(Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Wednesday applauded steps by a handful of Republican-led U.S. states to reopen their economies, but New York’s governor, wary of a potential second wave of coronavirus infections, cautioned that it was “no time to act stupidly.”
About a half dozen U.S. states, mostly in the South, are loosening stay-at-home guidelines, allowing an array of non-essential businesses to reopen in the hope of reviving their devastated economies. Trump, a Republican seeking re-election on Nov. 3, gave these states a show of support on Twitter.
“States are safely coming back. Our Country is starting to OPEN FOR BUSINESS again. Special care is, and always will be, given to our beloved seniors (except me!),” wrote Trump, who is 73.
State and local governments previously issued “stay-at-home” or “shelter-in-place” orders affecting about 94% of Americans to try to limit the number of new cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the virus.
The restrictions have battered the U.S. economy, with mandatory business closures leaving millions of Americans unemployed. Political leaders have engaged in an acrimonious debate over when and how to reopen the economy.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who met with Trump on Tuesday, said his state had 474 coronavirus-related deaths in the last day – its lowest since April 1 – and was showing more signs that the worst was over, including a drop in hospitalizations. But Cuomo warned of a potential “second wave” if restrictions are relaxed irresponsibly.
“This is no time to act stupidly,” said Cuomo, whose state has been the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic. “More people are going to di