The governors, speaking on a conference call, emphasized the importance of acting in concert so that the actions of one state did not inadvertently hurt another, or cause the outbreak to flare again.

“We can put together a system that allows our people to get back to work,” Gov. Ned Lamont of Connecticut said.

Asked whether the collaboration among the states was a rebuke to the President Trump, who has said the decision about businesses reopening was his to make, Gov. Philip D. Murphy of New Jersey said only that he was focused on making decisions based on facts and science, and he reiterated that an economic recovery was inextricable from a public health recovery.

Gov. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania echoed Mr. Murphy’s comments in responding to a similar question.

“The sequence,” Mr. Wolf said, “is you’ve got to get people healthy first, and then you can reopen the economy.”

Mr. Cuomo — interviewed on CNN before and after Mr. Trump said again at a White House briefing that the decision on restarting the economy was his — was more pointed in discussing who was responsible for pausing the rhythms of normal life and who would restore them.

The governor flatly rejected Mr. Trump’s claim that as president, his authority was “total.” Mr. Cuomo called the assertion “aggressive” and “hostile.” He also said that if Mr. Trump wished to be the one to restart the economy, he had to outline, in detail, how he planned to do it.

“The tough decisions were the closing down of the economy,” Mr. Cuomo said, adding that Mr. Trump “didn’t do it.”