How Much Do Official Stay-At-Home Orders Effect Americans’ Decisions To Shelter In Place?
A look at the data shows that in many places where state restrictions have been lifted, Americans are rushing out of their homes. But in others, there are many who are staying put. Meanwhile, new clusters around the world offer a grim snapshot of what America can expect as it relaxes social distancing measures. And The Associated Press offers a glimpse inside the CDC's shelved guidance to help states reopen.
The New York Times:
As Coronavirus Restrictions Lift, Millions In U.S. Are Leaving Home Again
After weeks cooped up at home following governors’ orders to contain the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. residents appear eager to get moving again. As more states began to relax restrictions, about 25 million more people ventured outside their homes on an average day last week than during the preceding six weeks, a New York Times analysis of cellphone data found. In nearly every part of the country, the share of people staying home dropped, in some places by nearly 11 percentage points. (Dance and Gamio, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Map: Which States Are Reopening After Coronavirus Shutdown
Most states and U.S. territories have begun to ease restrictions on businesses and social activity, moving to reopen economies battered by the coronavirus pandemic and weeks of stay-at-home orders that affected some 315 million Americans. Public health experts warn that this increased activity is likely to cause a surge of new infections. “There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control” by reopening too quickly, said infectious disease expert Anthony S. Fauci in Senate testimony May 12, “leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided.” (5/12)
The Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: CDC Docs Stress Plans For More Virus Flareups
Advice from the nation’s top disease control experts on how to safely reopen businesses and institutions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic included detailed instructive guidance and some more restrictive measures than the plan released by the White House last month. The guidance, which was shelved by Trump administration officials, also offered recommendations to help communities decide when to shut facilities down again during future flareups of COVID-19. (Dearen and Stobbe, 5/13)
The Washington Post:
As Coronavirus Cases Resurge, Lockdowns Reimposed On At Least Three Continents
As many parts of the world, including the United States, explore ways to ease restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the coronavirus, countries that had already opened up are closing down again after renewed spikes in infections. Such a resurgence of cases had been widely predicted by experts, but these increasing numbers come as a sobering reminder of the challenges ahead as countries chafing under the social and economic burdens of keeping their citizens indoors weigh the pros and cons of allowing people to move around again. (Sly and Morris, 5/13)
The Wall Street Journal:
New Coronavirus Clusters Emerge As Some Countries Ease Lockdowns
Some governors sought more help from Washington as they moved to restart their economies, while new clusters of coronavirus infections cropped up in parts of the Middle East and Asia after authorities loosened lockdowns. Confirmed cases surpassed 4.25 million globally Tuesday, with more than 1.36 million in the U.S., according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 291,000 people have died world-wide, including more than 82,000 in the U.S., according to Johns Hopkins. In the 24 hours ended at 8 p.m. (Calfas and Dalton, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Armed Militia Helped A Michigan Barbershop Open, A Coronavirus Defiance That Puts Republican Lawmakers In A Bind
Armed members of the Michigan Home Guard stood outside Karl Manke's barber shop, ready to blockade the door if police arrived. They were determined to help Manke, 77, reopen his shop Monday, in defiance of state orders, and dozens joined them, wearing Trump sweatshirts and Trump cowboy hats and waving Trump flags. They gathered not because they desperately needed haircuts but to rail against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s approach to fighting the coronavirus outbreak in Michigan, one of the nation’s worst hot spots. (Balingit, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
In A Small Pennsylvania Town, Home To A Huge Hospital, Everyone On The Coronavirus’ Front Lines
The pathologist stood in the kitchen on his 40-acre farm and cut the crust from a ham and cheese sandwich for his 7-year-old son’s packed lunch. He took a swig of his morning coffee. He’d been up late answering calls, hustling to launch a clinical trial to test blood plasma as a possible treatment for covid-19, hashing out the details between rides on his Peloton stationary bike and taking rifle shots at nuisance groundhogs. Now, he needed to get to the hospital, along with his son. (Frankel, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Hogan Joins Northam In Allowing Hard-Hit Localities To Opt Out Of Reopening
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has told leaders of the Washington suburbs and other places hit hard by the novel coronavirus that they will be able to opt out of a gradual reopening he plans to announce Wednesday, according to officials involved in the conversations. The decision could keep the entire D.C. region under extended restrictions even as more-remote areas begin to restart their economies. (Chason, Cox, Tan and Vozzella, 5/12)
The Washington Post:
Northern Va. Deaths Are Nearly Double Elsewhere In State As Region Sees Disproportionate Toll
Northern Virginia has averaged nearly double the number of daily coronavirus-related deaths in recent days than the rest of the state in a region that contains about one-third of its population. Data analyzed by The Washington Post shows the state recorded an average of 25 fatalities daily over the most recent seven days, with 16 of those deaths coming from Virginia’s Washington suburbs while nine were reported elsewhere in the state. (Harden, 5/12)
The New York Times:
Coronavirus Ravaged A Choir. But Isolation Helped Contain It.
It was a chilly evening in Mount Vernon, Wash., on March 10, when a group of singers met for choir practice at their church, just as they did most Tuesday nights. The full choir consists of 122 singers, but only 61 made it that night, including one who had been fighting cold-like symptoms for a few days. That person later tested positive for the coronavirus, and within two days of the practice, six more members of the choir had developed a fever. Ultimately, 53 members of the choir became ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus, and two of them died. (Waldstein, 5/12)
Politico:
Murphy Rolls Out Plans For Expanded Testing, Contact Tracing As Reopening Pressures Mount
New Jersey is about to spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing the health care infrastructure it needs to begin reopening its economy, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday. With revenue forecasts collapsing under the weight of a Covid-19 recession, Murphy described the broad contours of his administration’s plan to expand coronavirus testing and assemble a contact tracing corps in advance of the state’s economic revival. (Sutton, 5/12)
NPR:
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms On Reopening Georgia: 'I Remain Concerned'
Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp's reopening of many businesses on April 24 came earlier than many public health experts had recommended and against White House guidelines. Another critic was Atlanta's Democratic mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms. Fulton County, where most of Atlanta lies, has more than 3,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the most of any county in Georgia. (Doubek, 5/12)
The Oklahoman:
Coronavirus In Oklahoma: Coalition Launches First-Of-Its-Kind Initiative
Oklahoma City is being eyed as a potential model for a nationwide roll-out of testing and guidance by some of the country’s most respected disease experts on how best to reopen the country and reduce risks of a second wave of COVID-19 infection. The coalition, consisting of local corporate executives and researchers as well as experts from top institutions including Harvard and Duke, is focused on creating a surplus of tests and samples to delve into how many asymptomatic cases have spread and the search for an antidote to the virus. (Lackmeyer, 5/12)
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
New Orleans Mayor Unveils Eased Coronavirus Restrictions That Are Stricter Than Louisiana Plans
New Orleans will have stricter coronavirus rules in place than the rest of the state when it begins to allow businesses to reopen on Saturday, including mandates that restaurants and salons take down their customers’ contact information and caps on the number of people that can attend church services. The city’s rules, which officials say exceed the state’s because of the speed and severity with which the virus spread in New Orleans at the beginning of the outbreak, also would prevent the reopening of Harrah’s Casino or any video poker rooms, even as other gaming establishments in other parishes are allowed to see a limited number of customers. (Adelson and Williams, 5/12)
