President Donald Trump’s top public health advisers are signaling that the prospect of widely relaxing social-distancing measures at the end of the month is dim, despite signs that coronavirus infections and deaths may be plateauing in some of the hardest-hit American cities.

Trump has been anxious to relax economy-crushing guidance that Americans isolate themselves from one another, and data indicate that distancing efforts are having an impact on the outbreak, halving the projected death totals in some models. That has turned attention within the White House to planning for an economic reopening.

But top officals have spent the past 24 hours cautioning that “the light at the end of the tunnel” -- as Trump has described it -- may be farther than it appears. On Friday, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams said that while some areas relatively untouched by the outbreak might be able to consider reopening by the end of the month, that’s not the case for most of the nation.

“As we ramp up testing and can feel more confident that these places actually can do surveillance and can do public health follow-up, some places will be able to think about opening on May 1st,” Adams said in an interview with Fox News. “Most of the country will not, to be honest with you.”

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, also preached caution when asked about a potential May 1 opening. The virus will determine “whether or not it’s going to be appropriate to open or not,” he said Friday in an interview with CNN.

“We would want to see, I would want to see a clear indication that you are very, very clearly and strongly going in the right direction, because the one thing you don’t want to do is you don’t want to get out there, prematurely, and then wind up and you’re back in the same situation,” Fauci said.

Political Liability
White House officials may be particularly cautious about committing to a specific date after Trump initially set a goal to “reopen” the country by Easter, April 12. But as the U.S. outbreak grew last month to the largest in the world, he agreed to extend CDC guidance on social distancing until April 30.

Trump this week said Americans “have to be careful” about a return to work, even as he reiterated his desire to get businesses open again. He noted that his call for an Easter reopening had proved a political liability.

“Easter is a very important day. So, aspirationally, I said, ‘Let’s see if we can do it at Easter,’” Trump said. “But I said it would be very tough and I was criticized for that so I don’t like giving dates and that wasn’t a date.”

While U.S. officials began the week optimistic that the outbreak was beginning to level off, New York City on Thursday reported 824 deaths from the virus in 24 hours, the most yet. Members of Trump’s coronavirus task force has said they are closely monitoring cities including Philadelphia, Denver, Baltimore, Indianapolis, and Washington D.C. for potential spikes.

There have been more than 466,000 cases across the nation and more than 16,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

“The reassuring news, again, is that some places have leveled off and are on the downslope, and we hope that within a few weeks once we get past the 30 days, some places around the country can start thinking about reopening,” Adams said.

Pence’s Mileposts
Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday outlined a series of mileposts the country must meet before social-distancing practices can be relaxed, including widespread testing for the virus and therapeutic medicines to treat it, both of which may be months away.

Most major communities must be “at the end” of their outbreaks, said Pence, who leads the coronavirus task force. The country also should have new guidance in place from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how large and small businesses can operate safely.

CDC Director Robert Redfield outlined similar criteria on Thursday during an interview with CNN. Officials, he said, need to understand the spread of the virus, strengthen public-health infrastructure, prepare hospitals and other medical facilities, and foster a belief among Americans that it’s safe to scale back their isolation.

“Those are really the four most critical elements that we’re working and planning on now, with the anticipation of beginning to reopen our nation one region at a time and get us all back to work and get prepared for next year, which will be another challenging time,” he said.

Separately, the White House is considering whether to create a working group focused on reviving the U.S. economy after the coronavirus pandemic eases, and whether the panel should include business executives and outside economists.

The discussions are in their early stages, according to three people familiar with the matter. Administration officials including Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, presidential son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner and the director of the National Economic Council, Larry Kudlow, may be involved, the people said.

Meadows has also asked Trump’s daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump to join the group, one person said. All of the people spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are ongoing.

--With assistance from Josh Wingrove, Jennifer Jacobs and Mario Parker.

This article was provided by Bloomberg News.