US Health Authorities "Hope for Gradual Resumption of Economic Activities Next Month" (Comprehensive)

Pouch NIAID Director Expresses Cautious Optimism
Opposing Views Still Prevail Saying "Too Early... Need to See Situation Until July"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] U.S. health authorities have supported the possibility of reopening the economy in May. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said that the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had peaked and expressed his hope to "resume (economic activities) very, very quickly." Following this, health authorities also emphasized the likelihood of restarting economic activities in May. However, since the daily death toll in New York alone still exceeds 700, there are opinions that caution is still needed when resuming economic activities.

Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in an interview with CNN on the 12th (local time), "I think that starting next month, gradual and phased lifting of restrictions can begin in some regions where the situation is improving." He mentioned the background of cautious optimism, noting "there are signs of decreases in hospital admission rates and the proportion of critically ill patients requiring intensive care."

Another health official, Stephen Hahn, commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), also expressed optimism in an interview with ABC, saying, "COVID-19 outbreak prediction models show that we are very close to the peak," and added, "I am hopeful about the goal of reopening the economy next month."

The unified optimistic outlook from health authorities is based on the trend of a decreasing increase in daily deaths in the U.S. According to Bloomberg News, the daily death toll in the U.S. was 1,564 on that day, marking a decrease for two consecutive days after peaking at 2,064 on the 10th. According to COVID-19 statistics from Johns Hopkins University, as of that day, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the U.S. was 554,226, with 21,994 deaths.

However, skepticism that optimism is premature remains prevalent. Christopher Murray, a professor at the University of Washington and an infectious disease expert, emphasized in an interview with the Associated Press (AP) that "if lockdown measures are lifted as planned by the Trump administration starting early next month, infection rates could rebound," and stressed, "the situation should be carefully monitored until July." Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, also explained, "Lifting lockdown measures on May 1 is too soon," adding, "Currently, we should view this as a plateau where the outbreak is not increasing further, and it is difficult to say that the peak where the spread significantly declines has arrived."

Political controversy is also intensifying in the U.S. Former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, wrote in an op-ed published in The New York Times (NYT) that day, "The Trump administration must first present a concrete and scientific plan to ensure safety after lifting lockdown measures," and pointed out, "Decisions related to public health should be made by public health experts, not politicians." Additionally, President Trump sparked controversy by stating at a White House briefing on COVID-19, "The criteria for deciding to reopen the economy is in my head," and "I will listen to various opinions and make the decision," raising concerns that the decision might rely on intuition rather than data.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.