As the rate of new infections and deaths from the coronavirus slowed in parts of the country on Monday, some local governments began to ease stay-at-home restrictions while others pleaded with residents to stay put amid scattered protests in support of reopenings.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, warned Americans against trying too quickly to return to normal.

“It’s going to backfire,” Fauci said in an interview on “Good Morning America.” “That’s the problem.”

This week, Texas state parks reopened, as did beaches in South Carolina, both with physical distancing rules in place. But in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Monday that although the state appears to be moving past the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the possibility of “horrifically high” death rates remains if restrictions ease too fast.

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