Leak of shelved CDC guidelines reveals stark differences with White House's public plans to reopen businesses: report

The now-shelved guidelines for easing stay-at-home orders placed far more restrictions on reopening than the plan ultimately released by the White House.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the 63-page plan developed by the Centers for Disease Control and shelved by Trump administration officials, and the in-depth document shares some similarities with the White House’s “Opening Up America Again” plan -- but also contains specific steps officials should take to ensure public safety.

“Many different places are considering how to safely develop return-to-work procedures," said Stephen Morse, a Columbia University expert on infectious disease. "Having more guidance on that earlier on might have been more reassuring to people, and it might have prevented some cases."

CDC staffers were always uncomfortable tying their guidance specifically to reopening and voiced their objections to White House officials responsible for approving the guidance for release, a CDC official told the AP.

Their detailed guidance was set aside April 30 by the White House, which released its plan to reopen a week and a half earlier, on April 17.

The shelved guidelines cautions against all nonessential travel until the last phase of reopening, and says such travel could potentially be considered after 42 consecutive days of declining cases of COVID-19.

“Travel patterns within and between jurisdictions will impact efforts to reduce community transmission too,” the report states. "Coordination across state and local jurisdictions is critical -- especially between jurisdictions with different mitigation needs."

The White House plan, on the other hand, recommends minimized travel in Phase 1 and opens the door to nonessential travel after 28 days of declining cases.

The CDC plan admits that COVID-19 cases will likely surge after states reopen, and advises local governments to closely monitor cases, while the White House lacks specific guidance for tracking outbreaks.

Instead, the White House plan offers only broad guidance, such as "protect the health and safety of workers in critical industries" and "protect the vulnerable."