‘It’s Great To Be Back, But It’s Different’: As States Lift Restrictions, Americans Figure Out New Normal

The Wall Street Journal: Three Malls In Three States: A Weekend Shopping Trip Under Coronavirus
On Saturday morning Tracie Giarmo drove 30 minutes to Toledo, aiming to escape Michigan’s store closures and take advantage of just reopened Ohio malls. At the Franklin Park Mall in Toledo about half the stores inside were still closed, including Macy’s, Dillard’s and the Apple Store. The mall’s Pottery Barn closed last year, part of a wider pullback on physical stores as shopping has shifted online. Ms. Giarmo, a 56-year-old nurse wearing a face mask, had come to the mall to help her daughter and future daughter-in-law register at Macy’s and Pottery Barn for their coming weddings. “Now we aren’t sure what we will do,” she said. (Nassauer, McWhirter and Findell, 5/18)

The Associated Press: Floridians Take First, Hesitant, Steps Back To Public Life
Guests flocked to a theme park shopping district, a casino fired up its slot machines and businesses prepared for serving customers in Florida on Sunday, months after the coronavirus pandemic forced life to ground to a halt over health safety concerns. During this flurry of activity, signs were everywhere that life had changed — and that people were clamoring to return to some semblance of normal. (5/17)

The Associated Press: NY Widens Testing Eligibility As Social Distancing Hits Snag
New York City residents who flouted social distancing restrictions for a night on the town got the mayor’s wrath Sunday. The city’s embattled health commissioner is staying on the job. Gov. Andrew Cuomo played the part of a model patient, getting swabbed for coronavirus on live TV as he announced all people experiencing flu-like symptoms are now eligible for testing. (Sisak and Villeneuve, 5/18)

NPR: Yellowstone National Park Set To Reopen — But With Caveats
Yellowstone is an especially complicated case. The park touches three states, all with a mix travel restrictions and rates of coronavirus infections alongside a patchwork of local health districts with different enforcement rules. Most of the towns are small and lack health care infrastructure and could be overwhelmed by an influx of cases. Yellowstone and neighboring Grand Teton National Park draw visitors from around the country and world. (Siegler, 5/17)

The Washington Post: A Georgia Shopping Center Tries To Come Back To Life After Coronavirus Lockdown
The sky was blue, the sun was rising, and as the death toll from the coronavirus continued to soar across much of America, the fountains switched on in Avalon, a development of restaurants and shops in a wealthy corner of suburban Atlanta. It was time for life to resume, Georgia’s governor had decided, so a masked worker swept the threshold of Chanel. A clerk brushed off windows at Fab’rik that had been gathering dust. A gardener fluffed pink roses in planters along the sidewalks, where signs on doors said what so many had been waiting to hear. (McCrummen, 5/17)

The Washington Post: Even As New Orleans Reopens, Tourists And Residents Are Hesitant To Return
On a typical Saturday night, snagging a coveted balcony table overlooking Bourbon Street in the French Quarter would be nearly impossible. But here were Mariah Castille and Tyler Labiche, sharing chips and dip, somewhat stunned by almost everything about this evening. It was Day One of Phase 1 — when the stay-at-home order was lifted and New Orleans was supposed to begin coming back to life. For the first time in two months, most businesses were allowed to open. Restaurants and food-serving bars could seat customers at 25 percent capacity. (Montgomery and Webster, 5/17)

The Washington Post: Rising Deaths, Busy Restaurants: Washington Region’s Reopening A Study In Jarring Contrasts
Dozens of deaths and thousands of new infections from the novel coronavirus were reported in the Washington region Saturday, even as some areas began welcoming droves of summertime visitors following the relaxation of quarantine restrictions in Virginia and Maryland. The two trends — rising fatalities and newly permitted gatherings in previously restricted tourist towns — stood in jarring contrast, highlighting the uncertainties that members of the public and government officials navigate as the region and country reopen. (Jamison, Duncan and Tan, 5/16)

The Washington Post: Americans Are Heading Back To Shops And Restaurants Amid Early Signs Of Economic Recovery
Americans on Saturday headed back to shops and restaurants trying to recapture routines the coronavirus pandemic had forced them to abandon two months ago, a sign that the U.S. economy may have hit bottom and is beginning the long climb back. The staggered commercial reopening is playing out amid hopes that warmer weather will contribute to a further easing in the spread of the sometimes-fatal respiratory illness. (Lynch, Tan and Duncan, 5/16)

The Wall Street Journal: No Swimming At New York City Beaches As Summer Nears
New York City won’t permit swimming at its beaches over Memorial Day weekend and in the coming weeks to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, but the ban could be lifted later this summer, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday. City lifeguards will soon begin training but when they would actually start patrolling beaches hasn’t been determined, the mayor said. The announcement came after a warm Saturday drew large crowds at city beaches and parks, raising concerns about social distancing. (Honan, 5/17)

ABC News: Nearly 200 Possibly Exposed To Coronavirus At Religious Service That Violated Stay-At-Home Orders 
California public health officials have notified more than 180 people that they may have been exposed to the coronavirus at a religious service held in violation of the state's stay-at-home order. The Butte County public health department said Friday that an attendee at the service tested positive for the virus a day after the event. (Deliso, 5/17)

CNN: A Person In California Who Was Covid-19 Positive Attended A Church Service And Exposed 180 People, Officials Say 
A person who later learned they were positive for Covid-19 attended a California religious service on Mother's Day, exposing 180 other people to the novel coronavirus, according to local health officials. The individual got a positive diagnosis for Covid-19 the day after the service and is now in isolation at home, Butte County Public Health said in a statement Friday. People who attended the service have been notified about their exposure and received instructions from health officials to self-quarantine, the statement said. Officials are working to get testing for everyone who was in attendance. (Andone and Moshtaghian, 5/17)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City Teachers Push For Specific Safety Measures Before Schools Reopen
For Michael Frank, a high-school social studies teacher in New York City, effective social distancing isn’t anything new. Before the coronavirus prompted the city’s schools to close and migrate to remote learning in March, Mr. Frank was giving mini-lessons to some students on the topic. When schools were still open in mid-March, he offered to allow a student with a respiratory condition to work from home. “I had no problem modifying the work for her,” said Mr. Frank, who teaches at the High School for Environmental Studies in Manhattan. “I’d rather you be healthy and safe than to come in because we have a test that day.” (Hawkins, 5/17)

Kaiser Health News: In The COVID Age, Bring A Mask And Gloves To A Protest
When Lamari Edwards joined Dreasjon “Sean” Reed’s Facebook Live video, she could sense something bad was going to happen, but she never thought she was witnessing the last moments of her friend’s life. “I had a bad feeling, but I did not think it would end this way,” said Edwards. Reed’s video showed him driving at a high speed and narrating as officers from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department chased him May 6. The officers said they observed Reed’s car driving recklessly, almost striking other vehicles. (Lofton, 5/18)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus: Want To See Friends? Here Are The Risk Factors
For two months we’ve been good. We’ve Zoomed. We’ve FaceTimed. We’ve waved at neighbors from across the street and behind the fence. But enough is enough. We want to see friends and family in real life. Now many of us are allowing cracks to form in our protective coronavirus fortresses, crossing our fingers while doing our best to mitigate the risk. (Netburn, 5/16)

Indianapolis Star: Indianapolis Reopening Plan: Differences Between City And State
Mayor Joe Hogsett announced his plans to begin the reopening of Indianapolis on Wednesday, based on a number of criteria. Those factors differ from the guiding principles Gov. Eric Holcomb is using for Indiana's reopening. Even the federal plan, "Opening Up America Again," has more stringent criteria than Indiana lists as its major deciding factors. (VanTryon, 5/15)

Boston Globe: Mass. State Representative Calls For Extension Of Stay-At-Home Advisory Until June
Massachusetts Representative Mike Connolly is calling on Governor Charlie Baker to extend his stay-at-home advisory until at least the beginning of June, arguing in a letter signed by six other Democratic state lawmakers that it’s too soon to begin easing restrictions put in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The letter comes as Baker, a Republican, gets ready to release his plan for gradually lifting coronavirus restrictions. (Prignano, 5/15)