The White House’s infectious disease expert said on Sunday that the economy in some parts of the country could be allowed to reopen as soon as next month.
Dr. Anthony Fauci explains that there is no light switch that can simply be “clicked” to turn everything back on. He adds that a “rolling re-entry” will be required, based on the status of COVID-19 cases and outbreaks in various parts of the country.
The CDC network that tracks #COVID19 hospitalization rates shows overall hospitalization rate increasing, w/ rates increasing w/ age. Rates in ppl 65+ are highest at 39 per 100,000 people. Ppl 65+ should take special precautions to prevent COVID-19. https://t.co/hxtYtJokBG pic.twitter.com/NGaD1dgvHK
— CDC (@CDCgov) April 11, 2020
Fauci says those factors include the region of the country, as well as the nature of the outbreak it already has experienced and the possible threat of an outbreak to come.
Social distancing guidelines imposed by President Trump are set to expire April 30.
Meanwhile, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that he believes the nation is “very close to the peak” of the pandemic. Still, he warned that due to the fast-moving nature of the situation, “we really have to take this day by day.”
Hahn explained that the models showing the peak of the country’s death rate on Sunday look accurate, but managing the outbreak requires a “data-driven approach” that needs to be dealt with “day by day as the data come in.”
Although Hahn shared President Trump’s assertion that the U.S. can “see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he stopped short of giving a date as to when the country could reopen and social distancing guidelines could potentially be relaxed.
Trump recently mentioned May 1 as a possible date for reopening at least parts of the country, even as governors in numerous states have said they believe the crisis will continue much longer.
“It is a target and obviously we’re hopeful about that target, but I think it’s just too early to be able to tell that,” Hahn said.
As of Sunday morning, there are 530,830 confirmed cases and 20,646 deaths in the United States.
There are 19,347 total cases and 452 deaths in Florida.