‘I miss it’: Trump jokes about touching his face during coronavirus meeting

Donald Trump joked about how he misses touching his face during a meeting about stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

President Donald Trump met with airline CEOs to discuss the crisis. Picture: Saul Loeb/AFP

Donald Trump has joked about how he misses touching his face following health advice aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

In a meeting with airline CEOs, White House coronavirus response co-ordinator Deborah Birx talked about the importance of washing your hands and face as a preventive measure.

The US President joked that he’d stopped his frequent face touching, but it hadn’t been easy.

“I haven’t touched my face in weeks,” he said. “I miss it.”

However, people pointed out that he’s been seen touching his face in public several times over the past few weeks.

‘I haven’t touched my face in weeks’ — Trump

Roll the tape… pic.twitter.com/QtTNsmKOll

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) March 4, 2020

Mr Trump’s comments come after health officials in the US recommended avoiding sick people, not touching your face, staying home when sick, covering coughs and sneezes and disinfecting objects and surfaces.

Face touching in particular has received attention in recent days as headlines like “How to stop touching your face” or “Stop touching your face” continue to surface.

The meeting comes after Washington state reported its tenth death from the virus and California announced its first.

Health officials in Northern California say the elderly man who had other health conditions died on Wednesday at a hospital in Roseville where he was in isolation.

The man was likely exposed to the virus while he travelled in February on a Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico, officials said in a statement. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now investigating a “small cluster” of coronavirus cases from the cruise ship voyage.

President Donald Trump met with airline CEOs to discuss the crisis. Picture: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

The Washington state Department of Health released updated figures overnight, showing that nine people had died in King County and one person in Snohomish County.

Washington state has now reported 39 cases, all in the greater Seattle area.

No other information about the newly reported Washington state death was immediately available.

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre and the University of Washington on Sunday said they had evidence COVID-19 may have been circulating in the state for up to six weeks undetected. If true, that could mean there are hundreds of undiagnosed cases in the area.