"Everyone is very anxious to get out of the house, get back to work, get the economy moving. Everyone agrees with that. What the art form is going to be here is doing that smartly and doing that productively and doing that in a coordinated way," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Groups of governors on the East and West coasts have agreed to coordinate their strategies for lifting restrictions and reopening the economy once the coronavirus pandemic eases up.
On Monday, governors from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island announced the creation of a new multi-state council. They'll work together on a shared approach to gradually reopen each of their economies.
On the other side of the country, California, Oregon and Washington state introduced a similar pact.
But President Donald Trump didn't seem to be on board with the plan.
"The president of the United States calls the shots. They can't do anything without the approval of the president of the United States," President Trump said.
The governors didn't indicate when they're planning to lift their states' respective lockdowns and stay-at-home orders. But they emphasized that decision will be based on science and made with the safety of residents in mind.
