Trump cancels weekend golf retreat as virus cases surge

US President Donald Trump on Friday made a last-minute cancellation of a weekend trip to his New Jersey golf course as concerns grew over a new surge in coronavirus cases across the country.

Just hours before he was due to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base outside the capital, the White House announced the scrapping of the trip to Bedminster without offering any explanation.

Judd Deere, a presidential spokesman, limited himself to saying that the cancellation had “nothing to do with” new 14-day quarantine recommendations made by New Jersey’s governor for people travelling to the state from areas where infection rates were high.

Trump held a rally on Tuesday in Arizona, a state that is suffering from a surge in cases.

The governors of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut on Wednesday announced the implementation of a 14-day quarantine for anyone who has recently been in a state with high infection rates.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was not trying to prevent people entering from other states, since states have no mechanism for closing their borders, but did warn that anyone not respecting the quarantine rules could face penalties.