Residents in about half of US states have begun emerging from home confinement while California and New York held fast to business closures and other restrictions imposed in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
State governors have been under pressure from citizens agitating for relief from the restrictions as US Department of Labour data this week showed some 30 million Americans have sought unemployment benefits since March 21.
Texas on Friday began a phased-in reopening of businesses shuttered more than a month ago, with restaurants, retail stores and malls allowed to open at 25 per cent capacity. A second phase is planned for May 18 if infection rates continue to decline.
Across Texas, major employers were putting plans in place to bring staff back to their offices.
Georgia has so far gone farthest toward reopening its economy, with nearly every business in the state free to reopen on Friday. The move by Republican Governor Brian Kemp is being watched by the federal government and other states to see if the number of cases in Georgia surge.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia rose to 27,270 on Friday, according to the state Department of Public Health, an increase of more than 1,000 from Thursday.
President Donald Trump added to the pressure on governors on Friday, urging Michigan's Democratic governor, Gretchen Whitmer, to compromise with activists who have protested her request to extend emergency powers to combat COVID-19.
"The Governor of Michigan should give a little, and put out the fire. These are very good people, but they are angry. They want their lives back again, safely! See them, talk to them, make a deal," Mr Trump tweeted.
A woman wearing a face mask as required state order during the COVID-19 pandemic, shops at Walmart Supercenter in Brooklyn, NY. Source: Anthony Behar/Sipa USA
California has also seen protests over Governor Gavin Newsom's sweeping stay-at-home orders, which remain fully in place, and a crack-down on beach goers who have defied those restrictions.
Newsom struck a conciliatory tone on Friday, telling Californians that the state may be only days away from lifting some of the rules but that residents needed to stay strong in the meantime.
Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York, which has led the country in coronavirus deaths, said on Friday that all state schools, colleges and universities would remain closed for the remainder of the academic year due to the pandemic.
Washington State, where Seattle was an early hot spot for the virus, extended its lockdown to May 31, Governor Jay Inslee announced.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top pandemic adviser to Trump, said earlier this week he was concerned about states and communities reopening ahead of a timeline recommended by the White House.
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