Georgia, other U.S. states press ahead with early coronavirus reopening

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Governors of about half a dozen U.S. states are pushing ahead with plans to begin a partial restart of their economies despite warnings that loosening restrictions prematurely could lead to a fresh surge of coronavirus infections and loss of life.

The move toward reopening in Georgia, South Carolina and other states follows a series of protests in Michigan, Pennsylvania and elsewhere to demand a rollback on orders that have shut down business and social life to fight the pandemic.

In some other, harder-hit states, tensions between President Donald Trump and governors have intensified over the federal government’s role in solving a persistent shortage of testing, seen by experts as a prerequisite for reducing exposure and enabling a safe reopening.

Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, which accounts for nearly half of the coronavirus deaths in the United States, was due to discuss the testing issue during a White House meeting with Trump on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s a matter of concern, this whole idea of opening up. It’s based on non-science generated parameters,” said Dr. Boris Lushniak, dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Lushniak said Georgia had shown only seven days of declining cases instead of the 14 days required by federal guidelines.

Health authorities say the United States should test roughly 3 million people each week to get an accurate sense of the virus’s reach, but states tested only 1 million over the past seven days, according to the Covid Tracking Project.