As the country re-opens, what happens next?

A couple stand in front of a building with "OPEN" signs in the windows
Mary and Joe Kohler stand outside their business, Joseph’s Restaurant and Bar. It’s been a popular gathering place in Stillwater for decades. “I’ve been doing this business for 46 years now.” Like many other restaurateurs, the Kohler’s are barely hanging on. “I don’t think in my wildest dreams I ever thought something like this would ever happen.”
Mark Zdechlik | MPR News

Most of Minnesota’s stay-at-home order expires on Monday – even as COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to mount. Gov. Tim Walz says models produced by the University of Minnesota showed only small benefits to extending the stay-at-home directive into early June. But many public health leaders – including Dr. Anthony Fauci – warn that opening too fast or too broadly could trigger a second and larger wave of COVID-19 infections this summer.

Mondays on MPR News with Kerri Miller, we tackle the latest science and public health policy about the pandemic. This week: What do the various models project could happen this summer? And how can the public be both safe and smart as we emerge from a two-month period of isolation?

Guests:

  • Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, associate professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine and an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center

  • Dr. Theo Vos, epidemiologist and professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington

To listen to the full conversation you can use the audio player above. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Kerri Miller podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts , Spotify or RSS

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