WH begins talks on winding down coronavirus task force, says VP Pence

The Trump administration has initiated talks on winding down the White House Task Force on Coronavirus and gradually delegating its responsibilities to the relevant federal agencies, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Tuesday.

Pence leads the task force.

"I think we are having conversations about that and about what the proper time is for the task force to complete its work and for the ongoing efforts to take place on an agency-by-agency level," Pence told a select group of reporters.

The White House has already begun to talk about a transition plan with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), he said.

The news was first reported by The New York Times.

In Arizona, President Donald Trump also confirmed the news.

"I think we are looking at phase two and we are looking at other phases," he said, adding that the country is starting to open up and noting that the task force has done "a phenomenal job".

Responding to a question, Trump indicated that the task force has done an incredible job. The president said he would not need to consult certain people, such as those who worked on ventilators.

"We will have something in a different form," he said, describing the need to focus on both safety and reopening.

Asked why is now the time to wind down the task force if there could be a recurrence, he said, "Because we cannot close our country down for the next five years. The administration has learned a lot."