US’ Covid-19: More States Prepare to Reopen, Death Toll Tops 54,000

By Staff, Agencies

More areas of the United States began a gradual easing of restrictions put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus, even as medical experts caution that there is not enough testing, while the White House predicts the monthly unemployment rate to dip lower.

Colorado, Mississippi, Minnesota, Montana and Tennessee - states with lower population densities and expansive rural areas - are set to lift some lockdown restrictions on Monday, joining other states who have begun reopening their businesses, Reuters reported.

Medical professionals and public health authorities have warned that breaking social distancing measures and restarting the economy, without adhering to safety guidelines, could result in a second wave of infections. 

Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina have already started to revive their economies after spending weeks in lockdown.

Nearly 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March, and on Friday the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted that the economy would shrink at an annual rate of almost 40 percent in the second quarter.

According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, the United States recorded 1,330 more COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours.

The country now has an overall death toll of 54,841, with 964,937 confirmed infections.