US job losses mount as Trump presses plan to reopen business
Cameron Webb, an employee with McLane Company, makes a delivery to a Family Dollar in Dallas, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A family wears mask as they walk under the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A doctor holds a plastic bag full of swab specimen collected from journalists during lockdown to control the spread of the new coronavirus in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown to head off the epidemic’s peak, with officials racing to make up for lost time. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Pallbearers wearing full PPE suits lower in the grave the casket containing the remains of Benedict Somi Vilakasi for his burial ceremony at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg Thursday, April 16, 2020. Vilakasi, a Soweto coffee shop manager, died of Covid-19 infection in a Johannesburg hospital Sunday April 12 2020. South Africa is under a strict five-week lockdown in a effort to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A man with a protective mask walks at usually crowded terrace at lunch time at Tokyo’s Odaiba district Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency last week for Tokyo and some other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A man wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus drives a taxi in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Cuban authorities are requiring the use of masks for anyone outside their homes. (AP Photo / Ramon Espinosa)
The Mulberry Street Pizzeria is seen open for delivery only in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A man hangs selfmade face masks at his stall on the street in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 16, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the lockdown by an extra two weeks in a continuing effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A pedestrian walks past artwork painted on plywood covering a business closed during the coronavirus outbreak Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Seattle. More than 585,000 people in Washington sought unemployment benefits last week, with 143,000 people filing claims for the first time as businesses remain closed or with limited operations due to the stay-at-home order issued due to the cororavirus pandemic, state officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A man wears a mask while walking in front of a closed building in San Francisco, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Leandro Moya Lara, who is homeless, is tested for COVID-19 in a program administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, during the new coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Miami. The Homeless Trust is targeting the senior population for testing, and is offering housing to those who test positive. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
People wear protective masks out of concern for the coronavirus while standing in line outside a pop-up food pantry, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Chelsea, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Medical workers pose for photographs as police officers and pedestrians cheer for them outside NYU Medical Center Thursday, April 16, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A worker wearing protective gear walks down the corridor of a new health facility, built on a parking lot of the Albrook shopping mall, that will take in patients infected with the new coronavirus, during a media presentation in Panama City, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
A worker, wearing a full protective gear, moves the casket of someone who has died of Covid-19 into the crematorium oven during a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the Pontes crematorium center in Lommel, Belgium, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man reads a note on a locked door at the New Hampshire Employee Security center, which handles unemployment claims, in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Due to the virus outbreak, a note on the office door requested that all claims be handled remotely either on the phone or online. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Wrigley Field’s marquee displays Lakeview Pantry volunteer information in Chicago, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The Chicago Cubs are coordinating with the pantry to utilize the field’s concourse as a satellite food packing and distribution center to support COVID-19 relief efforts. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
NHS staff applaud outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London during the weekly “Clap for our Carers”, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The applause takes place across Britain every Thursday at 8pm local time to show appreciation for healthcare workers, emergency services, armed services, delivery drivers, shop workers, teachers, waste collectors, manufacturers, postal workers, cleaners, vets, engineers and all those helping people with coronavirus and keeping the country functioning while most people stay at home in the lockdown. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A policeman stands guard as doctors wait for the arrival of people with “mild or suspected cases” of the new coronavirus to the Center of Isolation in the Hotel Real Plaza, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The government has authorized the former Radisson hotel as a quarantine center to treat people with “mild or suspected cases” of COVID-19, said Bolivia’s interim president. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks past a boarded up Wine and Spirits store in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Pennsylvania’s liquor agency says workers are coming back on the job at more than 100 shuttered state-owned liquor stores to help process online orders. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
People wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, ride a suburban train near Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of April as part of a partial economic shutdown to stymie the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Victor Berezkin)
Signs remind members of the media “press pool” to practice social distancing during a hearing of the state Senate budget special subcommittee on COVID-19, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Lawmakers are looking into how Gov. Gavin Newsom has been spending money to address the new coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
Cameron Webb, an employee with McLane Company, makes a delivery to a Family Dollar in Dallas, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
A family wears mask as they walk under the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A family wears mask as they walk under the Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A doctor holds a plastic bag full of swab specimen collected from journalists during lockdown to control the spread of the new coronavirus in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown to head off the epidemic’s peak, with officials racing to make up for lost time. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
A doctor holds a plastic bag full of swab specimen collected from journalists during lockdown to control the spread of the new coronavirus in Mumbai, India, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended the world’s largest coronavirus lockdown to head off the epidemic’s peak, with officials racing to make up for lost time. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
Pallbearers wearing full PPE suits lower in the grave the casket containing the remains of Benedict Somi Vilakasi for his burial ceremony at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg Thursday, April 16, 2020. Vilakasi, a Soweto coffee shop manager, died of Covid-19 infection in a Johannesburg hospital Sunday April 12 2020. South Africa is under a strict five-week lockdown in a effort to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
Pallbearers wearing full PPE suits lower in the grave the casket containing the remains of Benedict Somi Vilakasi for his burial ceremony at the Nasrec Memorial Park outside Johannesburg Thursday, April 16, 2020. Vilakasi, a Soweto coffee shop manager, died of Covid-19 infection in a Johannesburg hospital Sunday April 12 2020. South Africa is under a strict five-week lockdown in a effort to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.(AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
A man with a protective mask walks at usually crowded terrace at lunch time at Tokyo’s Odaiba district Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency last week for Tokyo and some other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A man with a protective mask walks at usually crowded terrace at lunch time at Tokyo’s Odaiba district Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Tokyo. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency last week for Tokyo and some other prefectures to ramp up defenses against the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
A man wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus drives a taxi in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Cuban authorities are requiring the use of masks for anyone outside their homes. (AP Photo / Ramon Espinosa)
A man wearing a mask and gloves as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus drives a taxi in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Cuban authorities are requiring the use of masks for anyone outside their homes. (AP Photo / Ramon Espinosa)
The Mulberry Street Pizzeria is seen open for delivery only in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The Mulberry Street Pizzeria is seen open for delivery only in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Wednesday, April 15, 2020. The world’s biggest economy began issuing one-time payments this week to tens of millions of people as part of its $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package, with adults receiving up to $1,200 each and $500 per child to help them pay the rent or cover other bills. The checks will be directly deposited into accounts or mailed to households in the coming weeks, depending on how people filed their tax returns. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
A man hangs selfmade face masks at his stall on the street in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 16, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the lockdown by an extra two weeks in a continuing effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A man hangs selfmade face masks at his stall on the street in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg, South Africa, Thursday, April 16, 2020. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa extended the lockdown by an extra two weeks in a continuing effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
A pedestrian walks past artwork painted on plywood covering a business closed during the coronavirus outbreak Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Seattle. More than 585,000 people in Washington sought unemployment benefits last week, with 143,000 people filing claims for the first time as businesses remain closed or with limited operations due to the stay-at-home order issued due to the cororavirus pandemic, state officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A pedestrian walks past artwork painted on plywood covering a business closed during the coronavirus outbreak Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Seattle. More than 585,000 people in Washington sought unemployment benefits last week, with 143,000 people filing claims for the first time as businesses remain closed or with limited operations due to the stay-at-home order issued due to the cororavirus pandemic, state officials said Thursday. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
A man wears a mask while walking in front of a closed building in San Francisco, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Leandro Moya Lara, who is homeless, is tested for COVID-19 in a program administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, during the new coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Miami. The Homeless Trust is targeting the senior population for testing, and is offering housing to those who test positive. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Leandro Moya Lara, who is homeless, is tested for COVID-19 in a program administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, during the new coronavirus pandemic, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Miami. The Homeless Trust is targeting the senior population for testing, and is offering housing to those who test positive. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
People wear protective masks out of concern for the coronavirus while standing in line outside a pop-up food pantry, Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Chelsea, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Medical workers pose for photographs as police officers and pedestrians cheer for them outside NYU Medical Center Thursday, April 16, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
A worker wearing protective gear walks down the corridor of a new health facility, built on a parking lot of the Albrook shopping mall, that will take in patients infected with the new coronavirus, during a media presentation in Panama City, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
A worker wearing protective gear walks down the corridor of a new health facility, built on a parking lot of the Albrook shopping mall, that will take in patients infected with the new coronavirus, during a media presentation in Panama City, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco)
A worker, wearing a full protective gear, moves the casket of someone who has died of Covid-19 into the crematorium oven during a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the Pontes crematorium center in Lommel, Belgium, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A worker, wearing a full protective gear, moves the casket of someone who has died of Covid-19 into the crematorium oven during a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the Pontes crematorium center in Lommel, Belgium, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
A man reads a note on a locked door at the New Hampshire Employee Security center, which handles unemployment claims, in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Due to the virus outbreak, a note on the office door requested that all claims be handled remotely either on the phone or online. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
A man reads a note on a locked door at the New Hampshire Employee Security center, which handles unemployment claims, in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Due to the virus outbreak, a note on the office door requested that all claims be handled remotely either on the phone or online. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Wrigley Field’s marquee displays Lakeview Pantry volunteer information in Chicago, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The Chicago Cubs are coordinating with the pantry to utilize the field’s concourse as a satellite food packing and distribution center to support COVID-19 relief efforts. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Wrigley Field’s marquee displays Lakeview Pantry volunteer information in Chicago, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The Chicago Cubs are coordinating with the pantry to utilize the field’s concourse as a satellite food packing and distribution center to support COVID-19 relief efforts. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
NHS staff applaud outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London during the weekly “Clap for our Carers”, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The applause takes place across Britain every Thursday at 8pm local time to show appreciation for healthcare workers, emergency services, armed services, delivery drivers, shop workers, teachers, waste collectors, manufacturers, postal workers, cleaners, vets, engineers and all those helping people with coronavirus and keeping the country functioning while most people stay at home in the lockdown. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
NHS staff applaud outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London during the weekly “Clap for our Carers”, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The applause takes place across Britain every Thursday at 8pm local time to show appreciation for healthcare workers, emergency services, armed services, delivery drivers, shop workers, teachers, waste collectors, manufacturers, postal workers, cleaners, vets, engineers and all those helping people with coronavirus and keeping the country functioning while most people stay at home in the lockdown. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
A policeman stands guard as doctors wait for the arrival of people with “mild or suspected cases” of the new coronavirus to the Center of Isolation in the Hotel Real Plaza, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The government has authorized the former Radisson hotel as a quarantine center to treat people with “mild or suspected cases” of COVID-19, said Bolivia’s interim president. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A policeman stands guard as doctors wait for the arrival of people with “mild or suspected cases” of the new coronavirus to the Center of Isolation in the Hotel Real Plaza, in La Paz, Bolivia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. The government has authorized the former Radisson hotel as a quarantine center to treat people with “mild or suspected cases” of COVID-19, said Bolivia’s interim president. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks past a boarded up Wine and Spirits store in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Pennsylvania’s liquor agency says workers are coming back on the job at more than 100 shuttered state-owned liquor stores to help process online orders. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A person wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the coronavirus walks past a boarded up Wine and Spirits store in Philadelphia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Pennsylvania’s liquor agency says workers are coming back on the job at more than 100 shuttered state-owned liquor stores to help process online orders. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
People wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, ride a suburban train near Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of April as part of a partial economic shutdown to stymie the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Victor Berezkin)
People wearing face masks to protect against coronavirus, ride a suburban train near Moscow, Russia, Thursday, April 16, 2020. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered most Russians to stay off work until the end of April as part of a partial economic shutdown to stymie the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Victor Berezkin)
Signs remind members of the media “press pool” to practice social distancing during a hearing of the state Senate budget special subcommittee on COVID-19, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Lawmakers are looking into how Gov. Gavin Newsom has been spending money to address the new coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
Signs remind members of the media “press pool” to practice social distancing during a hearing of the state Senate budget special subcommittee on COVID-19, at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., Thursday, April 16, 2020. Lawmakers are looking into how Gov. Gavin Newsom has been spending money to address the new coronavirus crisis. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, Pool)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ranks of America’s unemployed swelled toward Great Depression-era levels Thursday, and President Donald Trump reacted to the pressure on the economy by outlining a phased approach to reopening parts of the country where the coronavirus is being brought under control.
Trump told the nation’s governors that restrictions could be eased to allow businesses to reopen over the next several weeks in places that have extensive testing and a marked decrease in COVID-19 cases.
“We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time,” Trump said, adding that his new guidelines give governors the freedom to act as they see fit.
His comments marked an abrupt change after a week in which he clashed with governors over his claim that he had “total” authority over how and when the country reopens.
Both Democratic and Republican governors welcomed the moderate White House approach, which calls for a gradual, three-phase reopening of businesses and schools.
In phase one, for example, theaters, sporting venues and churches would open “under strict physical distancing protocols,” but bars would remain closed.
Trump said reopening could be imminent in some places, and he has remarked that data suggests coronavirus cases have peaked in the U.S. Scientists have said it’s not clear that is the case, and they warned states to proceed with caution to prevent the virus from storming back.
The president unveiled his reopening plan the same day the government reported 5.2 million more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the four-week total to 22 million — easily the worst stretch of U.S. job losses on record. The losses translate to about 1 in 7 American workers.
While many Americans have chafed at the damage to their livelihoods, business leaders and governors have warned that more testing and protective gear are needed before they can start lifting the lockdowns and other restrictions.
“My No. 1 focus is to keep my family safe, so I’m really not in a hurry to put an end to this,” said Denise Stockwell, who is about to lose her job in marketing at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.
But conservative economist Steven Moore, a Trump ally, said there will be 30 million people out of work in the country if the economy doesn’t open back up soon. “And that is a catastrophic outcome for our country. Period,” he said.
In China, official data released Friday showed GDP shrank 6.8% from a year ago in the quarter ending in March, its worst contraction since market-style economic reforms began in 1979. Consumer spending and manufacturing activity remain weak despite factories and offices reopening starting last month, suggesting recovery may be longer and harder than initially expected.
Some forecasters earlier said China might rebound as early as this month, but they have been cutting growth forecasts and pushing back recovery timelines as negative trade, retail sales and other data pile up.
Worldwide, the outbreak has infected more than 2.1 million people and killed more than 140,000, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University, though the true numbers are believed to be much higher. The death toll in the U.S. reached about 31,000, with around 650,000 confirmed infections.
The spread of the virus is declining in such places as Italy, Spain and France, but rising or continuing at a high level in Britain, Russia and Turkey, authorities said.
In other developments:
— Vladimir Putin postponed Russia’s grand Victory Day parade May 9 in Red Square marking the 75th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in World War II. Since Soviet times, Victory Day has been the nation’s most important holiday, reflecting wartime losses put at more than 27 million dead.
— New York, the most lethal hot spot in the U.S., reported more encouraging signs, with a drop in the daily number of deaths statewide and the overall count of people in the hospital. “We’ve controlled the beast,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Still, Cuomo extended the state’s lockdown through at least May 15, and New York City is lining up 11,000 empty hotel rooms to quarantine people living in crowded apartment buildings.
— Police acting on an anonymous tip found at least 18 bodies over two days at a nursing home in Andover Township, New Jersey, that were waiting to be picked up by a funeral home.
Under the Trump administration road map, places that are turning the corner on the virus would begin a three-phase gradual reopening of businesses and schools, with each phase lasting at least 14 days, to ensure that the outbreak doesn’t make a resurgence.
Many Americans, especially in rural areas and other parts of the country that have not seen major outbreaks, have urged governors to reopen their economies. More than 3,000 turned out this week to decry the Michigan governor’s restrictions, police broke up a demonstration in North Carolina, and protests also took place in Oklahoma, Kentucky and Virginia.
“Those people that know they’re vulnerable, self-quarantine. And everybody else, let them go back to work,” Aaron Carver, a laid-off construction worker, said at a protest in Richmond, Virginia.
The decision of whether to relax the restrictions rests not with the White House but with the state and local leaders who imposed them in the first place. Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday that they will coordinate on reopening their economies, after similar pacts among states in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a Trump ally, said capacity and contact tracing would need to be considerably ramped up before restrictions could be safely lifted.
“All would be forgotten very quickly if we moved into a stage quicker than we should, and then we got into a situation where we had people dying like flies,” Justice said.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said the White House guidance makes clear “the best path to reopening is still a cautious one that proceeds carefully and incrementally.”
Two in three Americans expressed concerns that restrictions would be eased too quickly, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.
Economists said unemployment could reach 20% in April, the highest since the Depression of the 1930s. Layoffs are spreading well beyond stores, restaurants and hotels to white-collar professionals such as software programmers and legal assistants.
Lifting of restrictions, when it happens, won’t be like flipping a switch. Restaurants and other businesses may be reopened in phases, with perhaps a limited number of entrances or reduced seating areas, while supermarkets may stick with one-way aisles and protective shields at the cash registers, experts say.
“It might be ‘back to normal’ for everyone else, but people still don’t feel comfortable gathering at restaurants and bars,” said Jeremiah Juncker, manager of the Rappourt pub in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Many European countries, like the U.S., have seen heavy job losses, but places like Germany and France are using government subsidies to keep millions of people on payrolls.
Italy’s hard-hit Lombardy region is pushing to restart manufacturing in early May, while Britain extended restrictions at least three more weeks. Switzerland announced staggered re-openings.
“The transition is beginning,” Swiss Home and Health Minister Alain Berset said. “We want to go as fast as possible, and as slow as necessary.”
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Associated Press journalists around the world contributed.
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This story has been edited to correct that Aaron Carver is a laid-off construction worker, not housing contractor.
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak