Trump’s plans to reopen the country face major obstacles

Diagnostic testing has improved, but still lags behind what most public health experts say will be needed to keep the virus at bay. Antibody testing is just beginning — and the FDA chief has warned it’s not yet very accurate. Only a few states are recruiting and training the army of public health workers who will be needed to track, trace and isolate anyone exposed to the coronavirus…

And nobody is talking much to Americans about what the next phase of social distancing will look like — or helping businesses think through how to get up and running again while minimizing the interaction of customers and staff.

Commerce may gradually resume in communities where the spread has slowed a lot, but people will still have to limit themselves to about one third of the social contact they had pre-pandemic, Georgia State University epidemiologist Gerardo Chowell estimates, in work being shared among some decision-makers. Many, though not all, public health experts also recommend that people wear masks. And people who can telecommute should continue to do so.