New York, April 28 (RHC)-- In the United States, the White House’s coronavirus task force coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, says that social distancing will likely last through the summer, even as a growing number of states are preparing to reopen parts of the economy. 

Restaurants and theaters in Georgia are beginning to reopen on Monday, after other businesses started opening their doors in Georgia last week, including massage and tattoo parlors and nail and hair salons. 

Some parts of Texas are also allowing restaurants to start serving eat-in diners, as Governor Greg Abbott is expected to announce a further loosening of restrictions for the state.  Colorado announced a new “safer-at-home” policy as elective surgeries and retail businesses with curbside delivery will be allowed to resume. 

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock, however, extended his city’s stay-at-home order to May 8th, saying more testing and tracing of the coronavirus is needed before reopening.  There are over 13,400 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Colorado, with close to 700 reported deaths.

In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said construction and manufacturing in less-affected parts of the state may be able to open after May 15th, when the state’s lockdown order is set to expire.  Meanwhile, Governor Cuomo warns New York will soon have to slash aid to local governments by over $8 billion, while cutting state agency budgets by 10%, unless Congress agrees to a bailout.

Last week, Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell drew outrage from governors around the U.S. when he suggested state governments should declare bankruptcy rather than receive hundreds of billions of dollars in federal aid.