White House cautions states on reopening

President Donald Trump said Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to allow his state’s businesses to reopen this week is “too soon.” The president warned states against kickstarting their economies too quickly during his coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. Kemp, a Republican, gave gyms, beauty salons, bowling alleys, and tattoo parlors the go-ahead to open on Friday, followed by restaurants resuming dine-in services and entertainment venues, including movie theaters, opening on Monday.

Doesn’t the White House want to restart the economy? The Trump administration released a plan for states to gradually return to business. But the guidelines call for a consistent two-week downward trend in new COVID-19 cases before initiating phase 1 of the plan. Georgia’s downward trend began less than a week ago.

Dig deeper: Read Collin Garbarino’s report in Muse about the future of movie theaters after the pandemic.