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The coronavirus is touching all levels of society and increasing tensions as governments start to ease restrictions that health experts warn should be done gradually to avoid a resurgence of the illness that has killed more than 165,000 people. The mounting pressure was evident in the United States. The Trump administration says parts of the nation are ready to begin a gradual return to normalcy. Yet some state leaders say woefully inadequate federal action, like a lack of testing supplies, is hindering their response to the illness. (Perry and Weissert, 4/20)

An estimated 2,500 people rallied at the Washington state capitol in Olympia to protest Democratic Governor Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order, defying a ban on gatherings of 50 or more people. Despite pleas from rally organizers to wear face coverings or masks as public health authorities recommend, many did not. “Shutting down businesses by picking winners and losers in which there are essential and non-essential are violations of the state and federal constitution,” rally organizer Tyler Miller, 39, an engineer from Bremerton, Washington, told Reuters. (Chiacu and Goldberg, 4/19)

Opposition to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders has continued to build from coast to coast, with at least five states the site of protests Sunday. Protesters sporting masks and signs took to their state capitols, while others honked their car horns during gridlock demonstrations calling on their governors to open up their states. (Deliso, 4/19)

More than 200 protestors gathered in Huntington Beach, California, in what was the latest demonstration in the United States against stay-at-home orders under the novel coronavirus pandemic. The "March for Freedom" event took place Friday afternoon at the intersection of Walnut and Main streets in the downtown area of Huntington Beach, about 40 miles southeast of Los Angeles. (Torres, 4/18)

The global health crisis is taking a nasty political turn with tensions worsening between governments locked down to keep the coronavirus at bay and people yearning to restart stalled economies and forestall fears of a depression. Protesters worrying about their livelihoods and bucking infringements on their freedom have taken to the streets in some places. A few countries are acting to ease restrictions, but most of the world remains unified in insisting it’s much too early to take more aggressive steps. (Weissert, Colvin and Jordans, 4/20)

A trio of far-right, pro-gun provocateurs is behind some of the largest Facebook groups calling for anti-quarantine protests around the country, offering the latest illustration that some seemingly organic demonstrations are being engineered by a network of conservative activists. The Facebook groups target Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and they appear to be the work of Ben Dorr, the political director of a group called “Minnesota Gun Rights,” and his siblings, Christopher and Aaron. (Stanley-Becker and Romm, 4/19)

Americans are worried about lifting stay-at-home orders too quickly amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has dramatically upended life in a month marked by business shutdowns, job losses and illness, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. Nearly six in 10 in the survey said they were concerned that the country would move too fast to loosen restrictions aimed at slowing the outbreak, compared with about three in 10 who said the greater worry was the economic impact of waiting too long. (Lucey, 4/19)

There were partisan divides on the topic, some of which have been reflected in recent protests around the nation in places like Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. While a clear majority of Democrats (77 percent) and independents (57 percent) are more worried about the coronavirus, Republicans are very much divided on the issue — with 48 percent expressing more concern about the economy and 39 percent more worried about the pandemic. Different states, of course, have different restrictions, some much stricter than others. (Cohen, 4/19)

"We have not seen a change at all" for Trump, said Republican pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Peter Hart and his colleagues at Hart Research Associates. But Hart cautions that a long-lasting crisis could change things for the president. "In every crisis, we go through this coming-together phase. And then we come to the recrimination phase," he said. "President Trump faces some tough sledding ahead in the recrimination phase." (Murray, 4/19)

Danny Meyer — restaurateur and founder of Shake Shack — said he is already envisioning the changes he will make when he finally gets the green light to reopen his restaurant empire. Kitchen employees will have to wear masks and not only have their temperature taken, but also look their manager in the eye and verbally confirm they are feeling healthy. He is imagining other tweaks, too, to help reassure guests — from maitre d’s with laser thermometers to a coat check overhaul to a more European-style payment system that doesn’t require handing a credit card to the server. (Parker, 4/19)

Politicians and government officials trying to chart a course through the global coronavirus pandemic have relied heavily on a specialized set of epidemiological experts: disease modelers. As they make decisions affecting the health and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of citizens, world leaders have turned to projections of infections and deaths by these scientists, who by their own admission are working with a bewildering array of unknowns as they build their forecasts. (Colchester, 4/19)

After insisting that he had absolute power to decide when to reopen the American economy, President Donald Trump has turned over to all of you what he initially called “the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.” Trump is often guilty of hyperbole, but he’s right in this case. Figuring out how and when to let people go back to work during an outbreak of life-threatening disease is the most consequential decision any of you will ever face. You’ve already seen the stakes in New York, New Jersey and Michigan. (Engleberg, Chen and Rotella, 4/18)

Governors of all stripes are taking it slow and steady when it comes to reopening their economies — notwithstanding spreading protests and the president's call for liberation. But a handful of state leaders have taken baby steps toward a return to semi-normalcy in recent days. Here's a snapshot of what they're doing. (Murray, 4/18)

Among those Americans who say their daily routine has changed due to the coronavirus, 31% believe a return to normalcy will come by June 1, compared to 44% who said the same at the beginning of this month. The June 1 date sharply divides partisans with 51% of Republicans and only 17% of Democrats thinking they will resume normal activities by then. (Karson, 4/17)

The big, striving city on the south coast moved fairly quickly at the first signs of danger — shutting down bars, pool halls, sporting events and more. Its rival to the north waited at least a week longer to order closures, as its leaders went mask-happy, betting that their best weapon against the onrushing contagion was face coverings, and going slow on what is now referred to as “social distancing.” (Rainey and Lin, 4/19)

On March 6, at 2:43 p.m., the health officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County, the hardest-hit region in the first state to be slammed by COVID-19, sent an email to a half-dozen colleagues, saying, “I want to cancel large group gatherings now.” The county’s numbers — 10 known deaths and nearly 60 confirmed cases as of late morning — were bad and getting worse. Many local events had already been called off for fear of spreading the coronavirus. (Armstrong, Gutman and Kamb, 4/19)

After flattening the curve, Americans should expect a number of curveballs. Once the immediate crush of COVID-19 cases subsides, epidemiologists say a "post-peak" purgatory lies ahead until a vaccine can be discovered and disseminated that would allow a return to normalcy. (Sacks, 4/18)