People (all of us really) are wanting to go back to our normal life, but our health and government
officials have warned that this process will happen very slowly and gradually. 35 states that have
partially reopened for business as of 4-28-20. Many of them are following the guidelines put in
place by the White House’s “Opening America” initiative, which includes “having a downward
trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period and having a robust testing program in
place for at-risk healthcare workers”.

The more testing the better

The more we are able to test people in the following order the better prepared we will be to stop
the spread of Covid-19:

  • People with symptoms
  • At-risk medical personnel
  • At-risk essential workers
  • People who have been in close physical contact with someone who has Covid-19

When the people in this list have been able to get tested our communities will be able to have much
better control of the spread of Covid-19.

Let data be our guide

The White House advises that before a community (city, county or state) can begin to re-open they
should have a downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period. This will happen
at different times with different communities all across the country. It will be important that this
guideline is followed otherwise another wave of infections may happen.

Individuals should continue to follow health guidelines into the future

The health guidelines for individuals including:

  • Using face coverings while in public, and particularly when using mass transit
  • Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer, especially after touching frequently
    used items or surfaces
  • Sanitize frequently used public items such as door handles, light switches, grocery carts, checkout
    kiosks and personal items such as phones and keys

These will be essential to help decrease the spread of Covid-19. If we are able to maintain these health guidelines into the future, we may be able to decrease the spread of other diseases (such as the flu) as well.

References:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/clinical-criteria.html

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/495012-these-states-have-reopened-after-coronavirus-shutdown?rnd=1588260263

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