The coronavirus continues to be a threat to U.S. soil as President Donald Trump scraps the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation for reopening America.
After being vocal of wanting to reopen the U.S. economy on several occasions, it seems that the president chose to shelve the CDC guidance for putting American states back to business.
According to the Associated Press, a source close to the White House’s coronavirus task force said the CDC documents were never cleared by CDC leadership to be released to the public.
The source adds that White House officials refrained from giving detailed guidance for how specific sectors should reopen because the coronavirus is affecting various parts of the country differently.
What does the CDC document contain?
The Associated Press and CNN were able to obtain the document where it mentions the CDC’s guidance on how to reopen the economies in the U.S. states.
The draft document included specific guidance for six sections:
- Schools and day camps
- Childcare programs
- Faith communities
- Employers with vulnerable workers
- Restaurants and bars
- Mass transit
The majority of the guidance of the document contains social distancing measures for all sectors, as well as hygienic precautions such as wearing masks and disinfecting hands, and so on.
Larry Lynch of the National Restaurant Association (NRA) says restaurants are already following most of the guidelines last April 28.
Trump on Texas reopening: ‘I’m not sure that we have a choice’
From reports about remdesivir being made available to the public this week, it looks like Trump has praised another Republican governor, Greg Abbott of Texas, for rolling back state coronavirus restrictions.
As per the Associated Press, Abbott excluded jail as a punishment for mocking coronavirus safety measures still in place. This is amid a complaint about a Dallas salon owner who was detained for opening its shop in defiance of Abbott’s restrictions.
The president also supported a National Day of Prayer service in the Rose Garden last Thursday, May 7, praying for front liners and the families of those who have fallen sick to the coronavirus.
In addition, Trump continues to support Texas in its opening despite failing to reach the guidelines advised by the White House last month. He tells reporters that the U.S. can’t stay closed forever as Texas and other states reopen, and he’s “not sure that we have a choice.”
It looks like the coronavirus is beating the U.S. as the Trump administration withdraws most of its plans for reopening the economy aside from Texas and other states.
Featured image courtesy of Raed Mansour/Flickr