Critical workers will be allowed to return to their jobs without quarantining themselves after exposure to the novel coronavirus under new federal guidelines designed to begin the process of reopening America.
With the pandemic still in full effect — New York state recorded its highest single-day death tally at 779 on Wednesday — officials say the public must not reduce its vigilance.
However, President Trump and his task force have begun describing the circumstances and conditions under which restrictions will be lifted.
On Wednesday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield said critical staff, such as those in healthcare or food supply, who have been exposed to the virus will be allowed back to work if they are asymptomatic, take their temperature before they go to work, wear a face mask, and practice social distancing.
It replaces previous guidance that anyone exposed must quarantine themselves for two weeks.
“We really looked at the essential workforce and how to maintain that workforce, particularly at this time, as we begin to get ready to reopen and have confidence in bringing our workforce back to work,” he said during the daily coronavirus briefing.
The guidance applies to anyone who was within 6 feet of a confirmed or suspected case.
“They can, under certain circumstances, come back to work,” he said.
Employers will be asked to increase air circulation in the workplace, as well as the frequency of cleaning.
Trump is itching to reopen the economy as he prepares for a Nov. 3 election, but he said he would listen to his medical advisers who fear an early lifting of restrictions could spark a second wave of infections.
Nothing would happen, he said during the briefing, without a sustained period of reduced death rates.
“We have to be on that downside of the slope and heading to a very strong direction that this thing is done,” he said, adding that a phased reopening might allow less-affected areas to return to normal first.
“It would be nice to be able to open with a big bang and open up our country, or certainly most of our country, and I think we’re going to do that soon.”
The president and his team have drawn confidence from new projections that the death toll could be far less than the 100,000 to 240,000 predicted last week.
“If we could stay substantially under the hundred, which was the original projection, I think we all did a very good job — even though it’s a lot of people,” he said.
By Wednesday evening, the U.S. death toll stood at almost 15,000, with more than 420,000 cases, according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University.
However, a model used by the White House has cut the projected death toll by more than a quarter. The University of Washington forecast predicts that about 60,000 people in the United States will die.
The White House is working toward lifting social distancing restrictions in four to eight weeks, according to Trump’s chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow.
“I am hoping — as I say, praying — that we’re only a few weeks away from a reopening. We’ll see,” he told Politico.
