‘Opening Up America Again’ - what is Trump’s plan?
US president announces three-phase plan to ease coronavirus restrictions

Donald Trump has announced a three-phase plan aimed at helping the US return to normal amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The US president said the guidelines - known as “Opening Up America Again” - are designed to ease restrictions in areas with low transmission of the virus.
Revealing the plan, Trump said “America wants to be open and Americans want to be open. A national shutdown is not a sustainable long-term solution.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The plan has three phases to reopen state economies, with each phase lasting at least 14 days.
Phase one retains much of the current lockdown measures such as avoiding non-essential travel, explains the BBC, but allows large venues such as restaurants and sports venues to operate “under strict physical distancing protocols”.
Phase two allows non-essential travel to resume with schools reopening and bars operating “with diminished standing-room occupancy”. In phase three, states can allow “public interactions” with physical distancing and the unrestricted staffing of worksites. Bars can increase their standing room capacity.
The new guidelines are not mandatory and many governors have already extended restrictions into May. Indeed, in what CNN describes as a “retreat” from his recent claim of “absolute authority” to restart the economy, the president told governors it was their decision on when and how to reopen.
“You are going to call your own shots,” Trump said during a call with governors. “I've gotten to know almost all of you, most of you I've known and some very well. You are all very capable people, I think in all cases, very capable people. And you're going to be calling your shots.”
The Guardian says that Trump’s plan “is still full of unanswered questions,” pointing out that the plan “neglects to mention a firm target date or give an explicit strategy for national testing”.
The US has 654,301 confirmed cases and 32,186 deaths due to the virus. A new poll suggests that Trump’s approval rating has slipped 6% over the past month. The same poll found just 30% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
By The Week US
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court takes up Trump birthright appeal
Speed Read The New Jersey Attorney General said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship 'cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Court slams Trump, senator visits Ábrego García
Speed Read The case 'should be shocking not only to judges' but all Americans with an 'intuitive sense of liberty'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US