More US States Ease Coronavirus Restrictions
By VOA News April 27, 2020
More U.S. states are taking steps Monday to lift some coronavirus restrictions while the Trump administration reviews proposed new guidelines for how states can gradually reopen businesses, schools and churches.
U.S. officials say the guidelines, drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, give detailed recommendations for restarting activities in various settings.
U.S. media outlets that have seen the proposed guidelines reported Monday that they include closing break rooms at offices, using disposable menus in restaurants and suspending choirs during religious services. Officials say changes to the guidelines can still take place.
The leaders of Minnesota, Colorado, Mississippi, Montana and Tennessee allowed some businesses to resume operations Monday. They join Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina in the push to put people back to work and allow residents to get back to some semblance of their pre-coronavirus lives.
Georgia, which was one of the first states to begin lifting restrictions, allowed residents on Monday to again dine inside restaurants and go to movie theaters.
President Donald Trump, along with other local officials, have criticized Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp for allowing restaurants to reopen at this time.
Health warnings
Health experts are warning against reopening too early, and many state governors have said measures will be put in place to protect the public's safety.
Also Monday, federal health officials announced an expanded list of potential symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. They say chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and the loss of the sense of smell or taste could be signs of a coronavirus infection.
The CDC previously cited fever, shortness of breath and a cough as possible symptoms.
There are about 980,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with 55,000 deaths.
New York state has been hit the hardest, with about 30% of all U.S. cases and deaths. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that when his lockdown order expires May 15, parts of the state that have not been as harshly affected could begin opening construction and manufacturing businesses. After a two-week evaluation period, further easing would be considered.
Hit to economy
The coronavirus outbreak has taken a financial toll on the world's largest economy. More than 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past five weeks, according to Department of Labor statistics.
On Friday, Trump signed a $484 billion bill to aid small businesses and hospitals after a previous aid program quickly ran out of money.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed confidence Sunday that the U.S. economy would "really bounce back" in the third quarter.
"We're putting in an unprecedented amount of fiscal relief into the economy," Mnuchin said on Fox News Sunday. "I think this is going to have a significant impact."
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