Executive Editor Tina Reed of FierceHealthcare writes that the U.S. will begin following a phased-in approach to begin reopening the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, the White House Coroanavirus Task Force announced on Thursday evening.
Deborah Birx, M.D., the response coordinator for the task force, detailed the criteria states and cities should use to determine when and how they should begin opening different segments of their respective economies.
For starters, Birx said, they must see data that shows a sustained decline in influenza-like illness, as well as positive COVID-19 cases with persistent testing, for a minimum of 14-days.
“For the hospitals, it’s to ensure we can treat all patients without resorting to any crisis care and ensuring there is a robust testing program in place for at risk healthcare workers including frontline responders with the emerging antibody tests,” Birx said.