Businesses Wary Even As Trump Pushes To Reopen U.S. By Easter; Experts Think Through How To Do So Responsibly

The Associated Press: Trump's Push To Open Economy Could Come At Cost Of Lives
The contrast could hardly be more stark. Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York has said that if all of his sweeping, expensive measures to stem the corornavirus saved one life, it would be worth it. President Donald Trump has another view: The costs of shutting down the economy outweigh the benefits, frequently telling Americans that 35,000 people a year die from the common flu. Though it may seem crass, the federal government actually has long made a calculation when imposing regulations, called “the value of a statistical life,” that places a price tag on a human life. It has been used to consider whether to require seat belts, airbags or environmental regulations, but has never been applied in a broad public health context. (Madhani, Kellman and Freking, 3/26)

Reuters: Trump Says Reopen By Easter, Corporate America Says Not So Fast
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation and National Restaurant Association pointed to less optimistic recommendations by public health officials. Many of these have urged that Americans stay in their homes as much as possible for weeks to prevent the virus’ spread. “It’s a tough one. I think it would be easier to accept that as something that I would feel comfortable doing if I thought it weren’t going to cost lives,” said Melanie Krautstrunk, who owns a brew pub in Tennessee, about re-opening by Easter. (Bartz, 3/25)

The Associated Press: Many Businesses Cautious About Restarting Economy Amid Virus
Despite wild swings in financial markets and signs that unemployment is surging — both of which could hurt Trump in an election year — many businesses say it’s not clear that reopening will be even an option in a few weeks: They have to follow the orders set in each state, and many of those are open ended or could be extended at any time. They are worried that opening too soon could be seen as irresponsible. And even if they did reopen, would customers come if the virus isn’t under control? “He’s not being realistic. How can you open if the cases are climbing day after day?” asked Paul Boutros, who owns East Side Pockets, a small restaurant that has lost most of its business since nearby Brown University sent students home two weeks ago. (Smith and Durbin, 3/26)

The Associated Press: Trump's Easter Goal In War On Virus A Nod To Faith, Business
President Donald Trump’s “beautiful” idea to reopen the U.S. economy by Easter Sunday and pack church pews that day was dreamed up during a conference call among business leaders desperate to get the country back up and running. But his target date for easing coronavirus restrictions is another outstretched hand to a group he has long courted: evangelical Christians. (Colvin and Schor, 3/25)

Stat: When Can We Let Up? Exploring How To Relax Coronavirus Lockdowns 
With countries from Italy to the U.S. having waited too long to combat the coronavirus, many experts in public health and epidemiology are pleading with government officials not to compound the mistake by lifting stay-at-home and other social distancing measures too soon — and, in fact, to impose strict ones in U.S. states and cities that haven’t. But from the World Health Organization to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to epidemiology modelers across the globe, there is growing recognition that the time will and must come to tiptoe back toward normalcy. (Begley, 3/25)

CNN: Fauci: 'You Don't Make The Timeline, The Virus Makes The Timeline' On Relaxing Public Health Measures
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, had a straightforward message Wednesday night about how long the novel coronavirus could affect daily life in the US: "You don't make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline." "You've got to be realistic," Fauci told CNN's Chris Cuomo on "Prime Time." (LeBlanc, 3/25)

The Hill: Fauci Says US Needs To Be Prepared For Coronavirus To Be Cyclical 
Americans need to be prepared for the possibility that COVID-19 could become a seasonal disease, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Wednesday. Fauci told reporters during a White House briefing that more cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus have begun to appear in the Southern Hemisphere, which is transitioning into colder seasons.If there is an outbreak in the Southern Hemisphere, Fauci said "it will be inevitable" that the disease will make a comeback even if it is temporarily stopped. (Weixel, 3/25)

The Associated Press: Birx Tells Grandmother's Story In Social Distancing Plea
Dr. Deborah Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, took a personal tact on Wednesday as she made her latest plea to the American public to practice social distancing. Birx noted that her grandmother Leah lived with a lifetime of guilt, because she caught the flu at school and, in turn, infected her mother. Leah’s mother, who had just given birth, died of the flu — one of an estimated 50 million worldwide who died in the 1918 influenza epidemic, Birx said. (Madhani, 3/25)

Reuters: Biden Calls Trump's Easter Back-To-Business Goal 'Catastrophic'
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said on Wednesday that potential efforts by President Donald Trump to re-open American businesses in time for the Easter holiday could be “catastrophic.” The governors of at least 18 states, including New York and California, have issued stay-at-home directives affecting about half the U.S. population, and shuttering many businesses, in a costly effort to slow the deadly pathogen’s spread. (Hunnicutt, 3/25)

Politico: Infighting Erupts In Trumpworld As Coronavirus Attacks Mount
Donald Trump is getting hammered by millions of dollars in Democratic campaign ads depicting his response to the coronavirus as negligent and inept. But the main super PAC backing his reelection has been silent in response — and Trump’s political advisers are not happy about it. In interviews, more than a half-dozen White House aides, campaign officials and other Trump allies said they felt deserted by the group, America First Action, openly questioning why it’s leaving Trump exposed on the airwaves at the most vulnerable moment of his presidency. (Isenstadt, 3/26)

The Associated Press: Fears For Civil Rights Mount Amid Fight Against Coronavirus
The orders seem prudent in the bid to thwart the spread of the novel coronavirus: Don’t go out, don’t gather with others and keep your stores closed. But growing segments of the U.S. population say state and federal governments are trampling on freedoms central to American life in the name of protecting public health. The case is already being made. A church-goer in New Hampshire says prohibitions against large gatherings violate her religious rights. A Pennsylvania golf course owner argues that gubernatorial edicts shuttering his business amount to illegal seizure of his private property. (Tarm, 3/26)

ABC News: Fact Checking Trump's Claim About Suicides If The Economic Shutdown Continues 
As some in President Donald Trump's inner circle push for loosening social distancing guidelines amid economic fallout from the novel coronavirus outbreak, he has predicted "tremendous death" and "suicide by the thousands" if the country isn't "opened for business" in a matter of weeks. While public health officials warn that dropping social guidelines to boost the economy could quickly overload hospital systems, costing more money and more lives, the president has claimed several times this week that the number of suicides specifically would "definitely" be greater than the death toll from the virus itself as he pointed to people returning to work as a remedy. (Cathey, 3/25)

The Hill: Social-Distancing Visitors Flood National Parks, Creating New Coronavirus Concern 
Visitors are flooding national parks, forcing the closure of Yellowstone National Park and leading to worries that the areas could become breeding grounds for the coronavirus. National parks have seen a surge in visitors as they have dropped entry fees, and as people have stayed home from work and school as a result of social distancing policies meant to get the virus’s spread under control. But the rush to the parks, which some have compared to busy summer seasons, has prompted new concerns about the spread of the virus while creating serious problems for the parks themselves. (Frazin, 3/25)