weeks.

During his White House briefing on Tuesday, the president said: "What timeline this would be."

But pressed on whether anyone in his administration has supported a rushed return to business as usual, the president said he thought it was a "beautiful time" and "based on a certain level of weeks" — but didn't say it was at the recommendation of health officials.

The administration also warned New Yorkers and anyone who recently travelled to the state to self-quarantine for up to two weeks as the city has become an "epicentre" of transmission in the US.

Asked whether the president has consulted with Governor Andrew Cuomo about those guidelines, which would impact millions of people in New York City while non-essential businesses are closed across the state, Mr Trump said the two are "talking".

Loading....

The governor said he has "exhausted every option available to us" as the state has experienced a surge in confirmed cases, including nearly 15,000 in New York City alone.

"We are not slowing it, and it is accelerating on its own", he said on Tuesday as he dismissed the president's idea for Americans to return to work soon for the sake of the economy, potentially endangering more-vulnerable people and spreading the virus even further.

He said: "That's not the American way. That's not the New York way."

Follow live coverage as it happened