Just days after the Trump administration set out careful benchmarks for states to meet before reopening their economies, four governors announced plans that basically ignore them https://trib.al/0f8koxl 

In South Carolina, stores and beaches are already open.
In Georgia, businesses will reopen on Friday.
Tennessee and Ohio will begin restarts on May 1.

All of these states have seen Covid-19 case counts jump within the past few days http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

Georgia plans to allow gyms, bowling alleys and other businesses to open this Friday, April 24.

On April 17, Georgia experienced the biggest-ever daily jump in new cases statewide http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

There are good reasons that the White House benchmarks call for a sustained case decline: Covid-19 spreads rapidly and sometimes via carriers who have no symptoms.

Georgia seems determined to ignore this reality http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

South Carolina’s reopening looks no better.

The steepest jump in its daily count came just the other day, on Saturday. And the state hasn’t reported more than 2,600 tests in a day since April 9 http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

Governor Henry McMaster says he hopes his plan will help South Carolina “recover more quickly than any other state in the country.”

What he risks is a second outbreak or a worsening, uncontained epidemic http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

Tennessee can claim to have reached something that looks like a plateau.

Governor Bill Lee’s plan to allow the opening of the “vast majority” of businesses in all but five of the state’s 95 counties by May 1 will test any emerging stability http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

Among the four state leaders, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stands out for his early action and pragmatism
— for which he has earned much praise.

Unfortunately, though, it comes just as the state’s case count is rising due to an outbreak in a prison http://trib.al/p25tF0P 

All 50 states are bound to find reopening difficult no matter how carefully they follow public health guidelines.

Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio are deliberately choosing to lower their odds of success http://trib.al/p25tF0P