Coronavirus Latest: Despite Trump’s Optimism, There’s Still A Long Road To Reopening
April 17, 2020 / DOMENICO MONTANARO
Touting the federal government’s response to the novel coronavirus, President Trump took something of a victory lap on Thursday, laying out guidelines for a phased “reopening” of the country.
Trump boasted during a coronavirus task force briefing that there would be states that could reopen “immediately” — as early as Friday and within a “few days.” After avoiding date targets for most of the briefing, Trump declared at one point, “We’re beating the date. I set a date of May 1.”
The guidelines suggest that states with a 14-day “downward trajectory” of cases can start to reopen by relaxing their levels of social distancing. But the guidance doesn’t address other crucial targets that experts say states need to consider, such as widespread testing.
Despite the campaignlike and hopeful title of the briefing — “Opening up America Again” — there’s still a very long road ahead for the overwhelming majority of the country. Consider that the 20 states, including D.C., with the fewest coronavirus cases make up just 11% of the U.S. population.
