The great reopening debate
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
The great debate over when and how to reopen the American economy is playing out on the Sunday morning news shows, in opinion pages of the nation's newspapers — and among an increasingly influential cohort of armchair critics taking issue with faulty projections on which the administration has been relying.
What we're watching: Dr. Anthony Fauci sounded a warning on CNN's "State of the Union," for people who are eager to quickly reopen the country. "There is always the possibility ... as we get into next fall, and the beginning of early winter, that we could see a rebound [of the virus]," Fauci said.
- Stephen Hahn, Food and Drug commissioner, said on ABC's "This Week": "The models do show that we are very close to the peak [of the virus' impact]. ... I think that information is accurate."
- Tom Inglesby, director of the Center for Health Security at John Hopkins, said on "Fox News Sunday": "I think it will be too soon to reopen the country on May 1."
- Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said on CBS' "Face the Nation": "We would very clearly have a rebound" if guidelines are eased nationwide on May 1.
What we're reading:
- Joe Biden's New York Times op-ed: "My Plan to Safely Reopen America."
- House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's Medium post on what a reopening of the economy might look like.
What some in the West Wing are reading:
- The tweets of former New York Times reporter Alex Berenson, who has gained a following on the right for saying that the virus is far less of a concern than the media and public health officials have made it out to be.
Go deeper: Some Trump aides eye May 1 start to coronavirus reopening
