Several states could be in a position as early as Friday to start relaxing some restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday.
Several states could be in a position as early as Friday to start relaxing some restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday.
Trump said 29 states that he described on Wednesday as being in “good shape” could meet the criteria to be in Phase 1 under new guidelines called “Opening Up America Again,” which his White House coronavirus task force unveiled on Thursday. He declined to name those states and stressed the guidelines are there as a tool for individual governors.
“Healthy Americans will now be able to return to work as conditions on the ground allow instead of a blanket shutdown. We will pursue a focus on sheltering [in place] in the highest risk individuals,” he said, adding that it’s important to establish clear scientific benchmarks on testing new case growth and hospital capacity before advancing to each phase.
The guidelines outline a phased approach to restoring normal commerce and services, but only for places with strong testing and seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases. They set out to clear the way for an easing of restrictions in areas with low transmission of the coronavirus, while keeping them in place in harder-hit locations.
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Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phased gradual reopening of businesses and schools, with each phase lasting at least 14 days, meant to ensure that the virus outbreak doesn’t accelerate again.
Gradual loosening of restrictions
In Phase 1, for instance, the plan recommends strict physical distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided, and non-essential travel is discouraged.
In Phase 2, people are encouraged to maximize physical distancing where possible and limit gatherings to no more than 50 people unless precautionary measures are taken. Travel could resume.
Phase 3 envisions a return to normalcy for most Americans, with a focus on identification and isolation of any new infections.
Still, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus task force co-ordinator, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infection diseases expert, said it would be a “new normal.”
But Trump pushed back, suggesting that people wanted to return to watch football games and fill restaurants. “That’s going to happen, and it’s going to be relatively quickly,” he predicted.
At earliest, the guidelines suggest that some parts of the country could see a resumption in normal commerce and social gatherings after a month of evaluating whether the easing of restrictions leads to a resurgence in virus cases. In other parts of the country or if virus cases resume an uptick, it could be substantially longer.
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