The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 50,000 on Friday as states and municipalities increasingly are starting to reopen their economies, many over the warnings of public health experts.
In Atlanta, protesters drove around the governor’s mansion on Friday, honking their horns in protest of Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp’s decision to aggressively reopen the state’s economy. Kemp made the move over the objections of health experts, the White House, the NAACP and some of his state’s mayors.
Gyms, tattoo parlors, hair salons and bowling alleys were allowed to reopen Friday. Restaurants and movie theaters will follow suit on Monday. More than 890 people in Georgia have died from COVID-19, according to the state’s Department of Health.
Georgia allows barber shops and gyms to reopen, offering a preview of life after lockdown.
In Iowa on Friday, the day the state reported its highest single-day increase in infections, Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that nonessential surgeries would be allowed starting Monday as would the opening of farmers markets. At least 107 people have died from COVID-19 in Iowa, according to the state Department of Public Health.
There were signs that the pandemic was waning elsewhere, notably in New York City, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus. The number of people being admitted to hospitals, being treated in the intensive care unit and testing positive for the coronavirus has declined, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday morning.
The state of New York also reported declining hospitalization and mortality figures. More than 20,980 people have died of COVID-19 in the state.
“All evidence suggests we’re on the downside of the curve,” said New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
However, he warned that the pandemic is creating an economic toll for state and local governments that could impact schools, police and health care. The pandemic has already created a $13.3-billion state budget shortfall, Cuomo said, adding that the figure is expected to grow to $61 billion through the 2024 fiscal year.
He blasted the federal government for bailing out airlines and other industries while failing to make state and local governments whole. He saved his greatest ire for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has referred to federal assistance to states struggling financially under the coronavirus as “blue state bailouts” and suggested they ought to declare bankruptcy.
States are not permitted by federal law to declare bankruptcy. Cuomo dared McConnell to pass legislation to change that.
“Sen. McConnell, pass the law, I dare you. And then go to the president and say ‘sign this bill, allowing states to declare bankruptcy,’” Cuomo said. “You want to send a signal to the markets that this nation is in real trouble? You want to send an international message that the economy is in turmoil?”
“Pass that bill, if you weren’t just playing politics,” he added. “We’ll see how long it takes him to do it.”
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