Governors Dismiss 'Imaginary Clock'

Trump steps back slightly from Easter goal for ending coronavirus shutdown
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 24, 2020 9:44 PM CDT
Governors Dismiss 'Imaginary Clock'
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during a news conference against a backdrop of medical supplies Tuesday in New York.   (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Governors on Tuesday said they weren't buying into President Trump's desired timeline for getting Americans out of the house and working again. Trump had said earlier in the day he'd like the shutdown to end by Easter. He backed away slightly from that in a press briefing late Tuesday, the New York Times reports, saying Americans' health is his greatest concern. Dr. Anthony Fauci said in the briefing that hard-hit places would be exempt from an Easter reopening. The data could prompt "flexibility in different areas," Fauci said. Health experts have said varying approaches based on state lines or jurisdictions wouldn't be effective in stopping the spread of the coronavirus.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, didn't quite get the point of the April 12 goal; he said most leaders are working on enforcing restrictions, not making plans to end them. He said the administration evidently is working on an "imaginary clock," per the AP. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, said the president's "off-the-cuff statements are really going to undermine our ability to protect people." Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said Trump was "not taking into account the true damage that this will do to our country if we see truly millions of people die." Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, "No American is going to say accelerate the economy at the cost of human life." South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, didn't see the sense of a change by Easter, either. "We have another eight weeks until we see our peak infection rate," she said. (More coronavirus stories.)

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