Pence, CDC Head Lay Out Virus Criteria to Reopen U.S. Economy - At first sniff, it all sounds like advice health professionals might provide

Conditions Precedent (stated by Pence):

1. Most major communities must be "at the end" of their outbreaks

2.The country also should have widespread testing available,

3. Therapeutics for Americans who contract the disease, and

4. Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how large and small businesses can operate safely.

CDC Director Robert Redfield outlined criteria for "Officials" on Thursday during an interview with CNN. "Officials, he said, need to understand the spread of the virus, strengthen public health infrastructure, prepare hospitals and other medical facilities, and foster a belief among Americans that it's the right time to do this."

"Those are really the four most critical elements that we're working and planning on now, with the anticipation of beginning to reopen our nation one region at a time and get us all back to work and get prepared for next year, which will be another challenging time," he said.

Redfield expects next year to be more bearable, if the outbreak can be beaten back to a scale that can be handed by case identification, isolation and contact tracing. "So we don't have to go through the serious mitigation steps that we're taking to get this under control today," he said.

Pence said he expects the U.S. to have so-called surveillance testing, which can identify people who may have already had coronavirus and are immune, in place as soon as the summer.

Monty Bannerman
Managing Director
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Cell: +1 305-984-1177