Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Consumers' Fear Of Pandemic Could Thwart Some States' Eager Rush To Reopen Economy
The Washington Post: Push To Reopen Economy Runs Up Against Workers And Consumers Worried About Risk
In the absence of a federal mandate, states are adopting varying approaches to the speed and pace of their commercial revivals. During a White House meeting with Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he would make an announcement Wednesday on his state’s reopening plans. ... Plans for a swift reopening of malls, factories and other businesses accelerated Tuesday, but they quickly collided with the reality that persuading workers and consumers to overlook their coronavirus fears and resume their roles in powering the U.S. economy may prove difficult. (Lynch and Bhattarai, 4/28)
PBS NewsHour: Despite Widespread Economic Hardship, Most Americans Not Ready To Reopen, Poll Says
While a growing number of American households have lost jobs due to COVID-19, a majority of U.S. adults say they still are uncomfortable with reopening the country, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll. Since March, the nation’s economy has taken a major hit from stay-at-home orders and other measures taken to slow the spread of COVID-19. As a result, roughly 26 million Americans filed first-time unemployment claims over five consecutive weeks in late March and April, according to the latest Department of Labor figures, making this one of the worst economic periods in the nation’s history. (Santhanam, 4/29)
The Associated Press: Easing Lockdowns Makes Day-To-Day Choices More Complicated
Things were so much clearer when just about everything was locked down. Now, with states lifting coronavirus restrictions piecemeal and by often arbitrary timetables, Americans are facing bewildering decisions about what they should and should not do to protect their health, their livelihoods and their neighbors. (Johnson, Geller and Olson, 4/29)
The Wall Street Journal: A Guide To State Coronavirus Reopenings And Lockdowns
Most U.S. states have imposed lockdown measures restricting gathering and social contact, disrupting the lives of hundreds of millions of people and the operations of thousands of businesses. Some states, however, have announced or instituted plans to relax restrictions. This article will be updated as new information becomes available. (Gershman, 4/28)
The Hill: These States Have Reopened After Coronavirus Shutdown
Multiple states have lifted some restrictions that were put in place to mitigate the spread of the deadly coronavirus. While most governors are planning a phased reopening, timelines vary by state. Some have allowed retail and hospitality businesses to open their doors to customers but with restrictions on capacity and types of services. Many states have allowed nonessential medical procedures to resume. (Cohn, 4/28)
The Washington Post: ‘Quarantine Fatigue’ Continues For Second Week, Showing A Worrisome Trend, Researchers Say
The number of U.S. residents showing “quarantine fatigue” by venturing out increased last week, when more governors reopened businesses closed for the coronavirus pandemic or announced plans to do so, according to researchers tracking smartphone data. Researchers say the cellphone location data for April 24 is significant because it marked the second Friday in a row when people stayed home less, illustrating the start of a trend rather than a one-week blip. (Shaver, 4/28)
Reuters: Hello, Social Distancing. Goodbye, Handshakes?
It started centuries ago as a symbol of peace, a gesture to prove you weren’t holding a weapon, and over time it became part of almost every social, religious, professional, business and sporting exchange. But the new coronavirus has forced a rethink of the handshake. No matter how friendly, it is an exchange of potentially infectious microorganisms. “Hands are like a busy intersection, constantly connecting our microbiome to the microbiomes of other people, places, and things,” a group of scientists wrote in the Journal of Dermatological Science. Hands, they said, are the “critical vector” for transmitting microorganisms including viruses. (Younis and Baldwin, 4/28)
WBUR: What To Do When People Don't Practice Social Distancing
While people across the country are following the social distancing guidelines that health authorities say are necessary to keep the coronavirus from spreading, plenty of people are not. Some walk too close to others in the supermarket. Others bike or jog without masks, panting as they go by. Some people go so far in their defiance as to throw "coronavirus parties." (Socolovsky, 4/28)
CNN: If US Is Unprepared For A Second Wave Of Coronavirus, Fauci Warns Country Could Be In For 'A Bad Fall And A Bad Winter'
A second round of the coronavirus is 'inevitable,' the nation's leading epidemiologist says, but just how bad it is will depend on the progress the US makes in the coming months. "If by that time we have put into place all of the countermeasures that you need to address this, we should do reasonably well," Dr. Anthony Fauci said. "If we don't do that successfully, we could be in for a bad fall and a bad winter." (Maxouris, 4/29)
Politico: Poll: Voters Expect Second Wave Of Coronavirus Cases
As governors across the country begin to reopen their states, a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows that large majorities of voters favor continued social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus and expect a second surge of cases in the next year. Nearly three-in-four voters, 73 percent, think Americans should continue social distancing, even if it means continued damage to the U.S. economy. Just 15 percent say social distancing should end to boost the economy, even if the virus spreads. (Ward, 4/29)
CNN: What New York's Coronavirus Pandemic Reopening Will Look Like
With the coronavirus pandemic appearing to have passed its peak in New York, the gradual reopening of the epicenter of the national health crisis is starting to take shape. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday outlined his most detailed plan for that reopening, starting with what he called lower risk businesses upstate getting back to work as early as mid May. (Sanchez, 4/28)
The New York Times: De Blasio Breaks Up Rabbi’s Funeral And Lashes Out Over Virus Distancing
Mayor Bill de Blasio lashed out at Hasidic residents of the Williamsburg section in Brooklyn late Tuesday night after personally overseeing the dispersal of a crowd of hundreds of mourners who had gathered for the funeral of a rabbi who died of the coronavirus. In a series of tweets, Mr. de Blasio denounced the gathering, which the police broke up, and warned “the Jewish community, and all communities” that any violation of the social-distancing guidelines in place to stop the spread of the virus could lead to a summons or an arrest. (Stack and Gold, 4/28)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Governor Weighs Next Steps Amid Conflicts Over COVID-19
Georgia recorded its 1,000th death from the new coronavirus Tuesday after state officials cited “encouraging data” to justify easing social-distancing measures. But many public health experts and scientific models cast doubts on the officials’ rosy conclusions. Ending a statewide lockdown too soon, experts said, could reverse any positive trends. (Judd and Hallerman, 4/28)
Boston Globe: We’ve Reached The Coronavirus Plateau. So When Will The Numbers Begin To Decline?
Governor Charlie Baker has said he is not seeing improvements in key measures that he is scrutinizing for clues to when it will be safe to reopen the economy. With the death toll rising to more than 3,000 this week, Baker announced Tuesday that he was extending his non-essential business closure order and stay-at-home advisory until May 18. (Finucane, 4/28)
Boston Globe: When Massachusetts Goes Back To Work, It Won’t Be Business As Usual
A picture of how working life may change emerges from interviews with more than a dozen CEOs and other executives planning for the day when the state begins easing COVID-19 restrictions. A common theme: Pre-coronavirus routines will give way to post-pandemic trial and error, a possibly shifting set of protocols, as businesses search for a new normal. (Edelman, Chesto and Leung, 4/28)
Boston Globe: Cautioning Against ‘Letting Up,’ Baker Extends Business Closures, Stay-At-Home Advisory To May 18
Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday ordered thousands of Massachusetts businesses to remain closed and urged people to remain home until at least May 18, extending by two weeks directives designed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Baker’s decision to continue his dual order and advisory, both of which had been slated to expire Monday, surprised few in the business and health communities amid the daily churn of grim data. (Stout, 4/28)
Boston Globe: Slight Drop In Deaths And COVID-19 Cases In Rhode Island For First Time In Weeks
The statistics remain grim, but Rhode Island’s daily death toll and new cases of coronavirus decreased Tuesday, hitting a low the state hasn’t seen in nearly three weeks. And that prompted Governor Gina M. Raimondo to suggest that she may lift her stay-home order May 8.Six more Rhode Islanders died, all of whom lived in nursing homes or congregant care. Another 218 people tested positive for COVID-19. (Milkovits, 4/28)
Las Vegas Review-Journal: Sisolak Teases Coronavirus Announcement, Trump Asks About Reopening
Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday teased on Twitter that he would announce a “Roadmap to Recovery” plan for Nevada on Thursday, starting with the resumption of medical and dental procedures that were delayed by the coronavirus outbreak. Thursday’s announcement will come on the day a series of his directives on social distancing, business closures and other restrictions related to COVID-19 are set to expire. (Saunders and Dentzer, 4/28)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: New Orleans Area Business Leaders Make The Case To Reopen As Coronavirus Slows
New Orleans area business leaders set out plans to re-open the economy in a report Tuesday, part of a growing clamor from the business community to begin loosening the clamp-down on public activities amid signs that the pace of coronavirus cases is slowing. (McCauley, 4/28)
The New York Times: Some Sports May Have To Skip This Year, Fauci Says
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the leading public health expert on President Trump’s coronavirus task force, said this week that it might be very difficult for major sports in the United States to return to action this year. Various leagues have considered a number of options for restarting play that came to a halt in mid-March, as the extent of the coronavirus outbreak became increasingly apparent. (Wagner and Belson, 4/28)
