In years to come, public health and policy experts will argue over whether the mass lockdowns turned out to be necessary and saved sufficient lives to justify the harrowing economic toll. It doesn't appear that any state meets the vague, advisory White House guidelines calling for a "downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period" before any opening. The fear of public health experts is that some of the states that are opening are yet to reach the peak of infections. A coalition of public health and medical associations called on the administration on Wednesday to put in place stringent precautions before states ease shelter-in-place orders. "I don't know that all of that is even necessary," the President said, halfway through a week in which the White House has made its top public health officials far less visible.

Source: CNN April 30, 2020 04:07 UTC