Trump Administration Ignores CDC Guidance On Reopening The US Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidance comprises detailed suggestions in addition to reopening guidelines that were doled out last month by the administration. These guidelines include suggestions for public places such as churches and schools.
Paying no heed to health official's suggestion to adopt a more cautious approach when it comes to reopening the economy, Trump has emphasized the need to reopen the nation's economy as soon as possible. During an interview with CNN, a senior CDC official said it was confirmed on Wednesday that the Trump administration is not planning to implement their draft recommendation for reopening the nation.
The White House's plan to not implement the guidance was first reported by The Associated Press. A source described the process as the White House asking for things and that resulting in complete chaos. Debbie Birx asked the CDC to come up with the recommendations, which took several hours to make.
In other words, the 17-page report was in response to an ask from the White House Task Force, the source explained. A task force official noted that the president's last month guidelines for reopening the country suggested each state open up safely and responsibly, taking data and response efforts in the states into consideration.
According to an administration official, CDC had not seen the draft before it leaked and there were two major concerns when it was presented to the task force. First off, the administration official said it was overly prescriptive because it had the same guidance for rural Tennessee and urban New York City.
Moreover, the recommendations did not coincide with the phases that the task force had outlined. Citing these shortcomings, the documents were returned to the CDC for revisions, but they didn't receive the revised version. The administration official had no idea whether the CDC was considering shelving the recommendations.
A senior administration official touted the draft documents as the cause of fierce internal debate, but later task force members realized it was too specific to serve as guidance for reopening America. The White House coronavirus task force official Birx told CNN's Anderson Cooper that the CDC recommendations are currently being prepared to ensure that the guidelines can be easily understood by the American people, as well as public health experts.
Birx received the edited guidelines recently and is working on it. She noted that the task force is constantly working alongside the CDC and it values their partnership.