US President Donald Trump signed a decree on Wednesday, April 22, suspending part of immigration to the United States because of the coronavirus health crisis.

"This will ensure that unemployed Americans are the first to find employment with the reopening of our economy," he said in a daily press briefing at the White House.

This suspension will have an initial duration of 60 days. Contrary to what the tenant of the White House initially suggested, it will not apply to temporary work visas but to certain green cards that offer permanent resident status. The tenant of the White House said that a further extension of this measure would be considered "in due course".

More than 22 million Americans have lost their jobs since the Covid-19 crisis suddenly crippled the economy. 

"Restart America"

Donald Trump ruled last week that it was time to "restart America," letting each of the governors make the decision based on the severity of the pandemic in his state. Some quickly began to relax the rules of distancing. Florida beaches were allowed to reopen last Sunday, the governors of Texas and Vermont cautiously revived certain activities as of Monday.

Georgia, it will go further on Friday. Hairdressers, beauty and tattoo salons, bowling alleys and other small businesses will be able to open their doors, even though this southern state does not respond to the recommendations of the White House, which notably recommends recording 14 days of decline in the number of infections before relax the measures. Its Republican governor, Brian Kemp, has advised employees to maintain safe distances, but they seem difficult to maintain in some of these occupations.

In the states still under containment, Americans have been mounting protests for several days to call for a recovery in the economy. "We need jobs. People can't pay their rents, they can't buy food," Jason Roberge, who came to protest Wednesday in the Virginia capital, said Wednesday. "Freedom rather than fear", could be read on the sign brandished by a man while motorists, waving American flags or in the name of Donald Trump, honked. 

Protest against containment in Richmond, Virginia. Few people on foot but many cars and a real horn concert #AFP pic.twitter.com/Edj2hWQsv3

- Antoine Boyer (@antoinebv) April 22, 2020

With AFP and Reuters

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