Coronavirus | Donald Trump refuses to halt campaign rallies as cases surge

"We will have tremendous rallies and we’re doing very well, and we’ve done a fantastic job with respect to that subject," the U.S. President said

President Donald Trump. File

U.S. President Donald Trump signalled on Saturday that he has no intention of halting campaign rallies despite surging COVID-19 cases .

“We will have tremendous rallies and we’re doing very well, and we’ve done a fantastic job with respect to that subject,” Mr. Trump responded when asked if his “Keep America Great” campaign events would continue.

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Mr. Trump’s remarks came as the number of cases confirmed across the United States leapt past 400, with 19 deaths confirmed so far, mainly in the west coast state of Washington.

Meanwhile, health authorities announced the first confirmed case in the nation’s capital — a Washington DC resident in his 50s with no history of international travel and no close contacts with anyone known to be infected. Asked if he was concerned that the virus had spread to within a few miles of the White House, he replied: “No, I’m not concerned at all.”