16 states ready to lift Coronavirus restrictions.

CNBC:

Sixteen states have unveiled “formal reopening plans” to lift coronavirus restrictions, Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday, as the country shows “promising signs of progress” on driving down the spread of Covid-19.

“At the present moment, 16 states have released formal reopening plans,” Pence said at a White House press briefing. “States are beginning to make those plans and we’re encouraged to see so many states embracing the phased approach to reopening their economies that’s contemplated in our guidelines for opening up America again.”

Missouri, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Idaho have all released plans to lift restrictions meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Pence said. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for the complete list of states.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced plans to reopen parts of the economy as soon as Friday, starting with retail locations such as gyms, barber shops, fitness centers and bowling alleys. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he “totally disagrees” with the decision to reopen those businesses first.

“I want the states to open more than he does,” Trump said Thursday in reference to Kemp. “I don’t want this thing to flare up because you’re deciding to do something that is not in the guidelines.”

Last week, Trump unveiled broad federal guidelines that lay out conditions for parts of the U.S. to start relaxing some of the strict social distancing measures in a three-phase approach. Before entering the first phase, the guidelines say that the number of cases, positive tests and reports of flu- or Covid 19-like symptoms in a state or region should be trending downward.

There should also be a “robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing,” according to the guidelines.

Several so-called hot spots that were hit particularly hard, including the New York-metro area, New Jersey and Detroit “all appear to be past their peak,” Pence said. He added that new hospitalizations are declining across the country.

“Our only conclusion is that we’re getting there, America,” he said. “We are making meaningful progress.”
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There are many on the left who would like to see the economy locked down until after the election this fall.  That is as big a danger to the country, it not bigger than the virus.  What is becoming clear is that this virus was focused mainly on high-density population areas that used mass transit to spread it.  It was also focused on elderly nursing home occupants outside of the high-density cities.  Those areas will remain a concern, but it is time for the rest of the country to get on with business.