Governors across the nation have eased harsh restrictions related to the CCP virus or are planning to start soon.
Restaurants, bars, and breweries can reopen on May 11 with limited seating and other social distancing guidelines, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday.
Gyms and other athletic facilities can reopen, as can barber shops, salons, and other businesses where close contact is difficult to avoid.
The limit on gatherings was removed, opening the door to large church services.
Ivey let some businesses welcome back customers last month under an altered stay-at-home order.
Bars, theaters, and gyms can reopen in Anchorage on May 11, local officials said.
Statewide, the second phase of reopening on Friday saw so-called non-essential businesses like retailers and personal care services reopen with a capacity limit of 50 percent. Gyms and other fitness-related businesses reopened at 25 percent capacity along with bars, libraries, and museums.
Gatherings of up to 50 people are now allowed.
Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy allowed some sectors of the economy to begin reopening on April 24, including retailers, barbers, nail salons, and hairdressers.
Retailers were able to welcome customers inside on an expanded basis starting May 8, with some social distancing measures in place.
Restaurants can welcome customers inside for dine-in service starting May 11, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey said.
“We’re working closely with the industry, and they will have this week to prepare,” Ducey said at a press conference this week. “This is a safe and good option at this time, and they'll have a full week in which to prepare.”
Elective surgeries restarted on May 1.
Casinos can reopen on May 18 with a one-third capacity limit, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced on Thursday.
Large indoor venues such as bowling alleys and movie theaters were also slated to reopen then.
Restaurants, museums, and retailers remain closed for now.
Gyms, fitness centers, and athletic facilities started reopening on May 4, while barbershops, salons, tattoo parlors, and spas welcomed customers two days later.
State parks reopened on May 1.
Businesses deemed lower risk can reopen on May 8, including non-essential manufacturing, childcare facilities, and retailers for curbside pickup.
Offices and shopping malls will not reopen as of yet. Restaurants, which have remained open for takeout, delivery, and curbside service won’t be allowed to offer seated dining.
Guidelines for dine-in will be released on May 12, according to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Certain counties can move through the reopening phases faster than others but they must meet criteria such as a specific daily rate of new cases and have a readiness plan that’s available to the public.
Restaurants could reopen dine-in service by the end of the month, Democratic Gov. Jared Polis told reporters Friday.
“That all will be decided based on data that we don’t have yet,” he said during a press conference, adding that he doesn’t “have a crystal ball.”
Polis eased his stay-at-home order last month, letting retailers reopen with curbside service and real estate showings resume.
Barbershops, salons, and retailers welcomed customers back on May 1 while office work restarted at 50 percent capacity a few days later.
Denver was allowing businesses that opened elsewhere reopen on Saturday.
Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont on Friday released guidelines for businesses to reopen on May 20, when his extended stay-at-home order expires.
Personal care services can reopen then, along with retailers, offices, and restaurants.
Gyms and some other businesses will remain closed.
Primary schools won’t reopen for the rest of the school year while colleges and universities can start gradually reopening during the summer, Lamont said this week.
No date has been set for phase two of the reopening plan.
Retailers reopened on Friday with the ability to serve customers using curbside pickup. Jewelry stores reopened and were allowed to serve customers by appointment only. Personal care services were allowed to reopen but can only offer services to workers who are employed by businesses deemed essential.
Democratic Gov. John Carney eased the restrictions as he extended his stay-at-home order through the end of the month.
“All Delawareans—myself included—are ready to get our economy going again. But our response to COVID-19 has been driven by the science since day one and will continue to be driven by the science,” Carney said in a statement.
The relaxations were the first offered in the coastal state, where the governor had said officials needed to see a downward trend over two weeks of positive CCP virus cases and other metrics.
Carney has not decided on when beaches can reopen.
Phase one of reopening could start this month, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said in recent days, but she has resisted committing to a start date.
Bowser’s current stay-at-home order is slated to expire on May 15 but could be extended.
Officials have said the first phase will only start after three metrics show a sustained decline: new daily CCP virus cases, reports of flu-like illnesses, and new cases inside nursing homes.
“Until then, we have our stay-in-place order in place,” Bowser said on CNN.
“We all want to get back to work, church, school, and all of those things. But if we do it in a way that we can’t support with testing and contact tracing, we’re going to be back to square one,” she added to WUSA9.
Barber shops and salons can reopen in most of the state on May 11, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Friday.
Broward and Miami-Dade counties remain behind the rest of the state in the reopening plan because of high numbers of CCP virus cases.
Restaurants reopened at 25 percent capacity last week as phase one of the plan started. Retailers were able to welcome customers but must be at 25 percent capacity or lower. Bars, gyms, and personal service businesses remained closed.
Healthcare facilities were allowed to resume elective procedures.
A slew of businesses began reopening on April 24, including restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys as Republican Gov. Brian Kemp became one of the first governors in the nation to significantly relax a stay-at-home order.
Kemp allowed his order to expire on April 30 but extended a state of emergency until June, with some restrictions remaining in place.
Bars, nightclubs, amusement parks, and live performance venues are still closed, while older and “medically fragile” Georgians are still required to largely stay at home.
Officials have urged people to remain aware of the virus and social distancing guidelines.
Non-food agriculture businesses, auto dealerships, pet grooming services, childcare businesses, and repair services reopened on Thursday, along with retail and repair services in shopping malls and observatories.
Democratic Gov. David Ige noted that some municipalities are keeping some or all businesses closed, including Maui County.
Stores in that county have no reopening date.
“We are not out of the woods yet, but we are getting there,” Ige said at a press conference.
Reopening started recently in some areas with select businesses, including florists, allowed to reopen. Some local jurisdictions obtained permission to move ahead with reopening ahead of the rest of the state.
Ige’s stay-at-home order was extended last month to May 31. The altered order opened Hawaii’s beaches back up for exercise and allowed healthcare facilities to resume elective surgeries.
Public schools can welcome students back to buildings if criteria laid out by the state Board of Education on Monday is followed.
Nearly all businesses were allowed to reopen on May 1 after Republican Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order expired.
Ninety percent of businesses were allowed to reopen if owners wanted, according to Little’s office.
Houses of worship could also open, along with daycares, organized youth events, and camps.
Stage two of reopening is planned for May 16. That stage deals with restaurants, gyms, and personal care services like barbershops and salons.
“I want to reiterate that we can only progress through the stages if we demonstrate a downward decline in severe cases and meet other criteria,” Little said in a statement. “It is imperative that individuals take personal responsibility by limiting their exposure to others and maintaining good hygiene.”
Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Saturday said he wouldn’t heed calls to let restaurants and bars serve customers inside. Under his five-phase plan, that wouldn’t happen until at least June 26.
“It’s very difficult to socially distance as between a server and the food, the server, the food, and delivery of the food to the table,” Pritzker said. “It’s also difficult to even to seat people at tables the way they’re normally configured in a six foot distance.”
The Illinois Restaurant Association and a number of business owners want to expand service this month.
Pritzker’s stay-at-home order is in place through the end of May.
Phase two of the plan started May 1 as the order was altered to let some so-called non-essential businesses take customers’ orders and deliver them or have curbside pickup. Phase three could start on May 29.
Personal care businesses such as spas and barbershops can reopen on May 11 by appointment only. Restaurants and bars can welcome customers back inside but only at 50 percent capacity.
The reopenings are part of phase two of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb’s reopening plan.
Phase two started earlier this month with the reopening of retailers and commercial businesses, including any manufacturing companies deemed non-essential.
Phase three is slated for May 24.
Casinos likely won’t reopen until June 14, the Indiana Gaming Commission said Thursday.
That’s when phase four of the plan is scheduled.
Holcomb allowed his stay-at-home order to expire on May 1.
Dentist offices, campgrounds, drive-in movie theaters, tanning facilities, and spas reopened on May 8.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds let restaurants, fitness centers, and retailers in most counties reopen at 50 percent capacity on May 1.
She previously allowed the resumption of elective surgeries and for farmers’ markets to start back up on April 27.
“The reality is that we can’t stop the virus. It will remain in our communities until a vaccine is available. We must learn to live with that, without letting it govern our lives,” Reynolds said in an op-ed.
Phase one of reopening will last for at least another two weeks, Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Some businesses were allowed to resume operations on May 4.
Kelly said people should wear face masks or coverings when out and about and follow social distancing guidelines.
A slew of businesses remain closed, including bars, night clubs, non-tribal casinos, theaters, museums, fitness centers, gyms, salons, barbershops, and tattoo parlors.
The businesses, which can reopen in stage two, were not allowed to reopen because close contact “cannot be avoided,” the governor said.
Beshear’s ban applied to all mass gatherings, including religious services. The governor, a judge said, didn’t provide “a compelling reason for using his authority to limit a citizen’s right to freely exercise something we value greatly—the right of every American to follow their conscience on matters related to religion.”
Beshear said an expanded reopening will take place on May 11, with manufacturing, distribution, and supply chain companies; construction businesses; pet care grooming and boarding companies; and photography businesses able to resume operations.
Office work can restart at 50 percent capacity.
Beshear said that restaurants can resume dine-in service on May 22. Movie theaters and gyms can reopen by June 1, campgrounds can reopen by June 11, and childcare businesses and youth activities can resume on June 15.
Retailers were previously told they can resume business on May 20, as can churches with in-person services. Retailers can reopen on May 20. Barbers and salons can reopen on May 25.
Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards said he'll announce on May 12 whether the first phase of reopening will start soon.
Edwards has targeted May 16 for reopening, the day after his stay-at-home order expires.
Some officials are pushing for an earlier reopening.
Phase one will see retailers, personal care businesses, and houses of worship allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. Restaurants may be allowed to reopen but officials haven’t decided as of yet.
Stores were allowed to open for curbside delivery and restaurants were allowed to open outside areas for patrons to eat meals without tableside service on May 1.
Retailers can welcome customers inside in 12 counties with no community transmission of the CCP virus starting May 11, Gov. Janet Mills announced on Friday.
“With low case counts, no evidence of community transmission, and, now, expanded testing capacity, we believe it is appropriate to gradually lift some limitations on certain businesses in our rural counties with health and safety precautions to protect public health,” she said.
Businesses began reopening on May 1, including barbershops, hair salons, golf courses, state parks, auto dealerships, and car washes reopen on May 1.
Houses of worship were allowed to hold drive-in services and drive-in movie theaters were allowed to welcome customers.
Phase two of reopening for most of the state isn’t scheduled until June 1.
Mills, a Democrat, extended her stay-at-home order to May 31. The altered order requires everyone in the state who enters a public place where social distancing is hard to maintain wear a mask or face covering.
Phase one of reopening will start next week if downward trends in hospitalizations and intensive care patients continue, Republican Gov. Larry Hogan said on May 6.
“If these trends continue into next week, we will be ready to lift the stay-at-home order and begin stage one of our recovery plan,” the governor said at a press conference.
He said that certain businesses and community activities deemed lower risk will be allowed to resume.
Hogan last month unveiled a roadmap for recovery that includes details on reopening. Businesses will be put into groupings of low, medium, and high risk, with the low-risk ones being allowed to reopen first.
Outdoor activities like golfing, tennis, and boating can restart on Thursday morning, officials said Wednesday. Public schools, meanwhile, will be closed for the rest of the school year.
Gun shops could reopen Saturday after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction. Democratic Gov. Charlie Baker had designated gun stores non-essential.
Baker hasn’t relaxed restrictions but said he hopes to let some businesses reopen on May 18.
The goal “is to begin reopening certain types of businesses in a limited fashion, where it can be done more safely than under normal operations.”
“But this phased-in process can’t begin until we see sustained downward trends in many of the data elements that we talk about every day,” he said at a press conference.
Baker formed a reopening advisory board, which will provide a set of recommendations no later than May 18.
“It is crucial that we see this through,” Whitmer said at a press conference. “Letting our guard down now squanders all of the hard work we’ve put in up until now.”
Construction workers were able to return to work on May 7 along with workers at landscape companies, nurseries, and bike shops.
Auto supply companies and some other manufacturers can reopen on May 11 while General Motors and other car manufacturers can resume production the following Monday.
Whitmer said at the briefing that the state is in the third of a six-phased reopening strategy. The start date for the fourth phase hasn’t been set.
More testing is needed before more businesses can reopen, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz told Morning Edition on Friday.
“We’re shooting for a goal, very quickly, to be up to 20,000 tests a day in a state of 5.7 million. That ability to test, trace, and isolate is going to be a way to get on the other end of this.”
Walz’s extended stay-at-home order currently runs until May 18.
Walz’s altered order let retailers open for curbside pickup. Other businesses, primarily in industrial sectors, were also allowed to reopen.
Walz said May 4 that there’s no exact date for other businesses to reopen or fully reopen, including salons and restaurants.
Gyms, salons, and barbershops can reopen on May 11.
“We are not doing this because there is no risk in you going there,” Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said at a press conference. “There is risk every single time you leave your home.”
Social distancing limitations include keeping at least 6 feet between customers.
Restaurants were allowed to welcome customers inside on Thursday while retailers were allowed to reopen last month.
One of the widest reopenings in the country took place on May 4 as every business in the state was allowed to reopen as long as people abided by social distancing requirements, Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, said at a press conference.
The main requirement is keeping 6 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.”
St. Louis will remain under a stay-at-home order past May 4, Democratic Mayor Lyda Krewson said.
Gyms, movie theaters, and museums can reopen on May 15, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock said.
Restaurants and bars welcomed customers back inside on May 4.
Bullock let retailers and houses of worship reopen last month.
Students were allowed to return to schools on May 7, pending decisions by local school boards, in one of the earliest planned reopenings of schools in the nation.
RV camping at some state parks will be allowed May 20 but state-designated beach and swimming areas will remain closed, the state Game and Parks Commission said.
“The closure of designated beach and swimming areas managed by the agency was necessitated, in part, by recent incidents involving large gatherings and lack of social distancing at multiple state park venues,” it stated.
Restaurants in some areas of the state restarted dine-in service on May 4. Like most states, occupancy was limited to 50 percent.
Some other businesses were also allowed reopen by Gov. Pete Ricketts, a Republican, including hair salons and tattoo parlors. Health-related businesses were allowed to reopen or expand services, such as dental work and veterinary services.
“Just because we are able to relax some measures, does not mean life returns to normal,” Ricketts said at a briefing, urging people to follow social distancing guidelines.
Reopenings started on May 9 under an adjusted order from Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Restaurants, barber shops, hair salons, retailers, and car dealerships were able to reopen with limitations.
Sisolak previously extended his stay-at-home order through May 15 but altered restrictions to let retailers start conducting business via curbside pickup and delivery.
The slight relaxation lets people engage in outdoor activities like golf and tennis and attend drive-in services at houses of worship.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board said social distancing must be enforced in casinos when they reopen, including having no more than six players at tables.
Retailers, hair salons, golf courses, and barbershops can reopen on May 11.
Restaurants can serve customers at outside tables starting May 18.
Campgrounds, manufacturing businesses, and state parks reopened on May 1 while hospitals could resume elective procedures on May 4 as Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s stay-at-home order expired.
Several beaches reopened on May 8 but few restrictions have been relaxed apart from state and county parks being reopened.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said May 6 that he’s considering letting businesses reopen with strict limitations on service.
“That’s something we want to get to,” he told reporters. “But you look at the progress we’re making, that’s because people are staying home. They’re not going out. And that’s the sort of still guiding principle here.”
Murphy on Monday said schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year.
The governor recently released a six-point plan aimed at reopening but his stay-at-home order will remain in effect “until further notice,” with no modifications until some conditions are met, including a sustained drop in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over two weeks.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said Tuesday that so-called essential workers in grocery stores and restaurants, among other businesses, will be required to wear masks while working.
Grisham previously let retailers open for curbside pickup and delivery. Restaurants have remained open, though dine-in service has been barred.
Grisham’s altered stay-at-home order also allowed gun stores to reopen for sales by appointment, pet service businesses and golf courses to welcome customers, and state parks to reopen for day use.
She previously extended her stay-at-home order through “at least” May 15.
But if things go well, the governor plans to let restaurants, gyms, salons, and some other establishments begin to reopen as soon as the middle of May.
Regions with few cases can reopen on May 16, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
Some retailers will be allowed to reopen in phase one with curbside pickup.
Other areas will remain under lockdown, likely including New York City.
Retail stores deemed non-essential, such as clothing and sporting good stores, were allowed to welcome customers inside on May 8.
“We have to keep taking precautions to keep people safe, but at the same time, we know we can’t stay at home forever,” Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said at a press conference.
Childcare services will be allowed to resume operations but only for children of parents who are working or looking for work.
Summer day camps can start but overnight ones cannot.
Phase two, slated for two or three weeks later, would see a limited reopening of restaurants and bars to inside service and the reopening of public playgrounds.
Further reopening would be at least one month down the road.
Restaurants, gyms, and personal care businesses were allowed to reopen on May 1.
Restaurants must limit occupancy to 50 percent of normal capacity, allow 6 feet of spacing between groups, and limit 10 people per table, according to guidance from the state government.
Other workplaces also face social distancing restrictions.
Guidelines for recreation centers, athletic centers, music venues, and theaters will be issued soon, according to Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican.
Salons, barbershops, and spas can reopen on May 15 along with outdoor dining at restaurants and bars, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced.
Restaurants and bars can offer dine-in service on May 21, he said.
DeWine allowed manufacturing, construction, and distribution businesses to reopen on May 4, along with some office work, under his altered stay-at-home mandate.
Medical providers like dentists were allowed to resume non-essential surgeries last week.
Retailers can reopen on May 12.
Phase two of reopening will likely start on May 15, Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said on May 6.
Phase one started last month with the reopening of barbershops and other personal care businesses.
Restaurants, malls, and other stores began reopening on May 1.
Phase two will see nonessential travel resume as well as the resumption of organized sports.
Bars will be allowed to operate with limited occupancy and funerals and weddings can happen again.
Childcare businesses and summer camps can reopen on May 15, Democratic Gov. Kate Brown announced on Thursday.
“I’ve prioritized opening these sectors because child care is absolutely essential to allowing parents to get back to work and because education is the bedrock of our society,” Brown told reporters.
She also said that counties with few COVID-19 cases can enter phase one of reopening that day. Retailers can reopen under social distancing guidelines.
State parks reopened on May 5 and ski resorts were reopening soon. Elective procedures started earlier this month.
Wolf’s plan designates counties as red, yellow, or green. Red means counties still have a high number of new daily CCP virus cases and other metrics showing little improvement during the pandemic.
He’s allowed 48 counties to move from red to yellow and listed 13 others will transition on May 15.
Leaders in Dauphin and Lebanon counties said they plan on reopening in the coming days. “Enough is enough. It is time to reopen the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and return our state to the people (as prescribed by our Constitution) and not run it as a dictatorship,” Jeff Haste, the Chairman of the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners, said in a letter to Wolf.
As of May 9, so-called nonessential retail stores can reopen, offices can reopen with capacity limits, and hospitals can resume elective surgeries.
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo lifted her stay-at-home order as Rhode Island became the first New England state to ease restrictions.
Churches and other houses of worship can hold services with five or fewer people and funerals can resume with up to 10 people.
Employers will have to screen employees and send those who are sick home. They must also require workers to wear face masks if social distancing cannot be ensured.
Beaches and restaurants will not reopen until the second phase of the plan, which has not been set. Raimondo previously reopened state parks.
Residents must wear a mask or face covering in indoor and outdoor public places, under an executive order that goes into effect Friday.
Restaurants across the state can offer dine-in service starting May 11, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster said Friday.
A reopening date still hasn’t been set for so-called close-contact businesses like barbershops, gyms, and salons.
McMaster plans to announce on Monday a decision on reopening those.
Restaurants throughout the state were allowed to provide outdoor service on top of the takeout, curbside pickup, and delivery services they were already providing when McMaster lifted his stay-at-home order on Monday.
Some businesses began reopening on April 20, one of the earliest reopenings in the nation.
Most beaches in the state are open again.
Any business that wanted to could reopen, Republican Gov. Kristi Noem announced in late April.
The state issued guidance on occupancy limits and employee screenings.
Schools were allowed to host small groups of students to “check in” with them before the end of the school year.
“The plan I am unveiling today continues to put the power of decision-making into the hands of the people—where it belongs. Today’s plan relies on South Dakotans continuing to exercise common sense, reasonableness, innovation, and a commitment to themselves, their families, and—in turn—their communities,” Noem said in a statement.
Bowling alleys, golf facilities, and other similar businesses were resuming operations on Friday.
The vast majority of businesses in most areas of the state were allowed to reopen on May 1 as Republican Gov. Bill Lee let his stay-at-home order expire.
Salons and barbershops were allowed to reopen on May 6.
Some counties were keeping businesses closed, including Davidson County, which includes Nashville.
“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.”
Salons, barbers, and tanning businesses were resuming operations on May 8.
Gyms and bars can reopen as soon as May 18, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday.
Abbott previously let restaurants, malls, movie theaters, and retailers reopen and serve customers inside their buildings.
Abbott’s stay-at-home order expired on April 30.
Restaurants started serving customers inside stores on May 1. Gyms, salons, and some other establishments were also allowed to reopen.
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert also loosened restrictions to allow gatherings of up to 20 people.
“This is a good news day for us today, as we transition from red to orange. And it only happens because of the spirit of collaboration and cooperation, which we have uniquely so in the state of Utah, the public-private partnerships, everybody working together,” Herbert said at a press conference.
Some national parks in the state planned to reopen for day use starting Tuesday, including Capitol Reef National Park.
Golf courses, tennis courts, and other outside recreation facilities reopened on May 7.
Gatherings of up to 10 people will also be allowed. Elderly people shouldn’t attend those gatherings.
Construction, distribution, and transportation companies with fewer than 10 people were allowed to resume operations by Republican Gov. Phil Scott on May 4.
Scott let “low-contact” businesses reopen last month if they had no more than two staff members.
The businesses can return to full operations on May 11.
Elective care procedures have been allowed to resume.
Phase one of reopening, targeted for May 15, will let retailers labeled nonessential reopen at 50 percent capacity.
Restaurants can open outdoor seating and gyms can open outdoor spaces at 50 percent capacity. Houses of worship can welcome congregants at the same capacity limits.
Salons, barbershops, and other personal care businesses can reopen but can serve customers by appointment only.
Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam on May 4 extended his stay at home order through May 14, but said he hopes to enter phase one of his reopening plan on May 15.
Phase one will last up to four weeks or even longer, according to state officials. Phases two and three are projected to last about three weeks each.
Retailers can reopen with curbside pickup, Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee said Friday.
Car dealerships, car washes, and mobile pet services were allowed to resume operation on May 5 under Inslee’s altered stay-at-home order, which runs through the end of the month.
Hunting, fishing, golf, boating, and hiking are also now allowed.
Inslee said last week that smaller counties can apply to his administration to reopen faster than counties that have been hit harder by the CCP virus.
Phase two will see any manufacturing businesses that were forced to close reopen as well as letting all other construction companies, domestic services, retailers, and real estate companies resume operations.
Personal care services like barbershops can also resume operations while restaurants can welcome customers back inside with capacity limits.
Drive-in movie theaters and wellness centers can reopen on Monday under phase three of Republican Gov. Jim Justice’s reopening plan.
Justice signed an executive order allowing the businesses to resume operations after state officials said they watched for days data on the number of cases and hospitalizations.
Phase four is slated to start on May 18.
Restaurants started offering outdoor dining service earlier in May. Small businesses with fewer than 10 employees were authorized to reopen.
Hospitals were allowed to resume elective procedures in April.
State officials on Friday released guidance to businesses on how to reopen safely but dates for further reopenings weren’t set by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Few restrictions have been eased after Evers directed Andrea Palm, the state Department of Health secretary, to extend the stay-at-home order to May 26.
Some so-called nonessential businesses like pet groomers and repair shops were allowed to offer curbside drop-offs and pickups last month and some state parks reopened on May 1.
Evers and Palm were sued by lawmakers over the stay-at-home order, which has been described by some as draconian and a violation of constitutional rights.
Evers has said he won’t relax most restrictions until Wisconsin sees 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.
People entering from another state won’t have to quarantine themselves for two weeks as the order that mandated they do so expired on May 8.
Republican Gov. Mark Gordon made the announcement Thursday. Restaurants and bars can resume dine-in service soon, he added.
Fishing license sales were resuming on May 9
Gyms, barbershops, salons, and tattoo parlors started reopening on May 1.
Day cares also welcomed children back while hospitals resumed elective surgeries.
An order limiting public gatherings to no more than nine people was extended through mid-May while state campgrounds won’t be open until May 15.
