Several weeks after the adoption of social distancing and stay-at-home measures in the U.S., the big question is how and when to restart the economy without setting off a spike in infections.
Trump vacillates
The White House’s approach to reopening has been contradictory. President Trump urged swift action and insisted on April 13 that he had “total” authority over the process. He then seemed to pass the buck to governors on April 16, offering them guidelines with broad latitude. Yet just a day later he encouraged protests against social and business restrictions by tweeting to his followers to “liberate” states where protests took place.
Governors band together
Since the pandemic began, states have struggled to secure enough equipment and tests. Governors of 17 states—representing a large share of the country’s population and gross domestic product—have formed three regional alliances to coordinate reopening plans. Governors in the coalitions have emphasized caution and ramping up testing despite Trump’s impatience and Vice President Mike Pence’s claim that testing capacity is adequate.
Outside of the coalitions, the governors of Georgia, South Carolina, and Tennessee announced limited reopenings, in Georgia’s case drawing criticism from public-health experts. The patchwork approach reveals divides between states and the federal government and between red states—mostly reopening faster—and slower-moving blue states that are likely to widen as the pandemic continues and the election nears.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
