The White House released its plan to lift shutdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic on April 16, which comes with three phases that progressively lighten restrictions. In all phases, individuals are to continue practicing good hygiene such as increased hand washing and frequent disinfecting. They are also urged to “strongly consider” using masks while in public. Schools and employers are to have appropriate policies regarding the virus and to be especially lenient with anybody who feels sick at all. States are responsible for efficiently screening potential cases and tracing the contacts of positive results, and the healthcare system needs to be prepared at all times for a resurgence of the virus.
States can progress between the phases when they meet criteria involving symptoms, cases and the healthcare systems. States can only move forward 1) when there is a decline of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-like syndromic cases reported within a 14-day period, 2) when there is a decrease in documented cases or of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period and 3) when hospitals can treat all patients without crisis care and there is a robust testing program in place for healthcare workers.
Those are high bars, and advancing would likely be a months-long process. The president has been the target of much criticism during this outbreak, much of it warranted. However, this plan is not particularly flamboyant or risky, especially for a president whose defining trait is his bombast. Writing in The New York Times, University of Pennsylvania Professor Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel commends the plan for being flexible and down-to-earth, though lacking in detail and needing a greater emphasis on testing.
In phase one, vulnerable groups should continue to shelter in place, telework is to be encouraged and non-essential travel should be minimized. Schools and bars should remain closed, and hospital visits are still off-limits. Social settings of more than ten people “should be avoided unless precautionary measures are observed,” and socializing in groups of more than 10 should be avoided if they “do not readily allow for appropriate physical distancing.” However, gyms and large venues (sporting venues, movie theaters, churches and restaurants) can operate under “strict physical distancing protocols.”
In phase two, the same recommendations apply to vulnerable individuals, telework and hospital visits. However, schools can also reopen, as can bars with a limited capacity, and non-essential travel can resume. The cap on social settings increases from 10 to 50, and gyms and large venues can operate under “moderate physical distancing protocols.”
In phase three, almost all restrictions are lifted. The only caveats are that vulnerable individuals “should practice physical distancing” and avoid situations where that is impractical, low-risk individuals should be extra cautious and those in hospitals and senior care facilities must be extra diligent with hygiene.
There are two things to note about the plan. The first is that it is a recommendation, not a mandate. State governments are responsible for stay-at-home orders and shutdowns. They will control reopening. However, the president’s visibility and political weight mean that every state plan will be made in reference to his. For example, according to the Bowling Green Daily News, Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear said that Kentucky’s standards for reopening were “pretty much the same” as the White House’s.
Second, the White House plan is more of a vision than a plan. It is light on specifics, which are left to state authorities, and how the federal government will assist states in progressing. Large venues are to have “strict physical distancing protocols” in phase one, but what exactly that means, and how it is different than moderate protocols recommended in phase two, is unclear. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is to say that this is a vision, not a policy proposal.
As Dr. Emanuel wrote, this is a start. It is a sober framework states can build upon as they move towards reopening. There is a lack of meat on its bones, but by giving an outline of a careful road back to something resembling normalcy, the plan gives a light at the end of the tunnel, something all of us can appreciate.
