Republicans eager to reopen economy; Democrats more cautious

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Mostly Republican governors in a handful of states are racing ahead with reboots to their economy before they have met key health benchmarks recommended to control the coronavirus outbreak.

Their approach stands in contrast to numerous Democratic governors who continue to maintain a cautious approach to reopening and have said they will base their decisions primarily on public health data.

Governors pushing to fast-track their economic rebounds say they don’t want to endanger their residents, but numerous public health experts say that is what could happen if they don’t slow down.