The White House is pivoting to emphasize safety-first measures to reopen America, an effort that could make workers more comfortable returning to their jobs after weeks of criticism that President Trump was too hasty in pushing to lift nationwide coronavirus restrictions.
On Wednesday, Trump met business executives as they laid out ideas to protect staff and customers. A day later, on the same day that federal social distancing guidelines expired, the administration announced additional safeguards for senior citizens, who are among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Several advisers said the president’s efforts to reopen the economy by lifting restrictions on nonessential businesses will have little impact if the public does not feel safe returning to work.
Paul Winfree, a former Trump official and now the director of economic policy at the Heritage Foundation, said economic data showed that businesses had begun shuttering even before state-ordered closures. Likewise, lifting restrictions did not automatically mean they would reopen.
But Winfree said questions about public behavior would only become clear as European countries and early states, such as Texas and Georgia, reopened. Homebase, which supplies software to small- and medium-sized companies, found the number of hours worked had fallen by 30% even in the absence of mandated closures.
“Are they going to restaurants? Are they getting their hair cut? Are they going to get tattoos? And if they are not doing those things, then hiring in all places is going to be slow even if these restrictions are lifted,” he said.
Similar concerns have been expressed internally by Tomas Philipson, acting chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers.
And restaurant workers in Georgia, for example, have said they are worried about their status as the nation’s guinea pigs.
The cautious approach contrasts with that of Trump, who has frequently claimed that the economy will take off like a rocket ship thanks to weeks of pent-up demand.
This week brought a marked shift in White House public messaging. Gone are the freewheeling presidential briefings, replaced by sober roundtables of industry leaders and more choreographed appearances to address specific stakeholders.
During Wednesday’s session with chief executives, Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia said providing guidelines to employers would be essential to the process.
“I think we all appreciate that confidence in the part of workers that they will be safe in the workplace is going to be an important part of the reopening,” he said.
Hilton chief executive Chris Nassetta said customers wanted to resume travel but only under certain circumstances.
“They ultimately want to get around the country and do business again,” he said. “And in order to do that, they want to feel safe.” He said hotels were working together to share best practices.
The sessions follow internal concerns that an anxious public, worried about a fresh wave of infections, was not being carried along by the president’s enthusiasm for reopening the economy as fast as possible.
One senior official last week said the key was to get people “comfortable” with the idea of lifting restrictions but added that more needed to be done.
At the same time, Trump has signaled that he is prepared to lead by example, announcing a trip to Arizona next week, with more travel in the pipeline.
This week, the administration also used a White House event to announce help for some of the most vulnerable in society.
Trump welcomed executives from hospices and senior groups to the East Room, where he announced a commission to protect nursing homes from future outbreaks. He also said personal protective equipment, including gloves and gowns, would be dispatched to senior group-living facilities.
“That’s a spot that we have to take care of,” he said. “I guess you could call it a little bit of a weak spot because things are happening at the nursing homes, and we’re not happy about that. We don’t want it to happen.”
White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said that the health and safety of the public had been at the forefront of the president’s decision-making throughout the pandemic.
“Getting the nation back to work, back to sporting events, back to churches, back to restaurants, and doing so safely and responsibly is the president’s shared goal with governors and the private sector,” he said. “Americans want to see this country open again, prosperous, and with a booming economy, and under the president’s leadership, we will do that.”
The week ends on a different note, with what is billed as a “presidential recognition ceremony” celebrating “hard work, heroism, and hope.”
A senior administration official said it was a chance to recognize the contribution of ordinary people in flattening the curve of coronavirus cases.
