Judy Woodruff:

As officials around the country are considering how to reopen their communities, there's great concern and debate brewing over how long shutdowns should last and whether reopening too soon could be dangerous.

Donald McNeil reported extensively on these questions for The New York Times in a piece that explored how society could be profoundly affected and disrupted for the next two years. He's been covering epidemics for close to two decades for The Times, and he joins me now.

Donald McNeil, thank you so much for joining us.

You do open your piece quoting scientists as saying, this could last for sometime.

Why? What do they base that on?