FILE- In this Jan. 12, 2016, file photo, then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie delivers his State of the State address in the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans, File)

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UPDATED 5:30 PM PT — Friday, May 15, 2020

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has doubled down on claims he made in a recent op-ed, which called for the U.S. to reopen its economy. On Friday, he reaffirmed the country needs to find a balance between reopening and social distancing.

This came after the former governor penned an op-ed in the Washington Times last week, in which he claimed Americans will be making the ultimate sacrifice, regardless of whether the country reopens.

He urged state policymakers not to let the timeline for a coronavirus vaccine dictate their decisions.

“If we wait around for a vaccine to occur before we reopen our country, we will lose countless hundreds of thousands of lives to people who are being destroyed by the by the epidemic’s cure,” stated Christie.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defends his controversial comments urging to reopen economy: “I said that some Americans will make that sacrifice no matter what we do, and now we have to decide how we’re going to balance this.” https://t.co/f8u2wbJuik pic.twitter.com/QqXWud9IxF

— The View (@TheView) May 15, 2020

The former governor has advised businesses to open at 50 percent capacity and require customers to wear masks. He also suggested they implement temperature checks before allowing anyone into their stores.

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