Donald Trump and his coronavirus taskforce have unveiled a set of federal guidelines for reopening the economy, which comprise three phases but ultimately defer to governors on when and how to return their states to normal.

‘A prolonged lockdown combined with a forced economic depression would inflict an immense and wide-ranging toll on public health,’ he said. In Trump’s plan, the responsibility for opening businesses across the country lies with state, not federal, authorities. The announcement was in stark contrast to an earlier press conference where Trump said he had ‘total authority’ over the re-opening of the country

