Next wave of U.S. states prepare to reopen as coronavirus could push jobless rate to 16%

By Nick Brown and Brendan O'Brien

 

The U.S. Capitol is seen from the Washington Monument, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott

 

NEW YORK/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Another wave of U.S. states are preparing to lift coronavirus restrictions this week against the warnings of many public health experts as the White House sees this month's jobless rate hitting 16% or higher.

 

Health experts say increased human interaction could spark a new wave of cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious virus that has already killed more than 54,300 Americans.

 

Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana and Tennessee will join other states beginning an experiment to reopen economies without the testing and contact-tracing infrastructure health experts say is needed to prevent a resurgence of infections, with lives in the balance.

 

Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina have already taken steps to restart their economies following a month of government-ordered lockdowns.

 

Those unprecedented restrictions resulted in a record 26.5 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits since mid-March. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted on Friday that the economy would contract at nearly a 40% annual rate in the second quarter. Even next year, the CBO forecast the unemployment rate averaging above 10%.

 

White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett told reporters the U.S. jobless rate would likely hit 16% or more in April.

 

"I think the next couple of months are going to look terrible," Hassett said on Sunday. "You're going to see numbers as bad as anything we've ever seen before."

 

Against a backdrop of scattered protests across the country calling for stay-at-home orders to be lifted, U.S. cases topped 940,000 on Sunday after posting a record one-day increase on Friday.

 

New York and other states have extended restrictions to mid-May. New York reported 367 new deaths on Sunday, its lowest increase since March 30. Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said construction and manufacturing would be the first businesses to reopen and could restart after May 15 in the upstate region with certain precautions and if cases continue to decline.

 

Other states, mainly those with Republican governors, have taken a more aggressive approach.

 

Tennessee said it will allow restaurants to reopen on Monday. Mississippi's stay-at-home order expires the same day.

 

Montana, which reported three new cases on Sunday, is allowing businesses to reopen Monday if they limit capacity and practice social distancing, while Minnesota will let some businesses restart on Monday, allowing 80,000 to 100,000 people in the industrial, manufacturing and office jobs to go back to work.

 

In Colorado, Democratic Governor Jared Polis has given the green light for retail curbside pickup to begin on Monday. Hair salons, barbershop and tattoo parlours can open on Friday, with retail stores, restaurants and movie theatres to follow.

 

Royal Rose is reopening her tattoo studio in Greeley, Colorado this week after closing a month ago, not because she wants to but because the bills are piling up and she says she has no choice.

 

"I would stay home if the government encouraged that, but they're not, they're saying 'Hey, the best thing to do is go back to work, even though it might be risky,'" said Rose, 39, sitting inside her salon in a wood-sided building on a leafy street in the farming and oil town.

 

But the lifting of restrictions is not uniform across most states. For example, Denver extended stay-at-home orders to May 8 but city dwellers can drive to a nearby county for a haircut. Georgia prohibited any local laws stricter than the state law.

 

Eight states never ordered residents to stay at home -- Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.

Several opinion polls have shown a bipartisan majority of Americans want to remain at home to protect themselves from the coronavirus, despite the impact to the economy.

 

(This story corrects typo in "Greeley" in paragraph 14.)

 

(Reporting by Nick Brown in New York and Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; Additional reporting by Tim Ahmann in Washington and Maria Caspani in New York; Writing by Lisa Shumaker; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-04-27

 

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Jobless Rate is a lot higher than 16%.

   We are in FL ,  16% reflects only those who have been able to apply for unemployment, In FL The state reported Friday that just under 22% of the nearly 702,000 unique claims filed since March 15 were being processes.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/21/politics/florida-unemployment-benefits-processing/index.html

and that's those who have applied, I know of many who have been trying to apply for two weeks and the website is failing, 

multiply that with all the other states that are experiencing similar problems. 

  A way has to be found to open up the economy again. This is unsustainable.

 

 

Somehow the "authorities" already know there is a second wave coming. Hmm... how would they know that?

33 minutes ago, Tounge Thaied said:

Somehow the "authorities" already know there is a second wave coming. Hmm... how would they know that?

An example, especially if states ignore the mitigation processes.

 

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30845-X/fulltext

Everyone here understands that the stay-at-home orders and lockdowns were not to stop the virus, right? It was to ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed. 

 

Im convinced that the people who freak out about others going out and not staying home are people that have pensions and fixed incomes or otherwise don't really need to worry about money and can afford to stay home safely. And this is coming from a person with the means to sit here for a couple years and not work. 

 

"The Science" doesn't take into account people losing everything and crushing the economy. 

 

The experts and limousine liberals are gonna mess around and end up 2 years from now with a country that's already close to herd immunity (if possible) and an obliterated economy by the time a widespread vaccine (if that's even possible) is available. 

19 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

Everyone here understands that the stay-at-home orders and lockdowns were not to stop the virus, right? It was to ensure that hospitals are not overwhelmed. 

 

Im convinced that the people who freak out about others going out and not staying home are people that have pensions and fixed incomes or otherwise don't really need to worry about money and can afford to stay home safely. And this is coming from a person with the means to sit here for a couple years and not work. 

 

"The Science" doesn't take into account people losing everything and crushing the economy. 

 

The experts and limousine liberals are gonna mess around and end up 2 years from now with a country that's already close to herd immunity (if possible) and an obliterated economy by the time a widespread vaccine (if that's even possible) is available. 

I have to  work and worry about the future.

 

But opening without testing and isolation options is just crazy.

I hope this news came together with this piece in US as well. 

 

Yep, go ahead and open! Sounds like a terrific idea.

7 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I have to  work and worry about the future.

 

But opening without testing and isolation options is just crazy.

 

If you personally had to make the choice between bankruptcy and losing everything VS trying to keep going and taking personal precautions, which would you choose? 

 

Most people are going to try and work and keep going, even more so as the weeks continue to drag on.

18 minutes ago, Mama Noodle said:

 

If you personally had to make the choice between bankruptcy and losing everything VS trying to keep going and taking personal precautions, which would you choose? 

 

Most people are going to try and work and keep going, even more so as the weeks continue to drag on.

Personal interest and common good don't always convene.

It’s a real catch 22 dammed if you do dammed if you don’t I just wish we had proper testing and tracing and tracking to manage this approaching 55,000 known dead and approaching 1,000,000 known cases is very serious indeed imo this has to be done very carefully or it’s gonna get much much worse stay safe stay healthy 

7 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Personal interest and common good don't always convene.

 

Neither do platitudes and deflections. 

34 minutes ago, Tug said:

It’s a real catch 22 dammed if you do dammed if you don’t I just wish we had proper testing and tracing and tracking to manage this approaching 55,000 known dead and approaching 1,000,000 known cases is very serious indeed imo this has to be done very carefully or it’s gonna get much much worse stay safe stay healthy 

have i misunderstood the trump administration support for employers and employees in the US? Hasn't trump administration implemented a number of financial initiatives to keep employers / employees afloat during the Covid crisis until mitigation efforts are relaxed and can return to work. is this incorrect?

2 hours ago, Tounge Thaied said:

Somehow the "authorities" already know there is a second wave coming. Hmm... how would they know that?

Cause that’s what’s happened in the past...and you know, science. 

An insulting troll post and the replies have been removed. 

Probably within 36 hours the US death toll from this virus will exceed the numbers of US servicemen killed in Vietnam. That took 12 years, this has taken 9 weeks! 

Adequate support for people impacted by following the instructions recommended by medical experts and authorities should be available.

Why is it that governments seem to have a bottomless pool of money when it comes to sending their citizens away to risk their life in conflicts, yet money is an issue when they ask their citizens to stay home to save their lives?

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

Personal interest and common good don't always convene.

Sorry but that is ridiculous. We are talking about people who's lives, perhaps businesses they worked 30 years to build, are being crushed, their wife and kids are hungry, no food on the table, and no plan on how to get some. Millions of people are in desperate circumstances, this goes WAY beyond personal interest.

3 minutes ago, NotYourBusiness said:

Sorry but that is ridiculous. We are talking about people who's lives, perhaps businesses they worked 30 years to build, are being crushed, their wife and kids are hungry, no food on the table, and no plan on how to get some. Millions of people are in desperate circumstances, this goes WAY beyond personal interest.

So you're saying common good is to open up again. I disagree without testing and tracing and with a rising number of infections.

 

Now I disagree, I don't call your opinion ridiculous.

 

Btw, I worked on my business for 20 years, but have no idea about the future.

I just seen on the news where the US people still are told they do not have to

wear masks unless they are sick. Just wash hands stay 6 feet or 2 meters apart

and I seen many workers wearing rubber gloves. I will try to remember this 2 weeks to a month 

from now and see how the US is doing with their record breaking Covid numbers.

  I sure am not in a hurry to go near the states or see any Americans come across

the border anytime soon.  I would rather go back to visit in Thailand.

Geezer in Canada

This is messy capitalism at its best. All these states and regions experimenting in their own way to find what works best, all things considered. Yes, some of the herd will be lost in the stampede to market, but that's how it's done - if you're a capitalist.

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

So you're saying common good is to open up again. I disagree without testing and tracing and with a rising number of infections.

 

Now I disagree, I don't call your opinion ridiculous.

 

Btw, I worked on my business for 20 years, but have no idea about the future.

Testing and tracing does not work. You are watching CNN too much. That is viable when there are a half a dozen cases in an area, not thousands. The testing data would be useful no doubt, but the tracing is useless unless you are saying to use it to find out how infections happened. Is that what you are saying?

 

I also disagree with you about your version of common good. Common good right now is to open up to some greater extent. The people hurting the worst in a lockdown are the poor and middle class. The really insane part is there is evidence now that your house is the worst place to be. A leaked cdc email said as much, talking about "familial infections", sunlight seems "good", and a nee study reported 80% of infections happened in homes, next to none outside. Plus all the negative effects of locking down of course. Put all that in your common good pipe and smoke it, those are the prevailing facts. 

10 minutes ago, sucit said:

Testing and tracing does not work. You are watching CNN too much. That is viable when there are a half a dozen cases in an area, not thousands. The testing data would be useful no doubt, but the tracing is useless unless you are saying to use it to find out how infections happened. Is that what you are saying?

 

I also disagree with you about your version of common good. Common good right now is to open up to some greater extent. The people hurting the worst in a lockdown are the poor and middle class. The really insane part is there is evidence now that your house is the worst place to be. A leaked cdc email said as much, talking about "familial infections", sunlight seems "good", and a nee study reported 80% of infections happened in homes, next to none outside. Plus all the negative effects of locking down of course. Put all that in your common good pipe and smoke it, those are the prevailing facts. 

Just common sense, haven't watched CNN in a long time.

 

With thousands of infections in an area I agree tracing doesn't help, unfortunately you're omitting part of what I said, declining number of new infections is required.

 

Why the nastiness btw, no need at all for that.

Edited April 27, 20206 yr by stevenl

1 hour ago, stevenl said:

So you're saying common good is to open up again. I disagree without testing and tracing and with a rising number of infections.

 

Now I disagree, I don't call your opinion ridiculous.

 

Btw, I worked on my business for 20 years, but have no idea about the future.

 

You keep saying this but refuse to state what you would do if faced with dire circumstances. 

 

And that's weak. 

33 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Why the nastiness btw, no need at all for that.

 

????

52 minutes ago, stevenl said:

<snip>

Why the nastiness btw, no need at all for that.

That's an interesting comment coming from you.

2 minutes ago, Tippaporn said:

That's an interesting comment coming from you.

Thanks.

"Health experts say increased human interaction could spark a new wave of cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the highly contagious virus that has already killed more than 54,300 Americans."

 

Applying the term 'expert' always infers that the person is so knowledgeable as to be consistently correct.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In my opinion more damage has been caused by the incessant fear mongering than the disease itself.  My suggestion?  Get a grip.

A reported post in violation of fair use policy has been removed. 

3 hours ago, stevenl said:

Just common sense, haven't watched CNN in a long time.

 

With thousands of infections in an area I agree tracing doesn't help, unfortunately you're omitting part of what I said, declining number of new infections is required.

 

Why the nastiness btw, no need at all for that.

What is your definition of nastiness? That I did not put smiling emojis after all my statements? 

 

If you watch that entire video that showed up in the "follow the science" thread, the doctors noted that sitting inside actually weakens your immune system. So does dousing your hands with alcohol and getting no sun. As I mentioned, it is turning out that the worst place to be is inside your own home. It is also probably true that the longer we sit in our homes, the more vulnerable we are when we reemerge. 

 

Knowing that, we may see numbers on the incline because we are staying home. I say it is better to slowly open up now. I would go even further than that and say shutdowns were a poor choice in the first place, but if we only consider the current situation, I would say it is time to start easing lockdowns.... now, even if numbers are not going down for two weeks. 

Edited April 27, 20206 yr by sucit

4 minutes ago, sucit said:

What is your definition of nastiness? That I did not put smiling emojis after all my statements? 

 

If you watch that entire video that showed up in the "follow the science" thread, the doctors noted that sitting inside actually weakens your immune system. So does dousing your hands with alcohol and getting no sun. As I mentioned, it is turning out that the worst place to be is inside your own home. It is also probably true that the longer we sit in our homes, the more vulnerable we are when we reemerge. 

 

Knowing that, we may see numbers on the incline because we are staying home. I say it is better to slowly open up now. I would go even further than that and say shutdowns were a poor choice in the first place, but if we only consider the current situation, I would say it is time to start easing lockdowns.... now, even if numbers are not going down for two weeks. 

Let's just say I disagree with you and leave it at that.

37 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Let's just say I disagree with you and leave it at that.

You and the policy makers can disagree all you want. But the important thing is, I am speaking about the US by the way, if they want us to stay home, how on earth can they not send monthly checks?

 

In other words, get on that <deleted>, or start easing restrictions. They can't have this both ways. There are people sitting home, rent is coming, food and money are getting difficult to come by... yet the orders stay the same? Put up or shut up. They do not have the right to disagree until those checks come. 

Edited April 27, 20206 yr by sucit