A key coronavirus model often used by the federal government says some states should wait even longer than we thought to ease coronavirus-related restrictions.
The latest data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation suggests most states should continue social distancing measures into June if they want to reopen safely. And that's only if "strong containment measures," including "testing, contact tracing, isolation, and limiting gathering size," have already been implemented.
One of those states, Georgia, is planning to let certain businesses reopen on Friday. But the model predicts Georgia coronavirus deaths won't peak until April 29 and that the state won't be ready to safely reopen until at least June 22.
The IHME also updated its estimated U.S. death toll to just under 68,000 deaths by August. But it stressed that its model is just one of many, and that its projections are always subject to change.
