Unemployed workers face choice between safety and money as states reopen

Americans may soon face a stark choice as more states begin to reopen their doors: Go back to work and risk catching the coronavirus, or stay home and lose unemployment aid.

As governors allow more businesses and retail stores to come back online, employers will begin calling back workers who had been laid off or furloughed and were eligible for unemployment benefits. If they refuse the offer to return to work out of fear for their health amid the pandemic, federal guidelines dictate that they will lose the aid that many have only just started to receive.

At the same time, if they do go back, they'll be returning to workplaces where safety precautions might be a patchwork at best. The Trump administration has so far declined to issue mandatory regulations at the federal level. The White House's plan for reopening the country advised employers to follow best practices like social distancing and wearing protective equipment, but experts say more detailed, science-based guidelines are needed to inform businesses across the country how to reopen their doors.