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Headline Roundup May 11th, 2020

Conflicting Concerns Over Economy, Safety Shape Debate on Reopening

Summary from the AllSides News Team

As the number of COVID-19 coronavirus cases in the U.S. tops 80,000, debates about reopening the country are being molded by concerns about public safety, a potential second wave of infections, and continued economic stagnancy. Many reports, especially from left- and center-rated outlets, cite concerns from scientists who warn that hasty reopenings could spell a drastic rise in the number of coronavirus cases; some concentrated on the apparent futility of searching for a universal indicator to signify when the country will be safe enough to reopen entirely. Other reports, particularly from right-rated outlets, focused on projections from Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and others that the severe economic disarray could worsen if careful reopenings are not initiated soon.

Featured Coverage of this Story

Mnuchin warns of ‘permanent economic damage’ unless US reopens
Mnuchin warns of ‘permanent economic damage’ unless US reopens

New York Post (News)

News

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned of “permanent economic damage” unless the United States begins reopening businesses during the coronavirus pandemic — but cautioned that it must be done in a “thoughtful way.”

“I think there’s a considerable risk of not reopening, you’re talking about what would be permanent economic damage to the American public,” Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday.”

“We’re going to reopen in a very thoughtful way that gets people back to work safely, that has them social distance,” he continued.

The question of reopening the economy comes...

Open on New York Post (News)
As States Rush to Reopen, Scientists Fear a Coronavirus Comeback
As States Rush to Reopen, Scientists Fear a Coronavirus Comeback

New York Times (News)

News

Millions of working people and small-business owners who cannot earn money while sheltering at home are facing economic ruin. So dozens of states, seeking to ease the pain, are coming out of lockdown.

Most have not met even minimal criteria for doing so safely, and some are reopening even as coronavirus cases rise, inviting disaster. The much-feared “second wave” of infection may not wait until fall, many scientists say, and instead may become a storm of wavelets breaking unpredictably across the country.

The reopenings will proceed nonetheless. The question now,...

Open on New York Times (News)
U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Near 80,000 as States Expand Moves to Reopen
News

As the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic approached 80,000, governors from New York to Ohio to California took steps toward reopening businesses as the economic wreckage from lockdowns climbed.

Deaths in the U.S. reached 79,894, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. World-wide, more than 284,000 people have perished from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus. The numbers may undercount the true death toll, researchers say.

Senior White House officials urged governors to move toward restarting commerce as signs of the economic harm rose. The U.S. unemployment...

Open on Wall Street Journal (News)

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