Brookings Issues Covid Report on Reopening America

COVID-19 has shut down businesses and plunged the economy into a condition not seen since the Great Depression. Throughout the pandemic, public health experts have emphasized the necessity of social distancing and “stay-at-home” rules in order to flatten the infection curve and bring down the number of hospitalizations and fatalities. But even with these directives, the pandemic’s effects on government, businesses, and the
general public have been dramatic in terms of public health, the economy, governance, and social well-being.

In this publication, Brookings analyze the U.S. domestic situation and discuss how to reopen America in ways that address fundamental problems. For the good of the United States and the safety of the global community, we present a number of ideas for protecting public health, restarting the overall economy, and promoting social well-being. Our scholars discuss how to preserve jobs, improve the social safety net, provide equitable
healthcare, address the needs of vulnerable populations, reopen schools, deploy technology, and improve institutional capacity. Several individuals provided valuable help on this volume. Emily Horne and Andrea
Risotto offered tremendous assistance in terms of project vision, communications, and outreach. Fred Dews copyedited the entire manuscript in a speedy fashion.

Soren Messner-Zidell, Katie Merris, and Abigail Kaunda did a great job on the project’s design and layout. Eric Abalahin efficiently handled the web production process. We also are grateful to the scholars and communications staff who worked hard to develop and present ideas on what to think about as the country reopens. Brookings is committed to quality, independence, and impact in all of its work. Our list of donors can be found at www.brookings.edu. Activities supported by our donors reflect this commitment and the analysis and recommendations are solely determined by the authors.

You can read the full report here.