Trump called the recommendations "the next front in our war, which is called opening up America again."
He said the strategy is based on "hard verifiable data" and "benchmarks must be met at each phase."
Under the first phase of the three-phase plan, restaurants, movie theaters and large sporting venues would be appropriate to reopen under certain conditions, while schools, day care centers and bars would not.
The plan, released Thursday afternoon, is designed to "mitigate the risk of resurgence" of the pandemic and to "protect the most vulnerable," the guidelines say.
It is "implementable on a statewide or county-by-county basis" at the discretion of each state's governor — a stark contradiction from the president's earlier assertion that he had "total authority" to direct governors how and when to reopen.
The guidelines do not suggest any reopening dates and Trump acknowledged it would be "a gradual process."
Rather, to begin implementation of the guidelines, states must first meet a "gating" criteria, that includes a "downward trajectory of documented cases within a 14-day period" or a "downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests)."
If that criteria is met, states, according to the guidelines, could then enter Phase One.
Under Phase One protocols, large venues like restaurants, movie theaters, sporting venues and places of worship will be allowed to reopen if they "operate under strict physical distancing protocols," according to the guidelines.
Gyms will be also be permitted to reopen "if they adhere to strict physical distancing and sanitation protocols," the plan says. Bars, however, "should remain closed."
In addition, elective surgeries will be allowed to resume "as clinically appropriate, on an outpatient basis" at certain facilities.
Schools and youth activities like daycare and camp that are currently should remain closed, and visits to senior living facilities and hospitals should remain prohibited.
"Those who do interact with residents and patients must adhere to strict protocols regarding hygiene," the plan says.
Under Phase One, "all vulnerable individuals should continue to shelter in place" and members of households with vulnerable residents "should be aware that by returning to work or other environments where distancing is not practical, they could carry the virus back home."
It also calls for the employers to allow employees to telework.
The plan also emphasizes that all individuals, when in public, should continue practice social distancing and should continue to minimize non-essential travel.
Phase Two, the guidelines state, apply to states and regions “with no evidence of a rebound” that “satisfy the gating criteria a second time.”
Under this phase, schools and activities like day care centers and camps can reopen and non-essential travel can resume. Visits to senior care facilities and hospitals, however, will remain prohibited.
The large venues, like restaurants, movie theaters and sporting venues, that were allowed to reopen in Phase One can remain open and are allowed to ease their physical distancing protocols to a “moderate” level.
Bars can begin operating with “diminished standing-room occupancy,” while gyms can remain open with “strict” distancing sanitation protocols, according to the plan.
Phase Three would then kick in for states and regions with “no evidence of a rebound” that “satisfy the gating criteria a third time.”
At that point, “vulnerable individuals” can resume public interactions but should practice social distancing, according to the guidelines. Low-risk populations should still “consider minimizing time spent in crowded environments.”
Only in Phase Three can worksites resume normal staffing protocols without restrictions, and visits to senior care facilities and hospitals can resume. People who interact with residents and patients must still remain “diligent regarding hygiene.” Under Phase Three guidelines, large venues can operate under “limited” social distancing protocols, gyms can remain open with “standard” sanitation protocols and bars can operate with “increased standing room occupancy.”
The White House views Trump's announcement on Thursday as guidance where “governors will have to make decisions what’s right for their individual states," a White House official told NBC News.
Some states may be able to move to the next phase before May 1, according to the official. In some states, governors will be able to open up some counties before others.
The guidelines, the official said, represent the “consensus of the medical professionals,” including Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator; Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government's top infectious disease expert; and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the head of the Food and Drug Administration.
Hours before the plan was released, Trump told governors that they'd have the power to make their own decisions.
“You’re going to call your own shots,” Trump said during a video conference Thursday afternoon in the Situation Room with governors, according to two people listening to the call. Earlier this week, he said had “total authority” to direct governors how and when to reopen.
A coordinated pull-back on the social distancing measures that have shuttered businesses across the country would, in effect, reopen parts of the economy.
As of Thursday, more than 32,000 people have died in the U.S. from the coronavirus. In addition, more than 22 million people have filed for unemployment insurance over the last four weeks, as the job market in every sector of the economy continued to be devastated by the pandemic.
NBC News reported earlier Thursday that the White House was circulating a draft plan to reopen the economy that would advise areas with low numbers of coronavirus infections to begin pulling back on social distancing measures after May 1, with harder-hit areas possibly having to wait an additional month or more.
Regions that can be the first to renew economic activity should have "limited transmission, ample public health and health system capacity," and they should be prepared to monitor the situation closely for a resurgence of infections, according to the 10-page document circulated to a new task force and shared with NBC News. The plan stopped short of giving specific metrics for how communities would know whether or when they fall into that category.
Areas identified as recovering hot spots, where the virus is circulating but contained, would likely have to wait to start bringing industries back online in phases, with child care facilities and schools among the first facilities to reopen so parents can return to work, the plan said.
Trump's announcement came as governors across the country have begun discussing plans to ease some of the restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
States across the Northeast and along the Pacific Coast launched separate regional pacts Monday to coordinate plans around how to open up and get their economies going again, while seven Midwestern states announced a similar pact Thursday.
However, governors and lawmakers on Capitol Hill, as well as business leaders, have stressed the need for greater testing capacity in order to truly begin easing social distancing restrictions. NBC News reported Thursday that the White House is currently exploring ways to increase testing so that localities could feasibly meet the president's May 1 timeline.
