"Government to Operate at Full Capacity" White House Directs Civil Servants to Prepare for Office Return

Georgia, South Carolina and Other Southern States Resume Economic Activities
Protests Demanding Shutdown Reversal Spread Across Regions
New York Governor Says "There Is No Need to Protest"

A protest demanding the lifting of the shutdown is taking place in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Amid ongoing debates over the reopening of economic activities in the United States, the White House has instructed government employees to prepare to return to their offices. This is interpreted as an effort to pressure state governments, which are still deliberating over reopening the economy.

According to Bloomberg News on the 20th (local time), the White House issued guidelines along with instructions for federal government and affiliated agency employees to prepare for returning to work. Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), mentioned in a memo sent to federal agencies, "The federal government has begun preparations to maximize government operations in cooperation with state governments and the private sector as local conditions permit." The OMB is a presidential agency responsible for budget as well as administrative tasks.

Vought added, "Each agency should encourage employees to return to the office starting with lower-risk areas."

However, these guidelines require approval from state and local governments. Seemingly concerned about friction with local governments, he stated, "Employees should continue to work from home until local government approval is obtained." This is also included in the U.S. government's three-phase social distancing easing guidelines under the 'Opening Up America Again' plan.

According to the three-phase guidelines announced last week, Phase 1 can be implemented if COVID-19 cases decrease for 14 consecutive days. Phase 1 requires companies to maintain remote work but allows office work while maintaining social distancing.

The White House's policy on government employee return is seen as targeting state governments weighing reopening policies. President Donald Trump has said that decisions on restarting economic activities are up to state governments but has increased pressure on some states like Virginia by urging them to "do it freely."

Both the U.S. federal government and southern states are actively moving toward reopening the economy. On this day, Georgia declared a partial reopening of economic activities. Starting from the 24th, gyms, barbershops, and nail salons will reopen, and from the 27th, restaurants, theaters, and clubs will resume operations. Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina, also announced the reopening of department stores and shops starting at 5 p.m. on the same day.

Tennessee plans to lift its stay-at-home order as scheduled on the 30th. Accordingly, stores in the area are expected to reopen simultaneously on the 1st of next month, as President Trump had hoped.

Protests demanding economic reopening continued across the United States on this day. In Pennsylvania, protesters called for the suspension of the stay-at-home order issued by Democratic Governor Tom Wolf.

However, concerns about reopening the economy remain. According to The New York Times, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has opposed President Trump's reopening plan, drew a line regarding some protests demanding the lifting of shutdown measures, stating, "Restrictions must be lifted in a way that prevents further spread." He added, "There is no need for anyone to protest to convince others that they should return to work." New York City also canceled all planned marches scheduled through June on this day.

Meanwhile, President Trump revealed that Governor Cuomo will visit the White House on the 21st. U.S. media are paying attention to the meeting between the two, who have maintained a confrontational stance amid the COVID-19 crisis.

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