WINGING IT

White House ‘Spikes Expert Report’ on How to Safely Reopen the Nation

Officials at the nation’s top disease investigators were told their advice to help specific sectors emerge from lockdown would “never see the light of day.”

As President Trump becomes impatient to reopen the nation during a still-raging pandemic, you’d think it would be a good idea to issue some advice on how to do that as safely as possible. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prepared a set of detailed documents designed to do exactly that—but its publication has reportedly been blocked by the White House. The Associated Press reported the nation’s top infectious-disease investigators wrote a 17-page report to help faith leaders, business owners, educators, and state and local officials as they gradually reopen. It was slated to be published last week, but a CDC official told AP that the agency’s scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day.” A person close to the White House’s coronavirus task force told AP that White House officials didn’t want to provide detailed guidance for how specific sectors can reopen, preferring general guidance for all.