Many merchants have voiced ambivalence about returning to work absent the prerequisite public health measures authorities have advocated. Before the pandemic struck, the US jobless rate was hovering at a 50-year low of 3.5%. White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told reporters on Sunday the jobless rate would likely hit 16% or more in April. Denver, for example, extended stay-at-home orders to May 8 but city dwellers can drive to a nearby county for a haircut. Eight states never ordered residents to stay at home -- Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Source: bd News24 April 26, 2020 23:03 UTC