Is Illinois the only state playing by the White House reopening rules?

CHICAGO - A local scientist is reacting to news that Illinois is the only state meeting every benchmark for reopening set by the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The state has also been the most cautious in the country about ending the COVID-19 lockdown.

When the Wisconsin Supreme Court suddenly ended that state's lockdown two weeks ago, spring break style celebrations drowned out the grim predictions of some experts. But from Lake Geneva to north of Milwaukee, southeast Wisconsin is seeing a 21-percent surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations, and on Wednesday there was a record number of newly-reported deaths. Sadly, right on schedule.

“About 2 weeks later is when you would start to see a change in the numbers. So it's something we really have to watch, for Wisconsin, maybe other states,” said epidemiologist Dr. Bala Hota, chief analytics officer at Rush University Medical Center.

Hota was not surprised to read that a ProPublica.org analysis found Wisconsin falls short on two key benchmarks for reopening established by the CDC and the White House Coronavirus Task Force.

The only state to meet all five benchmarks -- including total tests per capita, percentage of positive tests and available ICU beds -- is cautious Illinois, where millions remain under orders to stay at home.

“We feel like there's been some wins in terms of reductions in the number of people. But it's very easy for that to change around. It's easy for that to flip where we start to see acceleration in the rate of infections again,” said Dr. Hota.

Supporters of a quick reopening argue the vulnerable can protect themselves by taking precautions or just continuing to stay home, notably seniors, who comprise about 80 percent of those killed by COVID-19.