Donald Trump has unveiled a phased approach reopening the US economy which has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
New guidelines outlined on Thursday give a step-by-step approach to restoring normal commerce and services, but only for places with strong testing and a declining number of Covid-19 cases.
The president revealed the plans to ease social distancing measures on a call with the nation's governors on Thursday.
They aim to clear the way for an easing of the lockdown in areas with low transmission of coronavirus, while keeping them in places harder-hit by Covid-19.
In his daily briefing on Thursday, the US leader declared the phased reopening as "the next front in our war" against the deadly virus.
"America wants to be open and Americans want to be open," he said.
"A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution."
Mr Trump said a prolonged lockdown risked inflicting a serious toll on public health and warned of a "sharp rise" in drug abuse, alcohol abuse, heart disease, and other physical and mental problems.
He said healthy citizens would be able to return to work "as conditions allow” but that members of the public would be asked to maintain social distancing measures if unwell.
Re-opening the US economy would be done "one careful step at a time,” Mr Trump said, but called on state governors to move "very, very quickly.”
The 18 pages of guidelines set out how places with declining infections and strong testing would begin a three-phase reopening of businesses and schools.
In phase one, the plan recommends strict social distancing for all people in public. Gatherings larger than 10 people are to be avoided and non-essential travel is discouraged.
Mr Trump briefed the nation’s governors on the plan, saying they were going to be responsible for deciding when it is safe to lift restrictions in their states.
“You’re going to call your own shots,” he said. “We’re going to be standing along side of you.”
The plan was criticised by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who pointed to a lack of clarity on a national testing strategy.
“Testing is the key to opening our country to resume our lives. The White House’s vague and inconsistent document does nothing to make up for the President’s failure to listen to the scientists and produce and distribute national rapid testing,” she said.
The federal guidelines come after seven governors in the Midwest announced they will coordinate on reopening the economy, after similar pacts were announced earlier this week in the West and Northeast.
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.
“My highest priority on this task force will be to ensure the federal government’s efforts to reopen our economy are bipartisan, data-driven, and based on the expertise of public health professionals,” said Democratic Sen Mark Warner of Virginia.
Business leaders, too, raised concerns to the president in a round of calls on Wednesday, warning that a dramatic increase in testing and wider availability of protective equipment will be necessary before they can safely revive operations.
The federal government envisions a gradual recovery from the virus, in which disruptive mitigation measures may be needed in some places at least until a vaccine is available — a milestone unlikely to be reached until sometime next year.
More than 667,000 people in the US have tested positive for coronavirus, nearly four times the number in Spain which has the world’s second highest total. America’s death toll stands at more than 33,000.
