Trump says some US states to reopen in coming days

President Donald Trump says that some US states will begin lifting coronavirus restrictions in coming days while still observing the virus-related precautions.

Speaking at a daily briefing on Saturday, Trump said some businesses in Texas and Vermont will be allowed to reopen on Monday and restrictions will be lifted in Montana on Friday.

Texas and Vermont “will allow certain business to open on Monday while still requiring appropriate social distancing precautions,” he said.

Both Republican and Democratic governors “have announced concrete steps to begin a safe and gradual phased opening,” he added.

“We continue to see a number of positive signs that the virus has passed its peak,” Trump told reporters.

So far, 738,923 people have been affected and 39,015 have died of the virus across the United States, according to worldometers.info.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people flocked to several beaches in Florida on Friday evening as they reopened for “essential activities,” despite the state’s death toll climbing to 726.

In New York, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Saturday that the state had continued to make progress in its battle with a virus.

“If you look at the past three days, you could argue we are past the plateau and starting to descend,” Cuomo said. “So, we’re not at the plateau anymore, but we’re still not in a good position.”

Some state governors, however, have said they will not act prematurely to reopen their businesses until there is more testing for the virus.

Business leaders have also told the president that widespread testing was needed before their companies can return to normal operations.

On Saturday, Trump said “our testing is getting better and better,” but failed to offer any concrete evidence.

ME