President Trump unveiled his formal guidelines designed to help parts of the country slowly start to get back to normal after the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Known formally as “Opening Up America Again“, the guidelines defer general decision making for reopening to the states as they are not intended to be a one-size-fits-all approach to getting the country back into full swing. It was stressed that the criteria may need to be tailored to local circumstances in states or cities.
The guidelines contain recommendations for individuals, employers, and also certain types of businesses such as bars, senior living facilities, gyms and large public venues.
The guidelines offer a phased approach to reopening businesses and restoring day-to-day activities based on current virus related data rather than date specific goals. The phases are implementable on a statewide or county-by-county basis at the discretion of state governors depending on what data show about the current state of the virus in their states.
Phase 1 encourages individuals to continue keeping their distance from others in public and avoiding large gatherings of over 10 people. For employers, continued use of telework, limiting non-essential travel and returning to work in phases are some of the recommendations.
Phase 2 says that non-essential travel can resume for individuals and employers but that social distancing and telework should continue to be utilized.
Phase 3 recommends that vulnerable individuals can resume going out into public but suggests that all individuals consider minimizing spending time in crowded environments. This phase would apply to parts of the country that continue to show no signs of a rebound of the virus.
A copy of the guidelines are included below.
