Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Wednesday that the decision to reopen the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic is "like choosing between cancer and a heart attack," but warned that if Americans are under shutdown orders for too long, the economy will collapse.

What are the details?

Speaking to Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the senator said, "The American people are not morons. They understand what I'm about to say: We've got to open this economy. If we don't, it's gonna collapse. And if the U.S. economy collapses, the world economy collapses. And trying to burn down the village to save it is foolish — that's the cold, hard truth."

The Louisiana Republican went on to say that the U.S. shutdown has slowed the spread of COVID-19, but at "enormous cost."

Sen. Kennedy acknowledged that reopening for business will cause the coronavirus to "spread faster," adding that "we have to be smart about how we do it." But that decision, the lawmaker said, "is like choosing between cancer and a heart attack—it's a miserable choice."

04 15 20 Kennedy talks reopening economy with Fox News's Tucker Carlson www.youtube.com

Anything else?

Reuters reported that on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said "he is close to completing a plan to end the shutdown with some parts of the country likely to be ready to go before a May 1 target date."

President Trump said Wednesday that he will announce new guidelines for reopening the economy during his daily coronavirus briefing on Thursday.