US President Donald Trump has described as not acceptable a warning given by top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci this week about the dangers of reopening the economy and schools too quickly.
"To me it's not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools," Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Wednesday, when asked about Dr Fauci's warnings to senators the day before about the risks of reopening the schools and economy too soon.
Dr Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also warned that a premature lifting of lockdowns could lead to additional outbreaks of the deadly coronavirus, which has killed more than 82,000 people in the United States and brought the economy to its knees.
Mr Trump, in contrast, said on Wednesday the only thing that would be acceptable would be professors or teachers "over a certain age" not holding classes.
"I think they ought to take it easy for another few weeks," he added.
The President, who previously made the strength of the economy central to his pitch for re-election in November, has encouraged states to reopen businesses and schools that were shuttered to halt the spread of the highly contagious respiratory disease.
Dr Fauci, 79, a proponent of the lockdowns, has become a target for criticism from the American far right and online conspiracy theorists since he made statements about the outbreak that were at odds with Mr Trump's.
The previous month, Mr Trump retweeted a call to fire Dr Fauci after the doctor said lives could have been saved if the country had shut down sooner, spurring speculation that his days in the administration could be numbered.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court in Wisconsin has overturned the state's stay-at-home orders, as regions across the US grapple with the increasingly partisan decision of whether or not to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic.
While Wisconsin is not one of the hardest hit in the US, it's still recorded more than 10,900 cases and more than 400 deaths.
The Midwestern state's High Court on Wednesday sided with legislators from Mr Trump's Republican Party, who had challenged an extension of the quarantine imposed by Democratic Governor Tony Evers' administration.
Mr Evers warned on Twitter that the decision risked undoing "all the work we've done and all the sacrifices Wisconsinites have made over these past few months".
"It's a mess," he afterwards told CNN.
The state's Republican House Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said the court ruling allowed "people to once again gather with their loved ones or visit their places of worship without the fear of violating a state order".
Asked whether relaxing shutdown orders was a partisan issue, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told Fox News on Wednesday: "I hope it's not political, that would be terrible. I hope that all these governors care about the American workers, care about American jobs."
REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE