Some governors across the U.S. are disregarding or creatively interpreting White House guidelines in easing their states’ lockdowns and letting businesses reopen.
An Associated Press analysis has found that 17 states do not appear to meet one of the key benchmarks set by the White House for loosening up — a 14-day downward trajectory in new cases or infection rates.
And yet many of those states have begun to reopen or are about to do so. Among them: Alabama, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Utah.
On April 16, President Donald Trump unveiled plans to reopen the country, outlining guidance for state governors on how to open state economies.
The phases come in three chunks, and Trump said he expected some states could begin Phase No. 1 in late April.
But the guidelines call for a 2-week decline in cases, which few states have seen.