While There Haven’t Yet Been Spikes In States That Have Reopened, Azar Warns It’s Too Early To Tell

Reuters: So Far, No Spike In Coronavirus In Places Reopening, U.S. Health Secretary Says
U.S. authorities are not yet seeing spikes in coronavirus cases in places that are reopening but it was still too early to determine such trends, health secretary Alex Azar said on Sunday. “We are seeing that in places that are opening, we’re not seeing this spike in cases,” Azar said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program. “We still see spikes in some areas that are, in fact, closed.” However, Azar said identifying and reporting new cases takes time. A critical part of reopening will be surveillance of flu-like symptoms in the population and other hospital admissions data, as well as testing of asymptomatic individuals, he said. (Chiacu, 5/17)

The New York Times: As States Reopen, Governors Balance Existing Risks With New Ones
The pain of the coronavirus shutdown, in terms of wrecked economies and shattered lives, has been unmistakable. Now, governors across the country are contemplating the risks of reopening, particularly if it produces a surge of new cases and deaths. “This is really the most crucial time, and the most dangerous time,” Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican, said on the CNN program “State of the Union” on Sunday. “All of this is a work in progress. We thought it was a huge risk not to open. But we also know it’s a huge risk in opening.” State officials said that pressure was building to revive commerce and to chart a path for states to stagger back toward a semblance of normalcy, and some were already discussing plans for starting school in the fall. (Rojas and Delkic, 5/17)

CNN: US Governors Perform Balancing Act To Reopen As Nationwide Covid-19 Death Toll Inches Toward 90,000 
Governors across the US are navigating a balancing act as they try to reopen their economies without triggering a second spike of coronavirus cases. By now, all but two states have loosened restrictions in place to help curb the spread of the virus. Some began allowing limited gatherings, while others have allowed restaurants and some businesses to reopen their doors with caution. And while many parts of the country have expressed hope about their number of cases seemingly slowing, other states have reported hikes. More than 1,486,700 Americans have so far tested positive for the virus and at least 89,562 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. (Maxouris, 5/18)

Politico: Democratic Governors Hit With Flurry Of Legal Challenges To Coronavirus Lockdowns 
The raging public debate over statewide coronavirus lockdowns is running parallel to a series of legal battles in state capitals — and the lockdown skeptics got a big boost this week. The decision by Wisconsin’s Supreme Court on Wednesday to toss Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide shelter-in-place order set off a scramble in cities across the state to impose their own local restrictions. Elsewhere, bars and restaurants shut down by the order declared themselves open for business. (Oprysko, 5/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Social Distancing Wanes As States Loosen Coronavirus Curbs
After two months of social distancing, states across the country have begun relaxing stay-at-home measures. But the habits of U.S. residents, based on data from millions of cellphones, indicates Americans have been on the move even before official government orders eased restrictions. Data from Unacast, a location-data firm, showed a steep decline in movement even before states implemented restrictions. As authorities have begun to lift those curbs and others prepare to do so, more Americans are coming into closer contact again. (Wu, Rust and Yeip, 5/16)

The Associated Press: US, European Leaders Weigh Reopening Risks Without A Vaccine
On a weekend when many pandemic-weary people emerged from weeks of lockdown, leaders in the U.S. and Europe weighed the risks and rewards of lifting COVID-19 restrictions knowing that a vaccine could take years to develop. In separate stark warnings, two major European leaders bluntly told their citizens that the world needs to adapt to living with the coronavirus and cannot wait to be saved by a vaccine. (Schor, Stobbe and Kunzelman, 5/18)

Reuters: Beaches, Parks Busy As Europe Heat Wave And U.S. Spring Test New Coronavirus Rules
People are streaming back to beaches, parks and streets just as a heat wave hits southern Europe and spring-like temperatures allow Americans to shed winter coats. As they venture out again, most are keeping their distance and some are wearing masks. However, protests are also heating up from Germany to England to the United States, arguing the government restrictions demolish personal liberties and are wrecking economies. (Shumaker, 5/17)

The Washington Post: Summer Weather And Coronavirus: It May Slow Spread But Won't Halt Pandemic 
New research has bolstered the hypothesis that summer’s heat, humidity, abundant sunshine and opportunities for people to get outside should combine to inhibit — though certainly not halt — the spread of the coronavirus. But infectious-disease experts add a cautionary note: Any benefit from summer conditions would probably be lost if people mistakenly believe the virus can’t spread in warm weather and abandon efforts that limit infections, such as social distancing. (Freedman and Achenbach, 5/16)

The Associated Press: Me And We: Individual Rights, Common Good And Coronavirus
From the moment the American republic was born right up until today, this has been its hallmark: Me and we — different flavors of freedom that compete but overlap — living together, but often at odds. The history of the United States and the colonies that formed it has been a 413-year balancing act across an assortment of topics, priorities, passions and ambitions. Now, in the coronavirus era, that tug of war — is it about individuals, or the communities to which they belong? — is showing itself in fresh, high-stakes ways. (Anthony, 5/18)

Politico: Governors Express Measured Optimism For Careful School Reopenings
A trio of governors making the rounds on the Sunday news shows expressed measured optimism about the possibility for schools in their states to reopen by the fall. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” outlined the most bullish vision of the three governors, though even he acknowledged: “It’s just not going to look like any other school year.” (Beavers, 5/17)

The New York Times: 'Credible Threats' To Kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Lead To Charges, Police Say
A Detroit man has been charged with threatening to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and the state attorney general, Dana Nessel, prosecutors said on Friday. The man, Robert S. Tesh, 32, was charged with false report of threat of terrorism, a felony. Mr. Tesh relayed what prosecutors called “credible threats” to an acquaintance, using more than one social media messenger on April 14, First Lt. Mike Shaw, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police, said on Friday. (Mele, 5/15)

CNN: US Coronavirus: Health Officials Double Down On Dangers Of Mass Gatherings 
Just as more Americans are allowed to visit beaches, attend church indoors or eat inside a restaurant, health officials say gathering in large groups could send states back to where they started. Texas had its highest single-day increase in new coronavirus cases Saturday, according to numbers from the Department of State Health Services. The Lone Star State, one of the first to start reopening, reported an increase of 1,801 coronavirus cases on Saturday. But it's not clear whether the surge is simply due to more testing, or if the virus is spreading more rampantly. (Maxouris and Yan, 5/17)

ABC News: Know The Risks: Where You Are Most Likely To Get Coronavirus 
Recommendations on how to protect ourselves from contracting the virus that causes COVID-19 are everywhere, like washing your hands, wearing a mask, and staying at least 6 feet away from people outside your home. But not all risks are created equal; home, public transportation and the grocery store all have different challenges. A blog post by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professor, Dr. Erin Bromage, who studies immunity of infectious diseases in animals, titled "The Risks - Know Them - Avoid Them" garnered major attention for showing that some of the highest risk areas may not be what you'd expect. (David, 5/16)