President Donald Trump is starting to free up federal aid for states, including New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana and California, by declaring them major disaster areas because of the coronavirus.
The declaration will provide federal emergency funding to supplement state, tribe and local recovery efforts. It also allows federal funding to be used to fund some non-profits and provide crisis counseling for people affected by the outbreak.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded in a statement: "Texas is aggressively pursuing and implementing all necessary strategies to limit the impact of COVID-19, and I thank President Trump for his swift action."
New York was the first state to have a major disaster declared last week.
Contains footage from CNN.
