Trump officials forecast economic rebound as lockdowns lift
| Houston
Trump administration officials spoke optimistically about a relatively quick rebound from the coronavirus Sunday as life within the White House reflected the stark challenges still posed by the pandemic, with Vice President Mike Pence 鈥渟elf-isolating鈥� after one of his aides tested positive.
A balancing act was playing out the world over, with leaders starting to loosen lockdowns that have left millions unemployed while also warning of the threat of a second wave of infections.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted the American economy would rebound in the second half of this year from unemployment rates that rival the Great Depression. Another 3.2 million U.S. workers applied for jobless benefits last week, bringing the total over the last seven weeks to 33.5 million.
鈥淚 think you鈥檙e going to see a bounce-back from a low standpoint,鈥� said Mr. Mnuchin, speaking on 鈥淔ox News Sunday.鈥�
But the director of the University of Washington institute that created a White House-endorsed coronavirus model said the moves by states to re-open businesses 鈥渨ill translate into more cases and deaths in 10 days from now.鈥� Dr. Christopher Murray of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation said states where cases and deaths are going up more than expected include Illinois, Arizona, Florida, and California.
Mr. Pence's move to self-isolate came after three members of the White House鈥檚 coronavirus task force placed themselves in quarantine after coming into contact with the aide. An administration official said Mr. Pence was voluntarily keeping his distance from other people and has repeatedly tested negative for COVID-19 since his exposure. He plans to be at the White House Monday.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced two policy reversals a day after聽聽in which residents鈥� relatives, watchdog groups, and politicians from both parties alleged he was not doing enough to counter the surge of deaths in nursing homes, where about 5,300 residents have died. Nursing home staff in New York will now have to undergo COVID-19 tests twice a week and facilities will no longer be required to take in hospital patients who were infected.
The U.S. has seen 1.3 million infections and nearly 80,000 deaths, the most in the world by far, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, 4 million people have been reported infected and more than 280,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins.
In the U.K., Prime Minister Boris Johnson聽announced Sunday a modest easing聽of the country鈥檚 coronavirus lockdown but urged citizens not to surrender the progress already made.
Those in the U.K. construction or manufacturing industries or other jobs that can鈥檛 be done at home 鈥渟hould be actively encouraged to go to work鈥� this week, he said. Mr. Johnson, who has taken a tougher line after falling ill himself with what he called 鈥渢his devilish illness,鈥� set a goal of June 1 to begin re-opening schools and shops if the U.K. can control new infections and the transmission rate of each infected person.
鈥淲e will be driven not by mere hope or economic necessity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be driven by the science, the data, and public health.鈥�
Germany, which managed to push new infections below 1,000 daily before deciding to loosen restrictions, has seen regional spikes in cases linked to slaughterhouses and nursing homes.
France is letting some younger students go back to school Monday after almost two months out. Attendance won鈥檛 be compulsory right away.聽Only preschools and elementary schools are set to start up at first, and classes will be capped at 10 students at preschools and 15 elsewhere. Administrators were told to prioritize instruction for children ages 5, 6, and 10.
Mathilde Manaud and her partner are raising their 3-year-old and 7-year-old in Le Pre Saint-Gervais, in the French capital's eastern suburbs. They agreed to send the children kids back to school if there are spaces.聽鈥淭ruth is, we don鈥檛 know whether we are right to do so or no, we don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 a mistake. We ask ourselves this question every day, and we change our mind every day,鈥� Ms. Manaud said. 鈥淲e are trying to convince ourselves that if they are reopening, they assume they can handle the situation.鈥�
French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer estimated that 80% to 85% of France鈥檚 50,500 preschools and elementary schools will open this week. Junior high schools in regions with fewer virus cases are expected to reopen on May 18. A target date hasn鈥檛 been scheduled yet for for high schools.
Residents of some Spanish regions will be able to enjoy limited seating at bars, restaurants, and other public places Monday, but Madrid and Barcelona, the country鈥檚 largest cities, will remain shut down.
China, where the virus was first detected, reported 14 new cases Sunday, its first double-digit rise in 10 days. Eleven of 12 domestic infections were in the northeastern province of Jilin, prompting authorities to raise the threat level in one of its counties, Shulan, to high risk, just days after downgrading all regions to low risk.
All passengers traveling through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport will be required to wear cloth face coverings beginning May 18.
The requirement also applies to airport workers, including Port of Seattle employees, and visitors who aren鈥檛 flying, according to The Seattle Times.聽The move announced by the Port of Seattle on Saturday night exempts people who can鈥檛 tolerate facial coverings for medical reasons, as well as very young children.聽It鈥檚 not yet clear how the Port of Seattle will enforce the requirement, but port spokesman Peter McGraw said the policy will be refined in the coming week.
Several major airlines and some airports also are requiring passengers to wear masks. Philadelphia International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport will require all passengers and visitors to wear masks starting Monday. Denver International Airport started requiring all passengers to wear face coverings this past week.
Some carriers, including Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, require passengers to wear face coverings when they are on the plane.聽The Transportation Security Administration now requires workers at screening checkpoints to wear masks.聽
South Korea reported 34 more cases as new infections linked to nightclubs threaten its hard-won gains against the virus. It was the first time that South Korea鈥檚 daily infections were above 30 in about a month.聽The mayor of Seoul ordered all the capital鈥檚 bars and nightclubs shut down indefinitely.
This story was reported by The Associated Press.
Editor鈥檚 note: As a public service, the Monitor has removed the paywall for all our coronavirus coverage. It鈥檚 free.
