Public health officials are very wary of optimistic talk of an imminent reopening from some members of the White House economic team.

A senior HHS official said: “Talk of reopening the American economy — when we don’t fully understand the virus, and can’t even crank our own domestic assembly lines to make diagnostic tests, respirators, and ventilators — isn’t just myopic, it’s flat out ridiculous.”

“The president’s primary focus continues to be the health and safety of the American people,” said one top official defending the president. “That being said, he is committed to leading a historic economic recovery and will begin to lay the foundation of that effort as we continue to navigate the pandemic.”

The federal government will ultimately defer to governors.