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CoronaVirus in US - Updates & Discussion

Newest updates: "713,452" along with "37,266" death toll
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This is where states stand on reopening
By Alaa Elassar, CNN

April 17, 2020


Delaware
Gov. John Carney issued a statewide stay-at-home order that will remain until May 15 or until the "public health threat is eliminated."
Delaware has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a press release from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's office.
The governor said April 17 that once the state reopens, social distancing, face coverings in public, washing hands, limited gatherings and vulnerable populations sheltering in place will remain.

District of Columbia
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser extended a stay-at-home order until May 15.
"I don't know if that means we will be open on May 16, but it will be a point for us to check in. And if we need to extend it beyond that, we certainly will," Bowser said during April 15 media briefing.

Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for Floridians until April 30.
DeSantis plans to announce his reopening plan for the state of Florida next week, he said April 16.
During a news conference Thursday, he suggested it could start with allowing elective surgeries.
DeSantis said he will meet April 17 with a task force that includes experts across various industries throughout the state.
Southeast Florida, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in the state, could be treated differently than other parts, the governor said.
Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statewide shelter-in-place order that runs until April 30. The governor also extended the public health emergency through May 13. All K-12 public schools will remain closed through the end of the school year.
Kemp emphasized the importance of expanding testing before reopening the state.
"We're a little behind the curve from when our peak is going to be to other states around the country," Kemp said during an April 13 press briefing. "That is certainly a day I am ready for, but I think today specifically we have been focused on the surge capacity, ramping up testing to do more than we're doing."

Hawaii
Gov. David Ige issued a stay-at-home order for Hawaii residents which will last through at least April 30.
He said Thursday the state doesn't satisfy the federal criteria for phased reopening, one of which is a 14-day downward trend in the number of cases. "We're making progress, but we're not there yet, so please continue your hard work and perseverance, we will get through this together," he said.
Idaho
Gov. Brad Little amended his order April 15 to allow for some businesses and facilities to reopen for curbside pickup, drive-in and drive-thru service and for mailed or delivery services. It is now effective through the end of the month.
Little said that the measures were working and Idaho is "truly seeing a flattening of the curve."
Little said that the measures were working and Idaho is "truly seeing a flattening of the curve."
"Our goal is for most businesses to open after the end of the month, but with the understanding that it may not be possible if there's an upward trend in severe Covid-19 cases in Idaho between now and then," Little said.

Illinois


Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order through at least April 30.
Pritzker said during a media briefing Monday that he believes the current state in Illinois has been enough to slowly start lifting shelter-in-place orders so that some industry workers can go back to work.
Although there is no clear time line, he hopes that restarting production will go "industry by industry, and maybe company by company."
On April 15 when asked about possibly extending the order into May he said: "We're continuing to (consult health officials) and we'll be making announcements about our decisions over the next several days."

Indiana

Gov. Eric Holcomb on April 17 extended the stay-at-home order through May 1.
The extension will give the state additional time to look into what the best way is to reopen sectors of the economy, Holcomb said. He said he would work with the state hospital association to see when elective surgeries could resume.
Indiana is part of a Midwest coalition of states looking at reopening possibilities

Iowa

Gov. Kim Reynolds has not declared a stay-at-home order. Reynolds issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency on March 17, ordering all nonessential businesses to close until April 30.
The governor formed an Iowa economic recovery task force consisting of state leaders and private business leaders and announced plans to discuss with education leaders about the possibility of reopening schools.
Reynolds on April 16 announced that residents of the region of the state with the most cases, where there was an outbreak at a food processing plant, cannot get together until April 30.
"You may gather only with members or your immediate household," Reynolds said, adding there were a few exceptions like religious services with 10 worshippers or fewer.

Kansas

Gov. Laura Kelly issued a stay-at-home order, which has been extended until May 3.
The initial order was set to expire April 19.
Kelly said Kansas expects to see its peak of coronavirus cases between April 19-29, based on projections.
Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear issued a "Healthy at Home" orde March 25 that is in effect indefinitely.
Kentucky is working with six other states to coordinate reopening measures.
The governor said April 16 it will be a phased-in approach "where we can have that that symbiotic bump ... to make sure that the steps that we take ultimately have a bigger reward or bigger output, because they are being replicated in other areas that we already do so much business with."
Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 30.
The governor announced on April 16 the formation of an economic recovery task force.
"They're going to look at our economy, make recommendations to make our businesses more resilient so that we can open them up, get businesses open, get workers back to work, but do so in a way that adequately affects public health," he said.
Maine
Gov. Janet Mills issued a "Stay Healthy at Home" executive order through at least April 30. Mills extended the state's civil state of emergency until May 15.
"We are in the midst of one of the greatest public health crises this world has seen in more than a century," Mills said in a news release. "This virus will continue to sicken people across our state; our cases will only grow, and more people will die. I say this to be direct, to be as honest with you as I can. Because saving lives will depend on us."
Mills said she wished she didn't have to extend the state of emergency, but "the continued spread of the virus demands a sustained response by the State."
Maine is in touch with neighbors New Hampshire and Vermont on reopening measures, the governor said April 14.

Maryland

Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 30. There is no current potential end date.
The governor said during his appearance on CNN Newsroom on April 13 that the state is discussing ways to safely reopen the state with health officials, and that his priority is to save lives, not the economy.
"We've got to listen to the doctors and scientists," Hogan said. "We've also got to be concerned about people getting the help they need and getting on track, but doing so in a gradual and safe manner when it's really the right time to do it."
Hogan said a cooperation amongst other governors on when to reopen the states would be a "good idea."
People in Maryland will be required to wear face coverings in stores and on public transportation as of April 18.
Massachusetts
Gov. Charlie Baker issued an emergency order requiring all nonessential businesses to close facilities until May 4.
Massachusetts has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a press release from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's office.
Baker told residents of his state that officials have begun conversations around reopening the state but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done before a plan is set into motion.
The state will need to have testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures in place to reopen, the governor said.
"I think it's going to be really important that we all pay attention to what the others are up to, and to make sure that nobody does anything that puts somebody in a really bad spot, because they just weren't thinking about what that impact was going to be on some other part of the Northeastern part of the US," he said.

Michigan

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 30.
Whitmer said during Monday's press briefing that reopening the state's economy will be based on a "data-driven approach based on facts, based on science, based on recommendations from experts."
The four factors the governor will take into consideration before reopening Michigan include a sustained reduction in cases, expanded testing and tracing capabilities, sufficient healthcare capacity, and the best practices for the workplace.
At the end of week that saw a protest at the Capitol and an anti-Whitmer tweet from Trump, the governor said April 17: "There's no one I think is more eager to start reengaging sectors of our economy than I am. But the last thing I want to do is to have a second wave here and so we've got to be really smart."
She said the first businesses to reopen will be in low-risk sectors.
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz extended the state's stay-at-home order through May 3.
He also signed an executive order extending the peacetime emergency for an additional 30 days until May 13.
Walz emphasized the importance of expanding testing and tracing the spread of the virus before opening the state.
The governor's plan to open up the economy is to "test, we have to do contact tracing, and we have to isolate the people who need to be isolated, and this has to be on a massive scale," Walz said.

Mississippi

Gov. Tate Reeves has extended a shelter-in-place order to April 27.
Reeves said April 17 the state will begin relaxing some of the restrictions on nonessential businesses by allowing them to offer services via drive-thru, curbside or delivery.
Reeves has said the state needed to open things back up as quickly and as responsibly as possible.
"We know that we will not be able to return to our typical lives right away," Reeves said during a media briefing on April 13.
"There are still more sacrifices to be made. We do want to look ahead to opening things up, I know that there are many Mississippians whose lives and livelihoods rely on our ability to get them back to work in a responsible way."
Missouri
Gov. Mike Parson on April 16 extended the stay-at-home order through May 3.
The governor's office said they will work with hospitals, healthcare providers, health officials, and business leaders to develop a reopening plan.
"Our reopening efforts will be careful, deliberate, and done in phases," he said.

Montana

Gov. Steve Bullock extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 24.
Bullock held a governor's coronavirus task force tele-town hall for Montanans on Monday in which he said following the state's guidelines will allow the state to reopen sooner rather than later.
Bullock said he does not know when the stay at home order will be lifted and that while he doesn't "want to have it in place any longer than what's necessary," he is more concerned about completely reopening the state and jeopardizing the work that has been done.
Nebraska
Gov. Pete Ricketts issued the "21 Days to Stay Home and Stay Healthy" campaign on April 10. Ricketts ordered that all hair salons, tattoo parlors and strip clubs be closed through April 30 and all organized group sports canceled until May 31.
Nebraska is one of the states that has not issued a stay-at-home order to limit the spread of coronavirus nationwide. Ricketts has not made any plans to reopen the state.
The state's campaign is based on six rules: staying home, socially distancing at work, shopping alone and only once a week, helping kids social distance, helping seniors stay at home and exercising at home.
Nevada
Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a stay-at-home order that expires April 30.
When asked about how he'd make his decision to reopen the economy, Sisolak said "positive testing is important but it's not my number one parameter."
"The things that I look at on a daily basis are hospitalizations, intensive care unit hospitalizations, ventilator usage, and people who pass," Sisolak added.
He said April 16 that reopening would happen with gradual steps. "I cannot take the chance of overwhelming our healthcare system," he said.

New Hampshire

Gov. Chris Sununu issued a stay-at-home order until May 4.
Sununu told reporters on April 16 that he'll decide on whether to extend the order before May 4.
"We want to give people some flexibility and be able to plan," Sununu said. He said that applies to restrictions on nonessential businesses and public gatherings.
All public and private schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, and students will continue remote learning, he said.

New Jersey

Gov. Phil Murphy issued a stay-at-home order on March 21 that has no specific end date.
New Jersey has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a news release from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
"No one has given more thought or is more eager to restart our economy than I am, but if we don't get the sequencing right, we put more lives at risk. The only path to a sustainable economic recovery is through a strong healthcare recovery," Murphy said in a news release.
"A coordinated, regional approach, informed by a multi-state council of experts, will help us avoid a major setback with potentially disastrous consequences."

N
ew Mexico

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham extended the state's emergency order to April 30.
She said Thursday her state is evaluating the federal guidelines but authorities cannot put the "cart before the horse."
"Please know that my administration is working doggedly to develop robust economic recovery plans alongside a plan for a thoughtful, staged and flexible reopening of our state -- and the moment we can safely implement those plans, they will be implemented with the same dedication and focus that we are using to contain this pandemic," the governor said.

New York


Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a "New York State on PAUSE" executive order which took effect on March 22. Schools and nonessential businesses are ordered to stay closed until April 29.
New York has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island and Massachusetts to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a press release from Cuomo's office.
The governor has not come to any decision on when businesses will reopen and said he rejected "any elected official or any expert who says I can tell you what's going to happen four weeks from today."
The governor said April 16 there are factors for when a business can reopen, including how essential it is and what is the risk of catching the virus.

North Carolina

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order for the state effective until April 29.
The governor said that the more people adhere to social distancing requirements in April, the sooner the state will loosen restrictions.
"We have a team examining how North Carolina can emerge with the right practices in place to keep us healthy and strong and ready to jump start our economy," Cooper said in Monday's press briefing.
"We're considering the most effective ways to modify executive orders to help boost the economy while continuing to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients."

North Dakota

Gov. Doug Burgum has only shut down schools, restaurants, fitness centers, movie theaters and salons. Burgum declared a state of emergency on March 13.
North Dakota is one of the states that has not issued a stay-at-home order.
Burgum has said he hopes some businesses can start to reopen May 1.
 
Jacksonville beaches reopen in Florida as states begin easing stay-at-home restrictions

By Amir Vera and Randi Kaye, CNN

April 18, 2020


The scene at Jacksonville Beach wasn't one of caution in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. Crowds cheered and flooded the beach when police took the barriers down. People were seen swimming, biking, surfing, running and fishing.
Social distancing seemed to be the last thing on anyone's mind Friday. Some residents told CNN not being able to go to the beach was "torture." People were out with their towels, coolers and sunbathing. There were very few masks.

Beaches will be open from 6 to 11 a.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. daily with some restrictions, according to Jacksonville's website. Recreational activities such as running, biking, hiking and swimming will be permitted during this soft reopening, the city's website said.
Despite the scene at the beach Friday, the city's website said activities such as sunbathing or any type of group activity will not be allowed at beaches during the restricted hours and items like towels, blankets, chairs, coolers and grills will not be permitted on the beach.

City of Jacksonville (COJ)

✔@CityofJax


Reminder

When Duval County beaches & parks open today from 5pm to 8pm it is for exercise only - No chairs, coolers, sunbathing, or towels/blankets laid out to sit on.




https://twitter.com/intent/like?tweet_id=1251140641628831744

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9:29 AM - Apr 17, 2020

"This can be the beginning of the pathway back to normal life," Mayor Lenny Curry said. "Please respect and follow these limitations. Stay within the guidelines for your safety as well as for the safety of your neighbors."
People were excited to be able to get back out onto the sand.
"I'm planning on going and riding my bicycle or surfing," Elliott Toney told CNN affiliate WJXT
But not everyone thought reopening the beaches was a good idea.
"There's a potential for the virus to blow into the air, so I think it's a risk," Lisa Mancini told the affiliate.

Officials aren't afraid to pull the plug on beachgoers if they don't abide by the social distancing rules and beach restrictions, Atlantic Beach Mayor Ellen Glasser said at a press conference Friday.
"This not a time to lounge. This is not a time to party. This is a time where you need to exercise, keep moving and then go home," Glasser said.
Parks will resume regular hours but the city's order limiting gatherings to fewer than 50 people remains in effect.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was criticized back in March for his handling of spring break and not closing the beaches sooner. As a result, he issued a "Safer at Home" order that went into effect April 3 and is in effect until April 30. The order limits movement outside homes to providing or getting essential services or carrying out essential activities and applies to interaction with other people outside of residents' homes.

DeSantis supported the idea of reopening beaches, parks and other public spaces as long as social distancing is practiced, WJXT reported.

"You look at how this disease is transmitted, it's transmitted overwhelmingly when you are in close, sustained contact with people, usually in an indoor environment," DeSantis said. "Going forward, we got to be promoting people to get exercise, do it in a good way, to do it in a safe way."

CNN's John Murgatroyd contributed to this report.
 
Wow, adding "23,000" new cases and "1,500" in a day, it won't looks pretty once the easing restriction enable
Updates: "736,342" new cases along with "38,773" death toll
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Almost 738.000 cases and deaths approaching fast 40.000 , the actual numbers are way higher as the unreported cases dating back to summer 2019 are left out in the calculations. Lifting the ban in the US will certainly create a 2nd wave.
 
Updates: "741,504" total cases along with "39,047" death toll, on pace to the next sad milestone of "800,000" soon (my prediction: 5 days) hopefully i will be proven wrong

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A week ago 530.000 cases and now 741.000, in just 7 days 211.000 new cases. That is an astounding 30142 per day on average. This is called flattening and the cases are dropping. Even people with the lowest intelligence understand it is skyrocketing in the US so what does that make our McDonald clown? He is even more stupid than my mongrel at home which i adopted from somewhere in South East Asia.
 
Birx says social distancing has saved American lives, some states start plans to roll back restrictions

Doug StanglinJoel Shannon
USA TODAY

President Donald Trump on Saturday said Texas, Vermont, Montana, Ohio, North Dakota and Idaho are taking various steps toward a "safe, gradual and phased opening." He said some protestors are responding to governors who "have gotten carried away” with restrictive measures, particularly criticizing Michigan and Virginia.

The latest fatality figures for the U.S., as tallied by Johns Hopkins University, pushed the total death toll in the country to over 38,000 as of Saturday evening.

There are over 730,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and over 2.3 million worldwide Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University data. Birx said probable cases were now being counted in U.S. data in addition to confirmed cases, leading to weeks-old probable cases being added to totals late this week.

Confirmed Cases by State
......................

242,570 confirmed

New York, US
..........

81,599 confirmed

New Jersey, US
 
When will a second wave of the coronavirus hit and what will it look like?

Elizabeth Weise
USA TODAY

COVID-19 pandemic has run its course, scientists are worried about the second wave of the disease.

It could crash worse than the first, killing tens of thousands of people who did such a good job of sheltering in place they remain virgin ground for the virus. Or it could be a mere swell, with so many people having been infected without symptoms that levels of immunity are higher than realized.

There is no crystal ball to look to, as so many crucial pieces of information remain missing.

Are people who've had COVID-19 immune? How long does immunity last? Will the virus play out like influenza and the common cold, peaking during cooler months and falling during warmer ones? Is its deadly path undeterred whatever the weather?

Until there’s a vaccine “it’s unfortunately not unlikely that we may see a second wave or even a third wave,” said Peter Marks, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversee vaccines.

“I shudder to think of that, but I think we have to be realistic."

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Immunity: Can you get the coronavirus more than once?

The first question on every doctor’s mind is whether someone who’s had COVID-19 is immune and if so for how long. People who've had mumps are immune from it for life. Versions of the common cold caused by different types of coronavirus see immunity wane with a year. Variations are wide.

COVID-19 is such a new disease there is no solid data on the immunity of survivors. But given its similarities to coronaviruses such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), it's expected to convey at least some immunity.

That’s good news because so many people have contracted COVID-19 from SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease. Many more probably have had it asymptotically and didn’t know. Both groups likely have some immunity.


What percentage of the population is immune is impossible to know because the United States doesn’t yet have widespread testing, experts say. An answer is likely months away. Even if immunity isn't lifelong, the virus may have infected enough people to make it hard for it to find new victims.

Here's how we may learn to cope with coronavirus death toll.

Will the coronavirus go away in the summer?
Another factor is whether the virus survives longer in cooler, drier weather. That’s why the flu is more common in winter, its virus survives longer and people are more likely to be indoors in close contact.

“We have no idea really whether this is going to bounce back the moment people start going back outdoors or if the warmer weather is actually going to help us out,” said Michael Mina, a professor of epidemiology at the Center for Communicable Disease Dynamics at Harvard's Chan School of Public Health.

“If it doesn’t happen in the summer, we’d all be very surprised if we don’t see some reemergence in the fall,” he said.

In that case, COVID-19’s sweet spot could be the same as influenza, roughly October to May, with a peak between October and November, modeling suggests. If it does behave like influenza, it will move to the Southern hemisphere for winter there, then return to the Northern hemisphere for its cold months.

“To anthropomorphize, the virus will come back here looking for new victims,” said Poland.

The first wave of the disease, which the world is experiencing now, hit so hard because no one had immunity. It could eventually fall into a pattern of yearly reoccurrence, like influenza.

If compounded with the annual wave of winter flu, the nation’s hospitals would be further taxed.

A fall spike also seems likely as children go back to school, said Mike Reid, a professor of infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco.

To prevent that, wide-scale testing will need to be available and contact tracing must be in place to find everyone who’s been exposed and get them to self-isolate for at least 14 days.

“Given the potential for repeated waves, the more that can be put in place to rapidly jump on every new spike and ring-fence every infected individual with wraparound health services is going to be crucial,” Reid said.
 
Over 759.000 cases and 40.000 deaths breakpoint passed. Oh boy oh boy this ain't lookin good. Just a week ago 530.000 and look at it a massive increase of 229.000. I do not know how they teach maths in the US but that does not look anything like flattening or dropping.
 
  1. Coronavirus deaths have topped 41,000 in the US as governors face mounting pressure to reopen their states.

    What else is happening in the US and Canada?
    • As the state's rate of infection slows, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says his state will begin "aggressive" antibody testing to give "the first true snapshot of what we're really dealing with"
    • Protests against strict statewide stay-home orders are expected in Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Washington state on Sunday, following earlier protests in half a dozen states
    • President Donald Trump tweets that the US is now the "King of Ventilators" as some state leaders plea for more federal support
    • In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the number of coronavirus cases "is trending in the right direction", but urged caution in lifting social distancing measures as total infections near 35,000 nationwide
    • Trudeau's Liberal party is working to establish terms for the re-opening of Parliament this week, after the government's tentative proposal was rejected by Canada's opposition party

  2. The number of coronavirus-related deaths in the US has now surpassed 41,000, according to Johns Hopkins.

    The US university - which has been tracking the outbreak since shortly after it erupted in China late last year - says there are now more than 746,000 confirmed infections across America, with the New York state being the worst-hit.

 
The coronavirus death toll in the U.S. hit a new plateau, New York state will begin the nation's most aggressive antibody testing campaign this week and some states are beginning to loosen restrictions as the nationwide effort to restore the economy began to take shape Sunday.

Negotiators were also close to a deal that could provide $300 billion in additional funding to struggling small businesses.

Overwhelmingly, restrictions remained in force. In Oklahoma City, a virtual ceremony was held to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing that killed 168 people.

“What breaks our hearts the most is ... we know we can’t assemble the large crowds that normally come to this remembrance ceremony," organizers said in a statement. The tribute included 168 seconds of silence, and the names of 168 people killed in the bombing will be read aloud.

COVID-19 claimed the lives of almost 1,900 Americans Saturday, and the toll death in the U.S. surpassed 41,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University's data dashboard.

As unemployment soars and economic fallout increases, the White House has announced guidelines for states to start opening their economies. A handful of states are starting the process of relaxing restrictions as protests crop up across the country.

There are over 746,000 coronavirus cases in the U.S. and over 2.3 million worldwide.



New York

On Saturday, New York joined Connecticut and New Jersey in opening up their marinas, boatyards and boat launches for recreational use.
 
Over 759.000 cases and 40.000 deaths breakpoint passed. Oh boy oh boy this ain't lookin good. Just a week ago 530.000 and look at it a massive increase of 229.000. I do not know how they teach maths in the US but that does not look anything like flattening or dropping.


Actually cases is not the best way to see how the virus is spreading unless you can either test a large enough random sample on a regular basis or test everyone.

Deaths are far better way to measure how the virus is progressing, although you have to wait the longest for this data for obvious reason:

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

upload_2020-4-20_11-15-37.png



Ignoring that massive spike on April 14 which counted all the "probable' deaths from New York and it looks like USA may have hit it's peak.
 
Protesters have taken to the streets in states across the US, demanding that governors reopen economies shut by the coronavirus pandemic.

Rallies in Arizona, Colorado, Montana and Washington state took place on Sunday, following earlier protests in half a dozen states.

Agitation for easing restrictions has grown, despite the risk of a Covid-19 resurgence posed by reopening too soon.

US President Donald Trump has signalled support for the protests.

The US has become the centre of the Covid-19 crisis, with over 760,000 cases and some 40,000 deaths - but signs have emerged that it is reaching the apex of the outbreak and that infection rates are slowing in some states.

Governors in several states have begun discussions to plan reopening amid signs of the slowdown, but other regions remain under strict lockdown.

California Governor Gavin Newsom was the first in the nation to issue a state-wide stay-at-home order, shuttering the country's most populous state since 19 March. Neighbouring west coast states Washington and Oregon followed suit days later, putting their combined 11.5 million residents under a stay-at-home order since 23 March.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced this week that the state would extend its stay home measures until 15 May. Speaking at his daily virus briefing on Sunday, Mr Cuomo urged caution to residents, beset with "cabin fever" and desperate for their state to reopen.

"We still have to make sure we keep that beast under control," Mr Cuomo said. "As we all get very eager to get on with life and move on."

"This is only halftime in this entire situation."
 
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