The United States hit hard by the Covid-19

Correspondent in Washington

The fifty states of the Union are now the subject of emergency measures which provide them with federal funds to supplement their efforts in the face of the disaster. They also give exceptional powers to governors who can circumvent certain laws and regulations. Almost all states and major cities have taken steps to contain or restrict activities to varying degrees.

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These measures have helped slow the progression of the epidemic. The only somewhat encouraging signs in recent days were the slower than expected increase in the number of hospitalizations in certain infectious foci, such as New York or Detroit. This slight inflection compared to the projections of the last weeks has again led the American president to consider the lifting of the containment measures. Two weeks ago, Donald Trump had already announced his intention to " reopen the country " for Easter, before agreeing with the advice of his advisers, who had pointed out, supported by models, the risk of a rapid increase in number of victims.

We hope that by the end of the month we will be able to look at the situation and see what measures we can safely lift here or there

But the president must also take into account the current serious economic recession, and the dizzying increase in the number of unemployed, which has reached a historic rate in the United States. Trump has announced that he is again considering announcing the resumption of activity. The planned date is set for the beginning of May. In addition to the "Task Force" led by Vice President Mike Pence, Trump wants to announce Tuesday the appointment of a " Council to reopen our country, " as he dubbed it. The advice of this informal group will help them make their decision. " It will be the most important of my life, and I hope it will be the right one, " said the president. " But the data is in there ," added Trump, showing his own head.

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The idea would be to revive activity in the States or regions least affected by the epidemic, and to maintain strict containment measures in the main infectious foci. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, one of Trump's top health advisers and one of the only ones able to contradict him, was not as optimistic as President. He recalled that if the number of victims had increased less than expected, it was precisely thanks to these measures, and that their lifting could only be done in a prudent manner. But he did not entirely rule out the possibility of a partial reopening of the country.

" We may be able to start looking at it at the end of the month ," said Dr., who is now a medical oracle, " but it won't be like pressing a switch, clicking, and everything." resumes operation. We hope that by the end of the month we will be able to look at the situation and see what measures we can safely lift here and there . ”

The broad autonomy of the governors

But in the end, the reopening decision will come from the governors and mayors of the big cities, who have imposed strict measures of social distancing, often before and beyond federal recommendations.

Because since the start of the crisis, Trump has left a large autonomy to state governors and mayors of big cities. " I prefer to allow governors to make decisions without intervening, " he said. “ From a constitutional point of view, this is how it should be. If I do not agree with a measure, I have the right to do so. But I prefer that they do it themselves . ”

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Trump justified this approach by the different plight of the epidemic in densely populated coastal cities and more rural central or western states, such as Iowa, Nebraska or Idaho, where cases are much fewer. Some of the states first hit by the pandemic, such as California and Washington State on the Pacific coast, have managed to at least partially stem the spread of the epidemic.

But this decentralized response has also drawn criticism, criticizing President Trump for not imposing measures at the national level. Some disorganization in the supply of medical supplies to the most affected states has also been attributed to this withdrawal from the federal government. Even if some of these logistical problems have been resolved, shortages remain, particularly in terms of personal protective equipment for the staff of the hospitals most affected. The tests are also lacking in sufficient numbers to make it possible to circumscribe effectively. Trump denied the shortages, calling them " fake news ."

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Having often enacted measures without waiting for federal recommendations, a number of governors have already said they will not lift them on a simple Washington injunction. Some have already extended them beyond May. " No one wants to return to normal life more than I do ," Virginia Governor Virginia Ralph Northam, who closed schools until the summer, told CNN television. " But we also have to deal with reality ”. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine, one of the first to take containment measures, announced that they " should continue ", and that only widespread testing would allow the gradual resumption of activity.