Several Midwestern states announce coalition to plan economic reopening

The governors of seven Midwestern states announced that they would be participating in a regional effort to reopen their states’ economies as coronavirus cases begin to level off.

The bipartisan coalition, which was announced Thursday, includes Democratic Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, as well as Republican Govs. Mike DeWine of Ohio and Eric Holcomb of Indiana. The group effort follows a trend of states joining forces to coordinate their reopening, including coalitions in the Northeast and the West Coast.