US president Donald Trump has announced a new "three-phased approach" to reopening the US economy, as he said that the peak in new coronavirus cases in the US had passed.
Speaking in the White House on Thursday, Mr Trump said his medical experts had agreed that the US is now ready for "the next front in our war – opening up America again".
“Now that we have passed the peak in new cases, we’re starting our lives again, we’re starting rejuvenation of our economy again in a safe and structured and very responsible fashion,” he said.
“We are not opening all at once but one careful step at a time,” he said, noting that it would be up to individual governors to decide when to reopen their states.
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“Some states are not in the kind of trouble that others are in,” he said, noting that 850 counties in the US – “nearly 30 per cent of the country” – have reported no new cases in the last seven days.
“Every state is very different. They’re all beautiful, we love them all, but they’re very, very different.”
Mr Trump was speaking after a conference call with governors across the country, many of whom he has clashed with in recent weeks.
Phase one
Under the White House plan, those states deemed to be performing well enough can enter phase one, which would see recommendations in place to restrict socialising for groups of more than 10 people, as well as minimising non-essential travel, and teleworking where possible. Phase two would see schools reopening and the resumption of non-essential travel, while social gatherings of up to 50 individuals could take place. Under phase three, large venues would reopen, while employees would return to the workplace.
Among the criteria recommended by the federal government before states start a phased reopening is that they should be showing a downward trajectory of documented cases for at least 14 days.
But in an indication of the challenges ahead for Mr Trump as he tries to reopen the US economy, earlier on Thursday political leaders in states most affected by coronavirus announced further restrictions to extend their lockdowns.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced that stay-at-home restrictions would be extended until May 15th as the state continues to bear the brunt of the US outbreak.
In Washington, DC, the mayor also extended the current lockdown, which has seen schools and businesses close, to May 15th.
But in other states – many of them controlled by Republican state legislatures and governors – there was a growing backlash to the social distancing measures that have resulted in colossal job losses across the country.
Michigan protest
In Michigan, demonstrators – many carrying pro-Trump signs and some carrying guns – protested in the state's capital of Lansing, arguing that the measures introduced by Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the pandemic were ruining small businesses. Similar scenes were seen in North Carolina, Kentucky and Alabama.
Mr Trump indicated that he would continue to enforce strict restrictions on travellers from abroad.
Top immunologist Anthony Fauci said that the health of Americans remained a priority. "The dominating drive was to make sure that this [reopening the economy] was done in the safest way possible," he said.
Mr Trump’s latest announcement came as the death toll from coronavirus in the US reached 32,000 – the highest in the world.
Outlining the “incredible progress” made by the administration in its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Trump said that his “strategy to slow the spread of the virus has saved hundreds of thousands of lives”.
Asked if some states had already reached the criteria outlined by the government to reopen in phases, Mr Trump said they had. “I think you’ll have some very good things to report over the next few days about states opening up,” he said.
On the subject of the return of major sports events, Mr Trump said “depending on the area, you’ll be able to have those full arenas”.
