As lawmakers and health experts work toward providing a timeline for reopening the United States economy, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) is suggesting the states cannot wait too long.
When asked if testing is paramount to getting the nation back to normal, Christie said it is but also reiterated he thinks it is not the ultimate solution.
“It’s very important but it’s not the be-all and end-all,” Christie said of testing. “It’s important for us to be able to test, but if we wait until we can test every American to be able to reopen our economy, we won’t have an economy left.”
According to Christie, the nation will have to live with a certain amount of risk in order to reopen the economy.
He listed steps Americans can take to mitigate the effects of the virus including temperature checks and wearing masks.
Watch his comments below:
"If we wait until we can test every American to be able to reopen our economy, we won't have an economy left," former New Jersey @GovChristie says, in an interview with ABC News' @linseydavis about what he thinks is needed to reopen the American economy. https://t.co/FRjrPdxMqF pic.twitter.com/X8hqmDjWAS
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) April 28, 2020
Christie noted the process is not going to be perfect but the nation has to be willing to try.
“There comes a time where we have to decide, can we save this country’s way of life?” Christie said.
He explained President Donald Trump has left the decision in the hands of the governors and now every governor has an obligation to give their citizens a time frame as to when they will be able to go back to work and back to school.
Christie was asked about Trump’s relationships with governors throughout the pandemic and if it has been an effective way to bring the nation together.
He acknowledged the relationship goes both ways.
“Well I think there are times that the president has done much to bring the country together and other times when he’s gotten into fights with governors for no reason,” Christie said.
He added, “The same rules apply for the governors though too. They shouldn’t be fighting with the president at this time either publicly.”
Christie also previously commented on the relationship Trump has had with the media throughout the pandemic as he claimed they are “too combative with each other,” as IJR previously reported.