The Atlantic

Why Are the States Reopening?

The public overwhelmingly supports continued social-distancing measures.
Source: Charlie Riedel / AP

As of this week, all 50 states have begun reopening to some degree from counter-pandemic measures.

That’s a remarkable milestone, and a big shift in policy in a short period of time. It might be cause for celebration if it were clearly rooted in either public opinion or public-health data. But the reopening comes as case numbers in many parts of the country continue to rise, experts warn of further danger, and a significant majority of the country remains in favor of social-distancing measures. It appears that a small slice of the population, led by the president of the

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