In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Surgeon General Jerome Adams said most of the U.S. will not be able to reopen at the start of next month amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"There are places around the country that have seen consistently low levels. And as we ramp up testing and can feel more confident that these places actually can do surveillance and can do public health follow-up, some places will be able to think about opening on May 1," Adams said. "Most of the country will not, to be honest with you, but some will."
Adams said despite the U.S. death toll looking like it's reaching its apex, people should not expect that the country will reopen all at once, as "some places have not yet hit their peak." He also stressed the importance of people continuing to practice social distancing, saying the more people participate, "the flatter the curve is, and the quicker we can get to the other side."
Although President Donald Trump previously said he wanted to get the economy restarted by Easter, the administration extended social distance guidelines through the end of April amid rising coronavirus cases nationwide.
The president said Friday he would "certainly listen" to his health experts if they tell him the country should not reopen on May 1, but also reiterated that he "want[s] to get it open as soon as possible."
Contains footage from CNN.
