“Opening Up America” plan revealed

President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a plan for “Opening Up America” in an effort to revive an economy staggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

With some evidence that the COVID-19 outbreak was slowing and – in some areas – starting to show some evidence of decline – the federal government is offering non-binding instructions on how to relax some of the restrictions and closures which have thrown over 17 million Americans into the ranks of the unemployed.

“We must have a working economy. And we want to get it back. Very, very quickly. And that’s what’s going to happen,” he said.

Each state will make its own decisions on when to move forward with the changes, but in order to enter Phase One, a state should show that the number of cases was trending downward.

Additionally, the guidelines state, there should be “a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing.”

All vulnerable persons should continue to “shelter in place” and everyone should maintain standards of public social distancing, frequent hand washing and other sanitary measures.

As businesses open up, employers are asked to return workers in phases, close common areas and cut non-essential travel.

Phase Two would loosen restrictions further in areas where there is “no evidence of a rebound.”

“By the time we get into the fall,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci,” I think we’re going to be in good shape.” He’s on the White House coronavirus task force and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Governors would have the authority to “re-open” their states along these guidelines, but there are already three regions – Pacific Coast, Northeast and Great Lakes/Midwest where the states have agreed to coordinate their responses.

In other coronavirus-related news:

• The Dow Jones Average futures rose by 903 points on Thursday in reaction to a new drug – Remdesivir, from Gilead Sciences – was showing success in helping coronavirus patients recover quickly from severe symptoms. That is a jump of 3.9 percent. S&P futures rose 3.4 percent. NASDAQ was up 2.6 percent.
• The stock jumped 16 percent on the news.
• In what’s considered to be a reflection of the coronavirus crisis and its effect on the economy, President Donald Trump’s approval rating in the Gallup Poll has dropped from 49 percent in mid-March to 43 percent as of April 14.
• The latest statistics on Orange County and worldwide virus cases and deaths: https://orangecountytribune.com/2020/04/16/oc-coronavirus-count-heads-down/ .