Coronavirus lockdowns: Unrest growing in few remaining states that won't give firm reopening date
By: Greg Norman
The country is getting ever more restless to reopen the economy and get back to work before the Wuhan virus really does what China intended it to do to our economy. We must protect our livelihoods our individual rights, our economic rights, and our religious liberty come what may.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Unrest is growing Friday in the American states that have become the last holdouts in terms of announcing dates when their economies will start reopening during the coronavirus outbreak.
As the virus continues its deadly and unpredictable spread across the U.S., the economic losses are piling up as well, with more than 33 million Americans seeking jobless aid since the closures began.
The overwhelming majority of states have given businesses the green light to start reopening in hopes of containing the damage, with some going as far as allowing retail stores, restaurants and hairdressers to start serving customers again in limited capacities.
But other holdouts such as New York and Washington – despite revealing phased plans to do so – remain for the most part locked down indefinitely.
“As we look at what we need to do to responsibly reopen the state, we can't help but note that yesterday, May 6 -- so this is now over two months since our first case -- 325 people walked through or were taken through the doors of hospitals,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday as protesters amassed once again at its statehouse in Trenton , reportedly chanting “open New Jersey now” and “freedom over fear!”
Protests have broken out in states like New Jersey that have yet to give residents a clear date as to when most of its economy will reopen. (Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
New Jersey – another one of the holdouts – reopened its parks and golf courses last week. Murphy around that time told "Fox & Friends" that the rest of his state’s reopening can begin to be phased in "as soon as we can responsibly get the health challenges under control" -- which he thinks could be in a matter of weeks, not months. But as of Friday, that exact date remains unclear.
In Maryland, protests broke out over the weekend with some people calling on Gov. Larry Hogan to lift the state's stay-at-home order and closures, which as of this Friday remain in effect for many industries and businesses across the state with no clear end date in sight. Hogan told Fox News on Sunday that while he was sympathetic, the number of confirmed cases in Maryland is continuing to rise .
“We're hoping to get our numbers to plateau so we can get things open as quickly as possible because we have too many people not working and too many businesses that are suffering,” he said.
And in New York -- which has suffered the most coronavirus deaths of any state in the nation--Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a set of criteria this week that each region must meet before phase one of its opening plan can begin. The soonest any region could start reopening is May 15, as the state’s stay-at home orders expire on that date. Yet some regions are being held up solely because they lack the testing levels Cuomo is seeking, leaving residents guessing how long it will take to meet that threshold.
“I get the emotion -- everybody would like to see everything reopen tomorrow. Me, first and foremost. Everyone. On every level – personally, economically,” Cuomo said during his daily press briefing Friday. “But... we are now in control and we have the virus on the run because we have been smart and because we have been disciplined.”
The debate on America reopening its economy hit a flashpoint on April 30 , as dozens of protesters -- some of whom were carrying rifles – gathered inside Michigan's Capitol building to voice their opposition to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order.
As of this week, the tensions there remain, as one Michigan state lawmaker was spotted heading into work while being flanked by armed escorts.
Elsewhere, incidents have broken out over the use of face masks during the pandemic.
In Oklahoma, the city of Stillwater lifted a coronavirus mask requirement last week following reports of physical confrontations — and a threat of violence involving a gun -- at reopened stores and restaurants. In Alabama, an off-duty police officer recently was captured on video appearing to body-slam a shopper at a Walmart store after she allegedly refused to wear a face mask and became disorderly, authorities said.
And on the Internet, debates have been raging over which Americans are following their states’ safety guidelines and which aren’t, sometimes pitting neighbors against each other.
Yet as states begin to pull back the restrictions on their economies, experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, who is the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and a member of the Coronavirus Task Force – are urging them to take caution.
"You can't just leap over things and get into a situation where you're really tempting a rebound," he told NBC’s "Today" show in a recent interview . "That's the thing I get concerned about. I hope they don't do that.
"When you pull back, there will be cases," he added.
Fox News’ Yael Halon, Robert Gearty and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
Politicizing the pandemics. No shame whatsoever. Grow up, already. If you don't mind old people dying, then you won't mind Trump doing so. Trump is old, old, old.
A Boris Johnson moment may be coming to the WH soon.
It's already happening. The WH is experiencing high infection rates due to a lack of social distancing and a refusal to wear PPE.
As usual, Trump is acting out of stupidity and ignorance. I imagine he has already caught a dose and has nobody to blame but himself.
No, just saying that now there are 11 Secret Service people who have tested positive as well as the three personal attendants to Ivanka, Potus and Pence's Press Secretary (Mrs. Steven Miller).
For a bunch of people worried about the optics of wearing masks, they are obviously not in a clean or safe environment and it's kind of outrageous for them to politicize it with derogatory cracks that only liberals wear the masks.
That's 71 SS employees out of the loop assuming the 23 "recovered" are allowed to be on WH grounds.
Which is precisely what the Dems have doing since the get go. They're seemingly following the Rahm Rule..
don't let a crisis, or pandemic, or whatever....go to waste...if you can gain something political from it.
We started Phase 1 of phase 4 (Soft opening) Friday. So far the reports are good.
Tried to go to a DFW area Ace Hardware today. No lines to get in but the parking lot was jammed full.
If they had a cash register in the garden area we may have chanced it with masks, but they do not,
so we just drove through and went back to our local farmers market.
Still no stimulus check for me but the wife got hers April 15 and her Trump note last week, lol.
Daughter still never got her stimulus or any UI from FL, but was called yesterday and told to be at work Monday morning.
That's our best news in 6 weeks.
We never really shut down here, and as they are opening up, positive tests keep increasing...
Good to hear SP.
I ordered Olive Garden online yesterday and picked it up on the way to get the wife \from work. As I was sitting in the parking lot waiting, I saw several people in the dining area having dinner. I asked the girl who got my food if dining room was allowed and she said yes at 25 percent. Better than nothing.
Best part.....I will be able to get a haircut starting Monday. I will probably wait another week before I get one to let the wait times go down. I usually get mine on the navy base near my house and I can guarantee there will be a buttload of sailors and marines trying to get a cut.
Which really blows... but we live in a federalist country... so....
Sorry, I meant hospitalized.
Not really worried about testing. It only identifies who has already had it or those who are presymptomatic for quarantining.
I still cut my own.
Yesterday, Wallgreens, mostly empty, 1 of 5 wearing masks. Employees have masks around their necks.
Ace Hardware, too crowded to approach, no distancing - no lines outside.
Went to Farmers Market again. they have given up on the masks and cleaning the door everytime someone uses it - still wiping down the counter. Not one of 24 people wearing masks until, as we pulled out, two women approached in Cat masks.
Roads are still eerily empty.
Went to Kroger today, all of the employees are masked, maybe one of 10 shoppers. We ended up putting ours in our pockets - mine makes my glasses fog up.
Kohls was open, as was Michaels...
Roads still empty, but the teachers were all at the grade school today.
Lived around and on Naval Air Stations for a long time.
We live near DFW airport and the F35 plant.
When the Blue Angel streaked by the other day it was shocking how used to the quiet we have become.
Now maybe one 737 a day gets our attention, haven't seen a 35 or a 16 chase plane since they made a big deal out of delivering the 500Th back on March 3rd.
I keep seeing flat gray 737s with minimal markings in lots of small back print.
Navy, AF and Amazon are usually white......
Who knows.