WASHINGTON — Several US states are moving towards reopening by May 1 after President Trump on Thursday outlined new federal guidelines to get the economy moving after the coronavirus crisis.
The governors of seven Midwest states announced they are developing a regional reopening pact, while the leaders of Ohio and Wisconsin signaled they were cautiously looking to open within weeks.
Republican Ohio Gov. Mark DeWine on Thursday said he would allow Ohioans to begin returning to work on May 1 but did not say when businesses or schools would be allowed to reopen.
“We must get this right because the stakes are very high. If we don’t do it right, the consequences are horrendous,” DeWine said, according to the Dayton Daily News.
The state has seen 373 deaths, the Ohio Department of Health said Friday.
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers extended his stay-at-home order until May 26 but this week loosened restrictions on businesses, allowing golf courses and libraries to reopen on April 24.
Colorado and Oklahoma have also previously suggested they will cautioning begin taking steps to reopen in late April.
President Trump on Thursday unveiled his administration’s guidelines for safety returning Americans to normal life, saying states which showed a 14-day decline in COVID-19 cases would be allowed to begin reopening businesses.
But states still in the throws of the pandemics such as New York and Michigan show no signs of returning to pre-virus life anytime soon.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo extended the state shutdown until May 15, as the death toll in the state passed 12,000, while Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer also contentiously extended her stay-home order until the end of April.
A bipartisan group of governors Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky announced they were working in coordination to analyze when the best time to reopen their economies would be, according to a CNN report.
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