The CDC wrote a report with advice on safely reopening public places amid a pandemic. But the Trump administration said it 'would never see the light of day.'

• The CDC produced a 17-page report with advice on how to safely reopen public spaces in the throes of a pandemic, but was told it "would never see the light of day," an agency official told the Associated Press.
• The US's top disease experts provided detailed recommendations on resuming business at schools, restaurants, mass transit systems, churches, and more.
• But a source told the AP that the White House deemed the sector-specific guidelines a "slippery slope" since the impact of the coronavirus has been felt in different ways across the country.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The White House buried a comprehensive report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which would've provided state and local officials step-by-step guidelines on the safe reopening of public spaces while the United States remains in the clutches of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Associated Press reported on Thursday that the 17-page document contained advice from the nation's leading disease experts on when and how to resume business at schools, workplaces, restaurants, mass transit systems, churches, summer camps, and childcare centers.

Titled "Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework," the report, which includes suggestions for religious leaders, business owners, and academic professionals, was due to be published on May 1.

But an unnamed CDC official said scientists were told it "would never see the light of day," according to AP reporters Jason Dearen and Mike Stobbe.

The news service got a copy of the report from another federal official who wasn't permitted to release it. The AP also published a story on April 28 describing the guidelines before the Trump administration chose to put the document aside.

What the CDC guidelines said

Recommendations for schools, the AP said, include placing desks 6 feet apart, calling off field trips and gatherings, and asking students to eat meals in their classrooms instead of congregating in the cafeteria.

Faith leaders were asked to host virtual services or use drive-in outdoor spaces, the AP reported. If those options aren't feasible, they were instructed to ensure that congregants wear face masks and also organize extra services so pews aren't densely packed and people can follow social distancing guidelines even while worshipping.

Suggestions for restaurant owners included single-use menus and condiments, and disposable cutlery and dishes. They were also asked to consider erecting sneeze guards at cash registers, limiting the number of employees working at any given time, and nixing buffets, salad bars, and drink stations, according to the AP.

The shelved guidance has been distributed widely within the CDC and includes "decision trees" or flow charts that can be used to consider different scenarios for reopening, the AP reported.

Some of these recommendations are scattered across the CDC and Food and Drug Administration websites, but this report collected all that advice in a single place and provided additional specific guidelines. It's also more detailed than the White House's "Opening Up America Again" guidelines released last month, the AP reported.

The White House thought the public health guidelines were a 'slippery slope'

A source close to the White House coronavirus task force told AP that the White House didn't want to provide sector-specific advice and described it as a "slippery slope" since the coronavirus hasn't impacted the entire nation in the same way.

But, Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said, "You can say that restaurants can open and you need to follow social distancing guidelines. But restaurants want to know, 'What does that look like?' States would like more guidance."

The AP also pointed out that the CDC usually provides scientific guidance to authorities nationwide during massive public health crises, such as the coronavirus, which has sickened more than 1.2 million Americans and killed at least 73,435 people in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University.

But under the Trump administration, it's often been the president at the podium during briefings at the White House, while the CDC hasn't organized a news conference about COVID-19 in almost two months. The agency's Director Dr. Robert Redfield, who is a member of the White House coronavirus task force, has also been conspicuously absent at public appearances.

There's been back and forth this week about whether the task force will be eliminated or be around "indefinitely."

Also, Trump has preferred to leave it to state officials to put together a patchwork of stay-at-home orders, and White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said on Wednesday, "We've consulted individually with states, but as I said, it's (a) governor-led effort. It's a state-led effort on ... which the federal government will consult."

Read the full story from the AP »

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