PROVIDENCE, R.I. - President Donald Trump wants the country open for business by mid-April, but some experts warn it's not as easy as flipping a switch: Economies run on confidence, and that is likely to be in short supply for as long as coronavirus cases in the United States are still rising.
Despite wild swings in financial markets and signs that unemployment is surging - both of which could hurt Trump in an election year - many businesses say it's not clear that reopening will be even an option in a few weeks: They have to follow the orders set in each state, and many of those are open ended or could be extended at any time. They are worried that opening too soon could be seen as irresponsible. And even if they did reopen, would customers come if the virus isn't under control?
"He's not being realistic. How can you open if the cases are climbing day after day?" asked Paul Boutros, who owns East Side Pockets, a small restaurant that has lost most of its business since nearby Brown University sent students home two weeks ago.
Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Federation of Independent Business, are cautious. They say reopening is a call health experts will have to make; in the meantime, they're focused on getting financial help for businesses.
Some business leaders and workers, of course, back the idea of a shorter shutdown. In a weekend post on Twitter, former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein said those at lower risk should return to work in a few weeks.
"Extreme measures to flatten the virus 'curve' is sensible - for a time - to stretch out the strain on health infrastructure. But crushing the economy, jobs and morale is also a health issue - and beyond," he said.
Taggart Barron, who is in finance and is working from his home in Bentonville, Arkansas, during the outbreak, said he would go into the office more if he were allowed - and that would mean he would be spending more, too, like on lunches out.
"I worry about the human and economic impact of a forced shutdown with no defined end in sight," said Barron. "We are killing a fly with a missile."
But as difficult as it was to shut down large parts of the American economy, restarting them may be even harder, especially if it happens while there is still uncertainty about the outbreak's trajectory. If a restart comes too early, it could also further fuel the pandemic, in which more than 20,000 people have already died globally.