One concern advisers have raised about an extended shutdown that lasts into the summer is that the delay could send the economy into a prolonged tailspin where businesses permanently close and don’t re-hire their workers, depressing employment numbers into next year, said a White House official.

But lifting social distancing guidelines too soon, or without the proper preparation, could lead to a rebound in infections and deaths, public health officials have warned. While Trump’s allies believe they can make the case that the initial outbreak wasn’t his fault, urging Trump to place the blame on China or the World Health Organization, it would be a harder case to make that he doesn’t bear the responsibility for a resurgence in infections should he encourage restrictions to be lifted.

“It would be a disaster if it opened up too early, and again, we have a double curve and a double spike in cases and in deaths and we are back to where we were before,” said the White House official.