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U.S. NEWS Saturday 25 april 2020
Two states ease lockdowns; US COVID-19 toll passes 50,000

Continued from Front With deaths and infections Kids still attend soccer ge that now just because businesses can reopen and
still rising in Georgia, many practice in Sweden while of Kemp’s decision. the public can participate
The actual death toll is be- business owners planned they are not even allowed “It’s obviously extremely in outdoor activities like golf
lieved to be far higher. to stay closed despite Gov. outside in Spain. As govern- stupid and I’m simulta- and motorized boating du-
New cases are surging in Brian Kemp’s assurance ments and scientists fumble neously exhausted and ring the coronavirus pan-
Africa and Latin America that hospital visits and new around, still struggling with so angry I can barely see demic.
as outbreaks subside in cases have leveled off so many unknowns, indivi- straight,” Thomas, 40, said Michigan has nearly 3,000
some places that were hit enough for barbers, tattoo duals are being left to take in a phone interview. deaths related to CO-
earlier. artists, massage therapists potentially life-affecting The gradual reopenings VID-19, behind only New
In Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin and personal trainers to decisions. come as coronavirus tes- York and New Jersey
Stitt authorized personal- return to work with restric- In Georgia, David Huynh ting continues to lag across among U.S. states.
care businesses to open, tions. had 60 clients booked for the United States. To date, New York reported its lo-
citing a decline in the num- Kemp’s timeline to restart appointments at his nail according to data com- west number of daily CO-
ber of people being hospi- the economy proved too salon in Savannah, but a piled by the COVID Trac- VID-19 deaths in weeks on
talized for COVID-19. Those ambitious even for Presi- clothing store, jewelry shop king Project, just under 4.7 Friday. The state recorded
businesses were directed dent Donald Trump, who and chocolatier that share million people have been 422 deaths as of the day
to maintain social distan- said he disagrees with the a street corner with his tested in the country of 330 before — the fewest since
cing, require masks and fre- fellow Republican’s plan. downtown business, Envy million people. March 31, when it recor-
quently sanitize equipment. On Friday, Trump signed a Nail Bar, remained closed. A lack of tests and supplies ded 391 deaths. More than
Still, some of the state’s lar- $484 billion bill to aid em- “The phone’s been staying has hampered the U.S. ef- 16,000 people have died
gest cities, including Nor- ployers and hospitals under ringing off the hook,” Huynh fort from the beginning. in the state from the out-
man, Oklahoma City and stress from the pandemic said. “We’ve probably got- About 193,000 people break.
Tulsa, were opting to keep — the latest federal effort ten hundreds of calls in the were tested on Thursday. In Denver, Mayor Michael
their bans in place until at to help keep afloat busi- last hour.” That’s an increase from the Hancock extended the
least the end of April. nesses that have had to Four women clutching face two-week daily average of city’s stay-at-home order
Amy Pembrook and her close or scale down. Over masks were waiting outside 163,000, but far less than and non-essential business
husband, Mike, reopened the past five weeks, roughly when the salon opened for what public health experts closures through May 8 just
their hair salon in the 26 million people have filed the first time since March estimate is needed to get a as Colorado Gov. Jared
northwest Oklahoma town for jobless aid, or about 1 in 26. “Yes, I am ready to get handle on the virus. Polis, a fellow Democrat,
of Fairview after it had 6 U.S. workers. my nails fixed,” said Alina Researchers at Harvard prepared to relax some
been shuttered for about a Without a tried-and-tested Davis, a police officer for have estimated a mini- statewide restrictions next
month. action plan for how to pull the local school system, mum of 500,000 daily tests week.
“We’re super excited countries out of coronavi- who kept working throug- are needed, and possibly Health officials in Colorado
about going back, but we rus lockdown, the world is hout the crisis. much more, in order to ordered the immediate
have caught a little flack seeing a patchwork of ap- Meanwhile, Nikki Thomas safely reopen the econo- closure of a Walmart in Au-
from people who say it’s proaches. Schools reopen is overdue for a visit to her my. rora, a Denver suburb, after
too early,” Amy Pembrook in one country, stay closed hair stylist, but she’s barely In Michigan, Gov. Gret- three people connected to
said. “We just said we can in others; face masks are ventured outside her house chen Whitmer lengthened the store died after being
live in fear for a long time mandatory in some places, in the six weeks since she’s her stay-at-home order infected with the coronavi-
or we can trust that every- a recommendation else- been working from home. through May 15, while lif- rus and at least six employ-
thing is going to be OK.” where. She had no plans to chan- ting restrictions so some ees tested positive.q

Navy recommends reinstatement of fired carrier captain

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and An official says Esper has to help civilian agencies
ROBERT BURNS asked for a delay in any deal with virus outbreaks
Associated Press public announcement across the country.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The while he considers the rec- Crozier was abruptly re-
top Navy officer has rec- ommendation. moved earlier this month
ommended the reinstate- Earlier in the day, Esper's by acting Navy Secretary
ment of the aircraft carrier chief spokesman Jona- Thomas Modly, who re-
captain fired for sending than Hoffman had sug- signed days later. His re-
a fraught email to com- gested that Esper was turn would reunite him with
manders pleading for going into the matter with crew members so upset
faster action to protect his an open mind, and said " about his firing that many
crew from a coronavirus he is generally inclined to crowded together on the
outbreak, officials familiar support Navy leadership in deck and applauded and
with the investigation said In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, Capt. Brett Crozier, their decision." chanted his name as he
Friday. then-commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore The extraordinary episode strode off the ship.
Adm. Mike Gilday recom- Roosevelt (CVN 71), addresses the crew on Jan. 17, 2020, in has captivated a public As of Thursday, 840 sailors
mended that Navy Capt. San Diego, Calif. already overwhelmed by on the USS Theodore Roos-
Brett Crozier be returned Associated Press. the pandemic. And it has evelt had tested positive
to his ship, said the officials, drama that has rocked national security interests. played out as the military for the virus and four are
who spoke on condition of the Navy leadership, sent Gilday met with Gen. copes with the coronavirus hospitalized. One sailor,
anonymity to discuss the thousands of USS Theodore Mark Milley, chairman of by reducing training, scal- who was from Arkansas,
results of an investigation Roosevelt crew members the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on ing back recruiting and has died, and more than
that have not yet been ashore in Guam for quar- Tuesday and with Defense halting troop movements 4,200 of the ship's nearly
made public. antine and impacted the Secretary Mark Esper on even as it deploys tens 5,000 crew members have
If approved, his recom- fleet across the Pacific, a Friday morning to lay out of thousands of National been moved onto the is-
mendation would end a region critical to America's his recommendations. Guard and other troops land for quarantine.q