Trump Issues Plan to Reopen America

April 17, 2020

Yesterday, President Trump released guidelines on “Opening Up America Again.” The document outlines a proposed three-phased approach that is designed to mitigate the risk of resurgence and protect the most vulnerable populations. The guidelines include core state preparedness responsibilities that focus on testing and contact tracing, healthcare system capacity and plans to protect the health and safety of people. The recommendations are said to be implementable at governors’ discretion.

Each phase features recommendations for individuals and employers. Among the recommendations under phase 1:

  • Social distancing continues, groups of less than 10 people recommended;
  • Minimize non-essential travel;
  • Telework continues with return to work being phased in, if possible;
  • Schools remain closed;
  • Visits to senior living facilities and hospitals are prohibited;
  • Large venues can operate (movie theaters, sporting events, churches, etc.) under strict social distancing protocols; and
  • Bars remain closed but gyms can reopen with strict sanitation and physical distancing protocols.

Phase 2 highlights:

  • Social distancing continues, groups of less than 50 people recommended in public;
  • Non-essential travel can resume;
  • Telework continues with return to work being phased in, if possible;
  • Schools and organized youth activities can resume;
  • Large venues can operate under moderate social distancing protocols;
  • Visits to senior living facilities and hospitals are still prohibited;
  • Elective surgeries can resume; and
  • Bars reopen with diminished standing-room occupancy.

Under phase 3:

  • Vulnerable populations can resume public interactions but should practice physical distancing;
  • Businesses resume normal operations;
  • Visits to senior care facilities and hospitals can resume;
  • Large venues can operate with limited physical distancing protocols; and
  • Bars can open with increased standing-room occupancy.

In order to move to the next phase, states/communities must show “no evidence of a rebound and that satisfy the gating criteria each time.”

Additional details can be found in a White House fact sheet. The president’s remarks on the guidelines and White House Coronavirus Task Force are available here.