Trump Itching To Reopen Country, But Public Health Officials And Governors Worry About Another Surge

The New York Times: Trump And Allies Push Toward Reopening Economy. But Governors Urge Caution. 
President Trump has been open about his eagerness to see the economy and some semblance of business as usual spring back to life as soon as possible. His surgeon general, Jerome Adams, in a television interview on Friday noted the potential for reopening the country — “place by place, bit by bit,” beginning as early as next month. But on Sunday, officials still in the thick of the grim reality caused by the coronavirus pandemic urged caution, fearing that relaxing protective measures too early could cause the virus to surge once again. (Rojas, 4/12)

Politico: Fauci Says 'Rolling Reentry' Possible As Soon As Next Month
President Donald Trump on Friday offered perhaps his most optimistic take yet on U.S. efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus and suggested the country could begin to reopen by May 1. “People want to get back to work. ... We are setting up a council of some of the most distinguished leaders in virtually every field, including politics, business and medical. And we'll be making that decision fairly soon,” Trump said in a Saturday interview on Fox News. (Beavers, 4/12)

The Associated Press: Fauci Says 'Rolling Reentry' Of US Economy Possible In May
New cases of the coronavirus are certain to arise when restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus are eased, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert for the U.S. But Fauci said Sunday that the economy in parts of the country could have a “rolling reentry” as early as next month, provided health authorities can quickly identify and isolate people who will inevitably be infected. Fauci also said he “can’t guarantee” that it will be safe for Americans to vote in person on Election Day, Nov. 3. (Sherman and Superville, 4/13)

Los Angeles Times: Health Officials Caution Against Talk Of Quickly Reopening Businesses
“We are hoping by the end of the month we can look around and say, ‘OK, is there any element here that we can safely and cautiously start pulling back on?’” Fauci, the best-known public health expert on the White House coronavirus task force, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “If so, do it,” he said. “If not, then just continue to hunker down.” Fauci and other health experts worry that if the country ends social-distancing policies too early, the virus could once again start rapidly spreading, causing a renewed increase in illness and death. (King, 4/12)

The Hill: Fauci: Gradual Rollback Of Coronavirus Restrictions Could 'Probably' Start Next Month 
He added that officials will have to look at the nature of the outbreak that a region has already experienced as well as the threat of an outbreak it may not have experienced yet. The situation in New York, the state that's been hit hardest by the pandemic, will be different from the situation in Arkansas, he said.  (Klar, 4/12)

The Washington Post: Reopening U.S. Economy By May 1 May Be Unrealistic, Say Experts, Including Some Within Trump Administration
The president has pushed for reopening the country, an effort that Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, voiced caution about, warning that lifting all restrictions next month would probably mean that “by July or August, we could be back in the same situation we are now.” “Maybe some states can open up mid-May,” Murray, the creator of one of the most widely cited coronavirus models, said on CBS News’s “Face the Nation.” “But we have to be very careful and make sure that we don’t sort of lose all the effort that the American people have put into closures by premature opening.” (Sonmez, Telford and Viebeck, 4/13)

Politico: Governors, Health Experts Push Back On Trump’s Goal To Reopen Economy In May
“I fear, if we open up too early and we have not sufficiently made that health recovery and cracked the back of this virus, that we could be pouring gasoline on the fire, even inadvertently,” Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” He stressed that there had to be a health care recovery before there could be an economic recovery. “It has to come in that sequencing,” Murphy said. New Jersey and New York state have borne the heaviest toll from the spread of the coronavirus, accounting for more than half of the nearly 21,000 deaths in the U.S. as of Sunday morning. (Beavers, 4/12)

Politico: Trump Says He'll Announce Members Of 'Opening Our Country Council' Next Week
President Donald Trump said he’s planning a Tuesday announcement to name the members of a new White House task force focused on reopening parts of the country that have been shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic. “We’re also setting up a council, a very, very great — doctors and businesspeople, we’re going to be announcing it on Tuesday, of some great people,” Trump told reporters at a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House on Friday. (Oprysko, 4/10)

CNN: Virus May Dash Trump's Plan For A 'Big Bang' Economic Opening
There is also no sign of a government plan for how vital functions like air and surface transport can safely resume without triggering a new wave of mass infections. Trump, however, appears increasingly keen to get everyone back to work, or at least is laying the groundwork to blame others if it can't happen, once again suggesting amid criticism of his leadership that states, and not Washington, should be in the lead. (Collinson, 4/13)

The Washington Post: States And Experts Begin Pursuing A Coronavirus National Strategy In Absence Of White House Direction
A national plan to fight the coronavirus pandemic in the United States and return Americans to jobs and classrooms is emerging — but not from the White House. Instead, a collection of governors, former government officials, disease specialists and nonprofits are pursuing a strategy that relies on the three pillars of disease control: Ramp up testing to identify people who are infected. Find everyone they interact with by deploying contact tracing on a scale America has never attempted before. And focus restrictions more narrowly on the infected and their contacts so the rest of society doesn’t have to stay in permanent lockdown. (Sun, Wan and Abutaleb, 4/10)

The Associated Press: Countries Facing Pressure To Loosen Virus Restrictions
South Korean officials warned Monday that hard-earned progress fighting the coronavirus pandemic could be upset by new infections at bars and leisure spots, highlighting global tensions between governments desperate to maintain social distancing and citizens eager to resume their lives as economic pressure mounts and infections slow in some places. Some European nations have started tentative moves to ease their shutdowns. Hard-hit Spain, which on Sunday reported its lowest daily growth in infections in three weeks, will allow workers in some nonessential industries to return to factories and construction sites Monday. (Klug, 4/13)

The Washington Post: Five-Step Plan For Reopening Business Is Put To The Test In China
Employers and employees around the world are anxious to get back to work as soon as possible. A picture of how that will unfold is starting to emerge — and it’s far from straightforward. Businesses have long relied on a five-tier inverted pyramid called the “hierarchy of controls” to reduce workplace risks to employees, ranging from chemical exposure to physical injury. This framework will also be the basis for companies’ plans to get back to work, occupational safety experts say. (Dou, 4/13)

Kaiser Health News: How Do We Exit The Shutdown? Hire An Army Of Public Health Workers
Last month, facing the prospect of overwhelmed hospitals and unchecked spread of the novel coronavirus, seven Bay Area county and city health departments joined forces to become the first region in the nation to pass sweeping regulations ordering millions of people indoors and shuttering the local economy. It shocked people, but health experts around the country applauded the bold step, which since has been broadly replicated. (Barry-Jester, 4/13)