A man poses in front of the Baby Acapulco dining room in Austin, Texas, on May 1. Photo: Dave Creaney/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Roughly a dozen states began to reopen their economies on Friday, the New York Times reports, despite health experts' concerns that coronavirus infection spikes could be caused by premature returns to public life.
Zoom in: In Davenport, Iowa, which is still under tight restrictions, Glory Smith told the Times that the state's reopening was coming too soon since the virus doesn't respect county boundaries.
- "It is like having a smoking section on a plane or in a restaurant,” she said. “It doesn’t work."
- Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) eased closures of restaurants, shops, libraries, gyms and malls on Friday in 77 of the state's 99 counties — ones where novel coronavirus cases have been minimal or declining, the Des Moines Register reports.
The big picture: Protests against stay-at-home orders designed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus have continued across the country for weeks.
- Protestors have gathered in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington state, California, New Hampshire and Maryland.
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Go deeper ... In photos: Cities take steps toward reopening