New York postpones deconfinement, other American states launch out

Fwith enough declines in coronavirus hospitalizations, New York and some large American urban areas are resisting the sirens of deconfinement, but other American states are moving ahead, such as Georgia, which authorized Monday the reopening of its restaurants.

The democratic governor of the State of New York, epicenter of the epidemic with 292,000 confirmed cases out of a total of American cases now close to the million, repeated Monday that it was necessary to act “with intelligence” so as not to risk seeing l epidemic soar again.

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Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced that he will extend containment measures “in many areas of the state” beyond May 15, although plans to reopen the construction and manufacturing sectors are planned. less affected areas. He explained his caution by a slower-than-expected decline in hospital admissions and new cases, and another 337 deaths from the disease in the past 24 hours.

New York City, the US economic engine that has been shutdown since mid-March, may be the last to restart.

According to tests carried out on a sample of 7,500 people, nearly one in four inhabitants of the metropolis has antibodies linked to the virus, according to Mr. Cuomo.

Proof that the deconfinement is still far, the mayor of New York Bill de Blasio indicated that he would close at least 65 km of urban roads – now deserted – in order to facilitate social distancing for New Yorkers who would benefit from the spring to walk.

New Jersey, neighboring New York and the second most affected state with more than 6,000 deaths, as well as the federal capital region Washington or California remain firm in their confinement. In contrast, more than half a dozen states have already begun to partially “reopen” their economies.

Other states are deconfining

Republican governor of Georgia (south) Brian Kemp was one of the most aggressive, reopening some businesses on Friday before allowing restaurants to reopen on Monday, while protecting workers and customers alike.

Kim Kaseta, one of the first customers of the Waffle House chain of restaurants in Atlanta on Monday, was delighted.

“It is an inexplicable feeling, because it is something that has never happened” before, she told AFP about restrictions so far imposed on non-essential establishments. “We need human contact,” she said, in front of a masked employee cooking eggs.

While several polls show that a majority of Americans are concerned about a premature reopening, many restaurants in that state have nonetheless remained closed or limited to take-out.

Tennessee, another southern state headed by a Republican, Bill Lee, also authorized the reopening of restaurants on Monday. Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday that shopping centers, cinemas and museums could reopen on May 1 at 25% capacity.

The other states that are starting to allow a takeover are Alaska, Oklahoma, Minnesota, Mississippi, Colorado, and South Carolina.

Insufficient tests

Many governors, however, continue to deplore an insufficient testing capacity to revive the economy without reviving the epidemic.

Harvard researchers also estimated on Monday that despite progress, the majority of states still lack the capacity to begin deconfinement by May 1.

Their analysis contradicts Donald Trump’s claim that the United States has increased its screening capacity enough.

Fueling the confusion over his positioning in the face of the epidemic, the American president was to make a new press point on Monday, after having canceled it at first.

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