By Memorial Day, All States Will Have Partially Lifted Restrictions Despite Only 16 Showing Downward Trends

CNN: All US States Will Be Partially Reopened By Memorial Day Weekend But Only 16 States Recorded Downward Trends 
By Memorial Day weekend, every US state will have begun lifting measures enacted weeks ago to curb the spread of coronavirus. Many governors have already pushed into a second phase of reopening their economies, with some states now allowing restaurants, retailers and personal service shops to reopen their doors. By now, all states but Connecticut have in some way moved toward returning to a semblance of normalcy. On Monday, Massachusetts entered the first phase of their reopening plan, giving the green light to manufacturing facilities, construction sites and places of worship as long as they abide by certain restrictions. (Maxouris, 5/19)

Reuters: New Cases? Deaths? U.S. States' Reopening Plans Are All Over The Map
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has set some distinct goals the federal district needs to meet in order for her to feel comfortable ending a stay-at-home order, she told reporters last week. If the U.S. capital, which reported more than 7,200 cases and around 400 deaths by Monday, hits certain metrics, including a declining number of cases over 14 days and sustained low transmission rate, she could lift the order before it expires on June 8. (Brice, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 1.5 Million As States Ease Restrictions
More than 1.5 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus as restrictions that helped slow the contagion’s spread were eased in more states and countries, and drugmakers raced to develop a vaccine. Some of the worst-hit U.S. states took slow steps toward normalcy, with governors in Massachusetts, Michigan, California and New York detailing more reopening plans. (Calfas and Stancati, 5/19)

CNN: Why GOP Can't Reopen Economy Without Democratic Buy-In 
From President Donald Trump through Republican governors and state legislatures, the GOP is coalescing around a position of reopening the economy as quickly as possible despite concerns about seeding a wider spread of the coronavirus. But the party's efforts face a paradoxical hurdle: The economy can't regain much momentum without the participation of big Democratic-leaning metropolitan areas, where both local officials and average residents remain more skeptical about quickly unwinding social distancing measures. (Brownstein, 5/19)

The Associated Press: Oregon Supreme Court Halts Order Nixing Virus Restrictions
The Oregon Supreme Court late Monday halted a rural judge’s order earlier in the day that had tossed out statewide coronavirus restrictions imposed by Democratic Gov. Kate Brown. Baker County Circuit Judge Matthew Shirtcliff had ruled that Brown erred by not seeking the Legislature’s approval to extend the stay-at-home orders beyond a 28-day limit. The Supreme Court’s ruling stays Shirtcliff’s decision pending review by all the high court justices. (Flaccus and Selsky, 5/19)

Politico: Florida Throws Open Its Doors — And Holds Its Breath
Over the past week, Florida reported nearly 5,460 new coronavirus cases — and 262 deaths. On Monday, the state threw open its doors to residents and tourists itching to get back to a semblance of normal. The urban centers of Miami-Dade and Broward counties, which have remained largely closed, joined the rest of the state in slowly reopening businesses as Florida became one of the largest states in the nation to test how to reopen commerce amid a pandemic. (Caputo and Ritchie, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Coronavirus Restrictions To Ease In Western New York; Data Show Impact By Neighborhood
Parts of western New York state are set to begin reopening, officials said Monday, as new data showed the contrast between how the new coronavirus has affected lower-income and wealthier neighborhoods in New York City. Data from New York City’s health department, which recorded the number of deaths in each zip code, showed the highest death rate in the city is in an area that borders East New York and Canarsie, Brooklyn. (Chapman and Honan, 5/18)

The New York Times: New York, California And Texas Governors Show Support For Return Of Pro Sports
The governors of New York, California and Texas on Monday expressed support for a return of major professional sports from their coronavirus-related shutdowns in the coming weeks, telling leagues that they should come up with plans if they want to host in those states. A key caveat for all three states would be having no fans present. “Hockey, basketball, baseball, football, whoever can reopen. We’re a ready, willing and able partner,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York said, adding that he had been encouraging the leaders of major sports leagues to tailor their plans to television audiences. (Garcia, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Michigan Governor Issues Executive Order Allowing Some Businesses To Reopen At Reduced Capacity
Businesses and restaurants in northern Michigan will be allowed to reopen at reduced capacity by week's end under an executive order that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) issued Monday, a milestone for a state that has seen some of the most contentious protests over coronavirus restrictions. The order, which takes effect Friday, applies to the sparsely populated Upper Peninsula and 17 counties in the tourism-heavy northern tip of the Lower Peninsula. (Balingit and Bellware, 5/18)

Politico: De Blasio Considering Options If Schools Are Unsafe In September
New York City is considering options including alternating days for kids to attend school and even sticking with entirely online learning if it is not safe to reopen the school system as normal in September, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday. The city’s “plan A” is to have all school buildings fully open when the new school year starts, de Blasio said, but officials are weighing contingency plans — including a possible scenario where schools cannot physically reopen at all because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Durkin, 5/18)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus: The Need To Go Is A Big Barrier To Going Out. Why Public Bathrooms Are A Stumbling Block For Reopening.
Whether it’s the mall, restaurants, concerts, ballparks or even drive-in movie theaters, Americans are making it clear: They won’t be ready to go out to their favorite destinations until they feel confident about being able to go. To the bathroom, that is. (Fisher, 5/18)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Eases Reopening Rules With New Coronavirus Benchmarks
Acknowledging that more California communities are in a position to slowly reopen businesses, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday loosened rules linking coronavirus infection rates to allowed activities — a change that could release most parts of the state from the tightest restrictions of his stay-at-home order. “We recognize the conditions across the state are unique and distinctive depending where you are,” Newsom said. “The bottom line is people can go at their own pace and we are empowering our local health directors and county officials that understand their local communities and conditions better than any of us.” (Myers, Luna and Willon, 5/18)

NPR: Apple Store Shoppers To Have Temperatures Taken, Must Wear Face Coverings
Apple Stores are beginning to reopen after the company in mid-March closed hundreds of its locations in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Nearly 100 Apple Stores, or about a fifth of the tech giant's worldwide storefronts, are now open, including locations in Alabama, Florida, California and Washington state. About 25 additional stores in the U.S. in seven states are set to open their doors this week, according to Apple. (Allyn, 5/19)

The Washington Post: For Louisiana, Pandemic A ‘2-Black-Swan Event’ Battering Economy
The air smelled tangy and sweet as Tommy Cvitanovich oversaw employees grilling his famous delicacy — charbroiled oysters on the half-shell — to serve customers in their cars in a church parking lot. The pop-up eatery generated some rare profits for Cvitanovich on a recent Thursday evening, nearly two months after social distancing rules closed his Drago's Seafood restaurants for full-service dining. Beneath his trademark bravado, Cvitanovich knows the 51-year-old business founded by his parents — and its 700 jobs — might not make it through the novel coronavirus pandemic intact. (Mongomery and Webster, 5/18)

ABC News: Fitness Industry Must ‘Fight’ To Regain Trust As Gyms Reopen
As 49 states and D.C. take the first steps in releasing their economies from coronavirus restrictions - with Connecticut set to follow suit on Wednesday - the fitness industry is adjusting to life post-lockdown. It’s certainly not business as usual in a world of social distancing and strict sanitation protocol. In some cases, it’s not even business at all: gyms are still closed across much of the U.S. But as the economy slowly emerges after weeks of shutdown, there are “serious challenges ahead” for the fitness market, according to Beth McGroarty of The Global Wellness Institute. (Smith, 5/19)

The Washington Post: Virginia Beach To Reopen Friday; D.C. Sees Reopening On Horizon
With the daily coronavirus death counts relatively flat or declining in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, local leaders announced further efforts to inch back toward normalcy on Monday. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said that if current trends hold, she could announce a date for reopening sectors of the city’s economy as soon as Thursday. She intends to describe her plan in greater detail later this week and said the city is six days away from meeting the goals she set to safely reopen. (Cox, Nirappil and Vozzella, 5/18)

The Wall Street Journal: As Coronavirus Lockdowns Lift, How Ready Are Gyms To Reopen?
Gravity Fitness in downtown Atlanta reopened May 11. Following new state protocols, a staffer at the gym’s entrance takes everyone’s temperature, and 6-foot spacing marks the gym floor, among other measures aimed at reducing the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. It didn’t take long, however, for gym owner Aaron Pols to realize Georgia’s regulations were insufficient. For starters, they seemed to require face masks for gym employees, but left them optional for customers. (Potkewitz, 5/18)

KQED: As Shelter In Place Loosens, What Do New Bay Area Guidelines Mean For You?
Five Bay Area counties and the city of Berkeley announced they are loosening some shelter-in-place restrictions starting Monday, May 18. The city of Berkeley, San Francisco, Alameda, Marin, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties will now allow retail businesses to operate curbside pickup, and manufacturing and warehouses to resume if they meet detailed guidelines for safe operation. (Schwartz, 5/18)

Boston Globe: Child Care Centers In Limbo 
The phased-in reopening of Massachusetts businesses that Governor Charlie Baker announced Monday left child-care centers in limbo, officially unable to reopen until June 29. However, the emergency child-care programs that opened in March for the children of essential workers will now be open to the children of all those returning to work in the first phase of reopening, said Colleen Quinn, a spokeswoman for the Department of Early Education and Care. Those emergency child-care programs are operating free of charge to families, she said. (Ebbert, 5/19)

Boston Globe: Scientists Say Baker’s Reopening Plan Is Sensible, But Still Concerning
Even as some businesses called for a more immediate reopening of the economy, public health experts’ first reaction Monday to Governor Baker’s conservative plan was worry — that more interaction would make a second wave of infections possible, perhaps likely. (Martin and Moore, 5/18)

WBUR: Mass. Is Monitoring These 6 Health Metrics As It Navigates Reopening 
Gov. Charlie Baker gave a much-anticipated press conference Monday to roll out his administration's plan for reopening Massachusetts in four phases. In his remarks, Baker reiterated what he has been saying for weeks: reopening will be a delicate, data-driven process. So what data, exactly, is driving the state's decision-making? (Mitchell, 5/18)

WBUR: Health Experts Are Hopeful But Nervous About Mass. Reopening 
Health experts reported mixed emotions as they listened to Governor Charlie Baker announce his plan to gradually reopen the state’s economy. On the one hand, they said, it’s a good plan. But they expressed anxiety that easing stay-at-home restrictions and opening businesses might bring a new wave of coronavirus infections to an already hard-hit state. (Chen, 5/19)

Boston Globe: Office Work Gets Green Light, But Many White-Collar Employers Will Still Stay Home 
Governor Charlie Baker is allowing most offices across Massachusetts to start reopening on May 25, while those in Boston will remain shuttered until June 1. But the real opening date for many white-collar employers, the day when companies call workers back? It’s much later than that. (Chesto, 5/18)