Trump cautiously moots reopening parts of America for business even as toll mounts

WASHINGTON: The United States began re-opening for business in some thinly-populated states largely unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic under President Trump’s three-phase guidelines unveiled on Friday, even as the national toll spiked up to over 33,000 dead with record daily fatalities in trade- and business-heavy states such as New York and Michigan.

After the daily death count fell to around 1500 per day on April 12 and 13, suggesting a desired flattening of the curve, the US toll has shot up to more than 2000 per day over the past 72 hours, including a sharply-revised 6185 deaths on April 14 on account of fatalities that were previously not attributed to the coronavirus.

Despite this, and amid apprehension in many quarters that re-opening the country too soon to jumpstart the economy on which his political fortunes hinge, President Trump rolled out a sketchy road map at the daily White House briefing while leaving the final call and granular details to state governors.

As per the Trump road map that some of the economically less critical states are ready to embrace, phase one will allow large public venues such as restaurants, movie theaters, sporting venues, gyms, and places of wors