Trump Announces Guidelines For Reopening; Timing Up To Governors

The White House released the new guidance Thursday for states to reopen amid the new coronavirus pandemic, offering no timeline for easing social distancing restrictions but rather leaving the decisions up to governors to make on statewide or county-by-county levels.

President Trump announced the guidelines Thursday at a news conference.

Places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phased gradual reopening of businesses and schools, with each phase lasting at least 14 days, meant to ensure that the virus outbreak doesn’t accelerate again.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the guidelines before their public release.

The recommendations make clear that the return to normalcy will be a far longer process than Trump initially envisioned, with federal officials warning that some social distancing measures may need to remain in place through the end of the year to prevent a new outbreak.

At earliest, the guidelines suggest that some parts of the country could see a resumption in normal commerce and social gatherings after a month of evaluating whether the easing of restrictions leads to a resurgence in virus cases. In other parts of the country, or if virus cases resume an up-tick, it could be substantially longer.

Meanwhile, under the federal guidelines, those most susceptible to the respiratory disease would be advised to remain sheltered in place until their area enters the final phase — and even then are advised to take precautions to avoid close contact with other people.

The federal guidelines come after seven governors in the Midwest announced Thursday they will coordinate on reopening the economy, after similar pacts were announced earlier this week in the West and Northeast.

Trump held conference calls earlier Thursday with lawmakers he named to a new congressional advisory task force. The economic costs were clear in new federal data showing that at least 22 million Americans have been thrown out of work in the last month. But the legislators repeatedly urged the president not to sacrifice public health in an effort to reopen the economy.

He also met by phone with governors.

“You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump told the governors, according to an audio recording provided to The New York Times. “You’re going to be calling the shots. We’ll be standing right alongside of you and we’re going to get our country open and get it working. People want to get working.

Three days ago, Trump insisted that “the president of the United States calls the shots” and that he had the “total” authority to decide how and when the country reopen.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.