Governors across the nation ordered lockdowns in March to try to curb the spread of the CCP virus. Some are extending the orders, others are planning when and how to reopen, and some are already reopening.
Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, said on April 28 that her stay-at-home order will expire on April 30, shifting to a safer at home order.
Retailers will be allowed to welcome customers inside and state beaches can reopen while elective procedures can resume.
Other businesses, including restaurants, salons, and gyms, aren’t being allowed to reopen as of yet.
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a stay-at-home order on March 27. Some sectors began reopening on April 24, including restaurants offering dine-in service.
New guidelines also allowed retail stores like barbers, nail salons, and hairdressers to reopen.
Depending on how phase one goes, more businesses will be allowed to reopen, Dunleavy told reporters on April 23. “We cannot hunker down indefinitely,” Dunleavy said. “We are fully prepared that if there is a spike, there is an outbreak, a cluster, that we get on that very quickly.”
The governor also eased restrictions on travel within the state, issuing an order that allows intrastate travel for outdoor recreation. Groups as large as 20 can go on day trips but individuals were asked to maintain distance between themselves and people they don’t live with.
Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, issued a stay-at-home order in late March. The order is currently in place until April 30.
Restrictions could continue past that date, Ducey said at a press conference on April 21. He said his decision will depend on data regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier that week, Ducey announced elective surgeries can restart on May 1.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican, hasn’t issued a stay-at-home order. He’s put into place a number of other measures that restrict people’s movement and business activity.
Some businesses will likely be able to reopen on May 4, the governor has said. Hutchinson eased restrictions for hospitals and clinics on April 22, announcing they can soon resume some procedures deemed non-essential.
“We are moving in the right direction,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “I am encouraged with the trends we are seeing. If we stay on target, our desire and intent is to start lifting restrictions. But we’re going to be watching the data every day. We’re going to take it a step at a time.”
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Californians to stay at home except for so-called essential trips in mid-March. He has kept the restrictions in place with no stated end date.
Newsom lashed out at an April 27 press conference at people who went to some reopened beaches over the weekend, saying: “Those images are an example of what not to see, people, what not to do if we’re going to make the meaningful progress that we’ve made in the last few weeks extend into the next number of weeks.”
“I cannot impress upon you more, to those Californians watching, that we can’t see the images like we saw, particularly on Saturday in Newport Beach and elsewhere, in the state of California,” he added.
Newsom is leading the second-largest compact of states coordinating their reopening decisions. Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, and Washington state are part of the group.
Some local jurisdictions have or are loosening restrictions, including the counties of Yolo, Mendocino, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, and Lake.
Democratic Gov. Jared Polis’ stay at home order shifted on April 27 to a phase called Safer-at-Home featuring relaxed restrictions, including allowing real estate showings to resume and curbside retail sales to start.
Some businesses can reopen under restrictions on May 1 and some office work can resume on May 4.
“I want to reiterate, the Safer-at-Home phase is not going back to life as normal. It’s not a major adjustment from where we have been,” Polis said in a statement. “Safer-at-Home means most Coloradans should continue to limit social interactions to the greatest extent possible to just individuals in your household and wear facial masks when you are out.”
Gov. Ned Lamont issued a stay-at-home order in March. The Democrat is part of a compact led by New York; the group is coordinating a regional reopening plan.
Lamont on April 27 said he and a committee he formed would start laying out a phased reopening plan in the weeks leading up to May 20.
The governor called May 20 “a big date,” saying the state would have more testing capacity, a better idea of what the infection rate is in different parts of the state, and more personal protective equipment.
“I’m looking at Georgia. I’m looking at Oklahoma. I’m looking at those states where I think they opened up prematurely, especially those types of places where it’s impossible to socially distance,” Lamont said. “I keep that in mind as we figure what is the phased way that we can get our state back to work, but only if we do it in a safe way.”
Reopening wouldn’t start, he said, citing federal guidelines, until the state sees two weeks of declining symptoms and presumed positive cases as well as the ability to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals without crisis care.
The number of new cases has only dropped once in recent days, meaning the state is at least two weeks from reopening.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, issued a stay-at-home order on April 1, one of the last in the nation to do so. The current order is set to expire on April 30.
DeSantis recently allowed local officials to reopen beaches across the state but has not identified a date when businesses can begin to reopen.
“We are deliberately going to be very methodical, slow and data-driven on this because I think people want to have confidence things are going in a good direction,” he told reporters on April 27.
DeSantis was scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday morning.
A slew of businesses began reopening on April 24, including restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who ordered residents to largely stay at home in March, significantly loosened his order but it is still in place until April 30.
Kemp cited the declining number of CCP virus cases in the state as part of his rationale for beginning to reopen, along with expanded testing for new cases.
Ige extended the order until May 31 on April 26.
“This was not an easy decision. I know this has been difficult for everyone. Businesses need to reopen. People want to end this self-isolation and we want to return to normal,” Ige said in a statement. “But this virus is potentially deadly, especially for the elderly and those with pre-existing conditions.”
Ige hasn’t said when the state will reopen but some local jurisdictions have eased restrictions, including Honolulu.
Little’s original order remains in effect through April 30 but he plans to soon let houses of worship open, along with daycares, organized youth events, and camps.
The first phase of the plan is slated to start on May 1.
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker said on April 23 he was extending his stay-at-home order, due to expire on May 1, through the end of May.
The altered order requires all residents above the age of 2 to wear a mask or face covering when in public places, unless people can’t “medically tolerate” such a covering.
The order also eased some restrictions, allowing state parks to reopen and letting so-called non-essential businesses take customers’ orders online or by phone and deliver them or have curbside pickup.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, extended his stay-at-home order on April 20 through May 1.
The modified mandate lets hospitals begin conducting non-emergency procedures and states clearly that nurseries, garden centers, and some other businesses can open or stay open. Most restrictions stayed in effect.
“I want to thank Hoosiers in every corner of our state who have stayed socially-distanced and hunkered down. Lives are being saved, and we’re slowing the spread,” Holcomb said in a statement. “Continuing the course at this time is essential to flattening the curve while we also prepare to safely reopen Indiana for business.”
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds said April 27 that restaurants, fitness centers, and retailers in most counties can open at 50 percent capacity starting Friday.
Churches and other houses of worship will also be allowed to operate under limited conditions.
Reynolds previously allowed the resumption of elective surgeries and for farmers markets to start back up on April 27.
Reynolds is among the governors who refrained from issuing a stay-at-home order but she did implement a number of other measures.
Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who issued a stay-at-home mandate in March, said at a briefing on April 23 that she hopes to reopen the state on May 3, when her order is set to expire.
Kelly said in a court document that she is finalizing plans for loosening restrictions on May 4.
She told reporters on April 27 that she would announce detailed plans by Thursday.
Phase one of Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s reopening plan started on April 27.
Dentists, chiropractors, and other medical businesses were allowed to take appointments not designated as emergencies provided they don’t let people wait inside and screen them before they enter.
Phase one focuses on healthcare but other businesses will be allowed to reopen sometime in the future. The next announcement will be made on May 11, the governor said on April 27.
The stay-at-home order from Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards was slated to expire on May 1 but he extended the order until May 15 on April 27.
Edwards said the first phase of reopening will start on May 16.
Retailers, personal care businesses, and houses of worship will be allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. Restaurants may be allowed to reopen but officials aren’t yet sure.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said during a press briefing on April 23 that her stay-at-home rules would slowly be eased, stressing things shouldn’t happen too fast.
“While we all dream of going back to the way things were, we have to face the hard truth that the coronavirus continues to be a threat and that life will not return to normal soon,” Mills said. Instead, we have to invent a new normal—a different way of doing business, shopping, traveling, and recreating that keeps all of us safe.”
Mills’s order remains in effect through May 1. She plans to announce a reopening plan on April 28.
“As we begin to reopen, it will continue to be important for Marylanders, particularly older and more vulnerable Marylanders, to continue to stay home as much as they can,” Hogan said in a statement. “All Marylanders should continue to avoid crowds and gatherings, and they should continue to practice physical distancing and to take precautions to protect themselves, their families, and their fellow Marylanders.”
The four building blocks to recovery, according to the plan, are expanding testing capacity, increasing the capacity of hospitals to handle possible surges in CCP virus patients, boosting the supply of personal protective equipment like surgical masks, and rolling out an operation for tracing the contacts of people who test positive for COVID-19.
Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who issued a stay-at-home mandate last month, is part of the compact led by New York.
On April 28, he extended his stay at home order to May 18.
“Until we start to see some of that kind of information, the peaking of the surge and the move in the other direction for some sustained period of time, we’re not going to be interested in reopening anything,” Baker said in a press conference on April 24.
The amended order requires people to wear masks or other face coverings while in grocery stores and other indoor spaces while easing some restrictions on businesses, allowing landscape companies, nurseries, and bike shops, among others, to reopen.
Whitmer told reporters on April 27 that construction workers will be able to return to work within the next week or two. Her administration is working on details for reopening for industrial sectors.
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz allowed some businesses to reopen on April 27.
Walz, who issued a stay-at-home mandate in March, said the move will allow 80,000 to 100,000 residents to return to work in industrial, manufacturing, and office settings that generally don’t involve direct interactions with customers or the general public.
As many as 20,000 businesses will reopen, according to the governor’s office.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who issued a shelter-in-place mandate on April 1, allowed most businesses to reopen starting April 27 if they follow social distancing guidelines.
Retail businesses started to welcome customers back inside. Store owners must adhere to limits on the number of shoppers.
Some businesses weren’t allowed to reopen, including movie theaters, bars, museums, gyms, and spas.
Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican who extended his stay-at-home order through May 3, is looking at reopening businesses on May 4.
Parson announced his plan on April 27, saying all businesses can reopen next Monday provided business owners and residents follow social distancing requirements.
The main requirement is keeping six feet distance between an individual and people they don’t live with.
“We are successfully flattening the curve,” Parson said. “With the help of all Missourians, our plan is working. The health care system is not overwhelmed and we are winning the battle.”
Businesses started reopening on April 27 after Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who issued a stay-at-home order in March, announced a phased reopening plan on April 22.
Retailers can open if they adhere to social distancing requirements, while houses of worship were allowed to open on April 26 with similar measures in place.
“There are very few states in the country that can say they have seen the number of positive cases decline over these past weeks. Montana can say that because, together, we have made that decline in cases possible,” Bullock said in a statement.
Dine-in restaurants and bars will be allowed to open their doors on May 4 but will be required to operate at 50 percent capacity and have plans to keep customers at appropriate distances. Students can return to schools on May 7, pending decisions by local school boards.
Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, did not issue a stay-at-home order, though he put into place other measures.
Ricketts said April 24 that restaurants in some areas of the state can reopen dine-in service by May 4. Some other businesses can reopen, including hair salons and tattoo parlors.
Ricketts is easing some other restrictions, including allowing some health-related businesses to reopen or expand service, including dental work and veterinary services.
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak said late April that his stay at home mandate would be relaxed to let gyms, some restaurants, and a selection of outpatient facilities reopen, but he declined to give a date on when that would happen.
Sisolak said at a briefing that it would depend on how fast the state can ramp up testing for the CCP virus.
The governor said on April 26: “No one wants to reopen more than I do. I’d love to tell you it’s April 30, through May 5, or May 15, or whatever that date is. In good conscience, I can’t give you an arbitrary date that I can’t commit that I think we have a good chance of reaching.”
Sisolak on Monday announced the joining of California’s regional compact.
Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, issued a stay-at-home order in late March. He extended the state’s state of emergency on April 24 for another 21 days.
Sununu hasn’t outlined definite plans for reopening and said this week he might extend the stay-at-home order past May 4, when it’s currently set to expire.
Like many governors, Sununu has a task force analyzing how best to reopen and when to start to do so.
Presiding over one of the largest outbreaks in the nation, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy on April 27 released a six-point plan.
But Murphy’s stay at home order will remain in effect “until further notice,” with no modifications, until some conditions are met, according to the plan.
Murphy wants to see an “appreciable and sustained drop in” new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over two weeks as well as a boosted tested capacity, a strong contact tracing effort, places designated for isolation and quarantine, and a further build-up of medical resources.
One point of the plan calls for a commission to advise on how to reopen the state’s economy.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham recently extended her stay at home order through “at least” May 15.
“We’re not ready to ease up,” she said in a statement. “I want to be crystal clear: While we’re making progress, we are not yet out of the woods. We will not be able to reopen everything on May 16. The virus will not be gone on May 16. The pandemic will not be over. There is no magical date.”
The governor has a task force analyzing how to reopen the economy. It met for the first time on April 24.
The mayor of Grants allowed small businesses to reopen on April 27.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, said April 26 that upstate could begin to reopen on May 15 when the stay at home orders are slated to expire.
Cuomo, the leader of a compact on reopening, said April 27 that he will extend the orders for some parts of the state, primarily New York City and its environs. Other areas will see restrictions loosened.
If reopening isn’t done well, the state will see the number of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths begin to rise sharply again, he warned.
New York has the most cases and deaths in the nation; the bulk of the outbreak is in the city, which has a population of some 8.5 million.
Phase one would let some businesses reopen, such as clothing stores, houseware stores, and book stores. Parks would also reopen.
Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican who didn’t issue a stay-at-home order, said on April 15 that some businesses can reopen as soon as May 1.
Burgum said on April 23 that businesses in the agriculture, energy, and health fields are welcome to reopen at any time, along with education businesses that can carry out learning online.
Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, ordered people to stay at home in March. DeWine is letting healthcare reopen or expand services on May 1, and manufacturing, construction, and distribution businesses on May 4, along with some office work.
Retailers can reopen on May 12.
The governor said April 27 that he’s not sure when salons, restaurants, bars, and other businesses can start serving customers again. Like many states, Ohio is allowing restaurants and bars to serve carry-out and delivery during the pandemic, but has barred dine-in service.
Some businesses began reopening on April 24 under a directive announced by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on April 22.
Hair salons, barbershops, and several other groups of businesses can open on Friday but can only serve customers who make appointments as they adhere to social distancing restrictions.
Other businesses will be allowed to reopen on May 1.
Gov. Kate Brown, a Democrat who is part of a compact led by Newsom, issued an early shelter-in-place order in March that was later extended.
Brown announced April 23 that she was lifting her order blocking non-urgent procedures for health care providers, effective May 1. A larger reopening plan is still in the works.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, part of Cuomo’s compact, said he’s targeting a reopening starting May 8, nearly two months after he issued a stay-at-home order.
The governor also said that starting May 1, golf courses, marinas, guided fishing trips, and privately owned campgrounds may reopen statewide.
“As the weather warms and daylight lengthens, enjoying time outdoors is an important way to manage stress,” Wolf said in a statement. “As we start to take measured, limited steps to reopen our commonwealth, reopening these industries will help to rebuild our economy and strengthen our mental health.”
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo is hopeful about beginning to lift her quarantine on May 9.
“It’s not going to be a flick of a switch,” Raimondo warned at a press conference on April 27. “This is an adaptive recovery. We’re going to be doing a bit of a dance during the next 12 months.”
Phase one will see a number of businesses and some social activity resume with some limitations remaining in place, such as a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. The phase will include pilots of seated dining, including outdoor dining.
Six benchmarks must be met for businesses to reopen, Raimondo has said, including a slowing of new cases, plans for social distancing in companies and houses of worship that open their doors, and plans to shut down portions of the economy in the future if an outbreak occurs.
The move was made in part to mitigate “the significant economic and other impacts and burdens on individuals, families, and businesses and providing appropriate flexibility and relief to facilitate the same,” according to the amended order.
Republican Gov. Kristi Noem, who implemented some measures but no stay-at-home mandate, said on April 20 that a group of medical experts would create a plan for reopening.
Noem said on April 27 during an interview with Fox News that she hopes to reopen Smithfield Foods’ plant in Sioux Falls in the coming days. A CCP virus outbreak there prompted a closure.
Rapid City, one of the state’s largest cities, said April 23 it had a reopening plan. Its city council is scheduled to vote on April 27 to approve or reject the plan.
Restaurants began reopening under amended social distancing guidelines on April 27, per a directive from Republican Gov. Bill Lee.
Lee said on April 20 that his stay-at-home order wouldn’t be extended past April 30.
“The most important thing to me is that people can get back to work and businesses can begin to reopen,” Lee told reporters last week. “The economic difficulty that’s been created by this, it has been devastating to our state, and the sooner we can begin to change that picture, the better.”
Abbott is letting restaurants, malls, movie theaters, and retailers serve customers inside their buildings starting on May 1.
Some occupancy restrictions and other limitations will remain in place as the governor lets his order expire on April 30.
“We’re not just going to open up and hope for the best. Instead, we will put measures in place that will help businesses open while also containing the virus and keeping Texas safe,” Abbott said at a press conference.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, who did not issue a stay-at-home mandate, said on April 17 that restaurants, gyms, and parks would start reopening in the coming weeks.
Herbert told reporters April 24 that restaurants, gyms, and some other businesses could be allowed to reopen as soon as May 1.
“I want the people to know that as soon as possible I plan to change the risk category for much of the state from red to orange as early as the end of next week,” Herbert said.
Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, issued an addendum to his stay-at-home order on April 20, announcing some “low contact” businesses could reopen if they had no more than two staff members.
“We’re seeing some promising results and continue to trend below even the best-case scenarios predicted in recent forecasting,” Scott said in a statement. “What these trends also show is that with the right precautions, we can take small steps to get more Vermonters back to work and avoid a spike in cases that would put lives at risk.”
Work crews could also resume on April 27 if they have five or fewer people and their jobs are outdoors. Teams are also allowed to manufacture and construct if the spaces they’re in are unoccupied.
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam issued a stay-at-home order on March 30 that is in effect until June 10, the longest time period of any state.
Northam shared a road map of how reopening would work during a press conference on April 24.
Phase one won’t start until officials see a 14-day downward trend in confirmed COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Inslee on April 27 said some outdoor activities can resume on May 5, including fishing, hunting, and golf.
“This is not a return to normal today,” Inslee said at a press conference. “The virus is too rampant to allow that.”
Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican who did not issue a stay-at-home order, on April 20 issued an executive order allowing hospitals to resume elective procedures.
During a press conference on April 27, Justice released a six-week reopening process that would see rules loosened if the state’s rate of new confirmed cases stays below 3 percent for three days.
If the goal is met, many businesses will be allowed to reopen in early May, including barbershops, nail salons, and restaurants.
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who issued a stay-at-home order in March, unveiled a plan on April 20 for reopening the state.
“The state will be looking for a downward trajectory of influenza-like illnesses and COVID-19 symptoms reported within a 14-day period, and a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14-day period,” according to a statement from Evers’ office.
Evers on April 27 said the state still needs to boost testing capacity, obtain more equipment like masks, and have additional contact tracing capability in place before starting to reopen.
The least populous state in the nation, among those that didn’t issue a stay-at-home order, will be relaxing other measures put into place soon, Gov. Mark Gordon said on April 23.
The Republican said barbershops, cosmologists, and gyms will probably be able to reopen in the coming days under a modified order the state’s health officer will issue next week.
