White House Issues Guidance for Re-opening America

President Trump unveiled a three-phase approach to re-opening America. Based on the advice of public health experts, the steps are designed to help state and local officials when re-opening their economies, getting people back to work while maintaining safety considerations.

Several criteria should be met before beginning a phased re-opening: a downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses reported in a 14-day period and a similar trajectory of COVID-like syndromic cases; downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period or downward trajectory of positive tests as a percentage of total tests; hospitals must treat all patients without crisis care and have a robust testing program for at-risk healthcare workers, including emerging antibody testing.

Individuals must comply with their state regulations, continue to practice good hygiene and stay home if they feel sick. Employers must develop and implement appropriate policies, monitor the workforce for symptoms, and develop and implement policies and proceudres for workforce contact tracing following an employee's positive COVID-19 test.

States will reopen individually and governors can begin phased openings on a statewide or county-by-county level, according to the White House.