This archive report was first published on 28 April 2020.
Published on April 28, 2020, as the United States grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, governors across the country were weighing the difficult question of when and how to begin lifting lockdown restrictions.
Without federal coordination, some governors turned to countries like New Zealand, Australia, and South Korea, which had effectively controlled the spread of the virus through widespread testing.
These countries' experiences served as a model for US governors, who were seeking to balance the need to reopen their economies with the need to protect public health.
