More U.S. states are set to take steps Monday to lift some of the restrictions meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, while federal health officials announced an expanded list of potential symptoms.
U.S. health officials say that chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and the loss of the sense of smell or taste could be signs of a coronavirus infection.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously cited fever, shortness of breath and a cough as possible symptoms of COVID-19.
The leaders of Colorado, Mississippi, Montana and Tennessee allowed some businesses to resume operations Monday. They join Georgia, Oklahoma, Alaska and South Carolina in the push to put people back to work and allow residents to get back to some semblance of their pre-coronavirus lives.
Health experts are warning against reopening too early, and many state governors have said measures will be in place to protect the public’s safety.
There are about 980,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country with 55,000 deaths.
New York state has been hit the hardest, with about 30% of all U.S. cases and deaths. Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that when his lockdown order expires May 15, parts of the state that have not been as harshly impacted could begin opening construction and manufacturing businesses. After a two-week evaluation period, further easing would be considered.
The coronavirus outbreak has taken a financial toll on the world’s largest economy. More than 26.5 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past five weeks, according to Department of Labor statistics.
On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a $484 billion bill to aid small businesses and hospitals after a previous aid program quickly ran out of money.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed confidence Sunday that the U.S. economy would “really bounce back” in the third quarter.
"We're putting in an unprecedented amount of fiscal relief into the economy," Mnuchin said on “Fox News Sunday.” "I think this is going to have a significant impact."
