Analyses published about responses and plans to reopen during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

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Ballotpedia is providing comprehensive coverage on how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is affecting America's political and civic life. Our coverage includes how federal, state, and local governments are responding, and the effects those responses are having on campaigns and elections.

This page was updated from March 2020 through July 2020 and does not contain the latest commentary available. It no longer receives regular updates.

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This page contains links to articles, studies, and reports that provide analysis of the responses and plans to reopen by states and the federal government from initial March and April 2020 lockdowns.

In this article you will find:

* General analysis of responses and reopening plans
* Analysis of federal government responses and plans to reopen
* Analysis of state government responses and plans to reopen
* General resources

## Contents

* 1 Analysis of responses and plans to reopen
* 1.1 General analysis
* 1.2 Analysis of federal government responses and plans to reopen
* 1.3 Analysis of state government responses and plans to reopen
* 1.3.1 Alabama
* 1.3.2 Alaska
* 1.3.3 Arizona
* 1.3.4 Arkansas
* 1.3.5 California
* 1.3.6 Colorado
* 1.3.7 Connecticut
* 1.3.8 Delaware
* 1.3.9 Florida
* 1.3.10 Georgia
* 1.3.11 Hawaii
* 1.3.12 Idaho
* 1.3.13 Illinois
* 1.3.14 Indiana
* 1.3.15 Iowa
* 1.3.16 Kansas
* 1.3.17 Kentucky
* 1.3.18 Louisiana
* 1.3.19 Maine
* 1.3.20 Maryland
* 1.3.21 Massachusetts
* 1.3.22 Michigan
* 1.3.23 Minnesota
* 1.3.24 Mississippi
* 1.3.25 Missouri
* 1.3.26 Montana
* 1.3.27 Nebraska
* 1.3.28 Nevada
* 1.3.29 New Hampshire
* 1.3.30 New Jersey
* 1.3.31 New Mexico
* 1.3.32 New York
* 1.3.33 North Carolina
* 1.3.34 North Dakota
* 1.3.35 Ohio
* 1.3.36 Oklahoma
* 1.3.37 Oregon
* 1.3.38 Pennsylvania
* 1.3.39 Rhode Island
* 1.3.40 South Carolina
* 1.3.41 South Dakota
* 1.3.42 Tennessee
* 1.3.43 Texas
* 1.3.44 Utah
* 1.3.45 Vermont
* 1.3.46 Virginia
* 1.3.47 Washington
* 1.3.48 West Virginia
* 1.3.49 Wisconsin
* 1.3.50 Wyoming
* 2 General resources
* 3 See also
* 4 Footnotes

## Analysis of responses and plans to reopen[edit]

### General analysis[edit]

* The Case for Reopening Schools \- Wired, May 11, 2020
* Coronavirus Is Hitting Restaurants Hard, Even In States That Haven’t Shut Them Down \- FiveThirtyEight, March 19, 2020

### Analysis of federal government responses and plans to reopen[edit]

* Stimulus checks: Who gets one? Who doesn't? \- KTVA 11, March 30, 2020

### Analysis of state government responses and plans to reopen[edit]

#### Alabama[edit]

* Daily Coronavirus Cases in Alabama Triple Since Reopening, Surpass 1,000 New Infections in a Day for the First Time \- NewsWeek, June 15, 2020
* Update to COVID-19 in Alabama—new cases per day trending higher \- Bham Now, June 8, 2020
* Pandemic brings Alabama’s April unemployment rate to 12.9% \- FOX 10, May 22, 2020

#### Alaska[edit]

* COVID-19 cases go up as Alaska reopens \- The Northern Lights, June 16, 2020
* Mayor to businesses: We must adapt to operate while closed, not reopen \- KTVA 11, April 10, 2020

#### Arizona[edit]

* Coronavirus is making a comeback in Arizona three weeks after governor lifted stay-at-home order \- NBC News, June 10, 2020
* Number of hospital beds, doctors in Arizona are low compared with rest of U.S. \- AZ Central, March 15, 2020

#### Arkansas[edit]

* Pine Bluff named virus hot spot \- Arkansas Democrat Gazette, May 3, 2020

#### California[edit]

* Data: Most California districts would get more in federal aid than they’d lose in budget cuts for coronavirus \- Times-Herald, June 3, 2020
* California Governor Encouraged by Drop in ICU Placements \- NBC Bay Area, April 10, 2020
* COVID-19: How San Diego’s Hospitalization Rates Compare to Other California Counties \- NBC San Diego, March 27, 2020

#### Colorado[edit]

* Coronavirus rates for Colorado’s 10 most-populous counties \- The Denver Post," May 19, 2020

#### Connecticut[edit]

* COVID-19 infection rate under 5% after reopening; beach, swimming guidelines unveiled for Memorial Day weekend \- FOX 61, May 21, 2020

#### Delaware[edit]

* Hospitalizations down as Delaware reports 5 new COVID-19 deaths and 143 new cases Friday \- Delaware Online, May 22, 2020

#### Florida[edit]

* How does Florida rank in social distancing? GPS location data answers that question. \- Miami Herald, March 25, 2020
* How Florida slowed coronavirus: Everyone stayed home before they were told to \- Tampa Bay Times, May 10, 2020
* After reopening, Florida hasn’t seen a spike in coronavirus cases. Are we in the clear? \- Tampa Bay Times, May 28, 2020

#### Georgia[edit]

* Analysis: Georgia faring much worse than South Carolina in pandemic rates \- Savannah Morning News, June 16, 2020
* Why Georgia’s reopening hasn’t led to a surge in coronavirus cases (so far) \- Vox, June 4, 2020
* Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: Georgia COVID-19 cases pass 40K, deaths pass 1,700 \- Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 21, 2020

#### Hawaii[edit]

* Pandemic knocks out large sections of Hawaii's economy \- Associated Press, May 20, 2020

#### Idaho[edit]

* Idaho’s state parks have seen historic traffic during lockdown — but little social distancing \- The Columbian, May 22, 2020
* What does stage 2 of Idaho's reopening plan look like? \- KTVB, May 13, 2020
* Expert: Idaho Will Have to Be Smart to Defeat Coronavirus \- U.S. News, May 4, 2020
* Wondering what the coronavirus stay-home order in Idaho entails? Here are the guidelines \- Idaho Statesman, March 25, 2020

#### Illinois[edit]

* Illinois Has Most Coronavirus Restrictions In Country: Study \- Patch, May 19, 2020

#### Indiana[edit]

* IU, ISDH release preliminary findings about impact of COVID-19 in Indiana \- News at IUPUI, May 13, 2020
* United Way of Central Indiana Releases Analysis on Effect of COVID-19 on Human Services Sector \- United Way of Central Indiana, April 24, 2020

#### Iowa[edit]

* Comparison of Estimated Rates of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Border Counties in Iowa Without a Stay-at-Home Order and Border Counties in Illinois With a Stay-at-Home Order \- JAMA Network Open, May 15, 2020

#### Kansas[edit]

* Analysis: Is the Kansas Way Slowing COVID-19? \- Kansas Leadership Center Journal, March 26, 2020
* Coronavirus hits rural Kansas, Missouri. Many don't have a single hospital bed \- The Kansas City Star, March 21, 2020

#### Kentucky[edit]

* The Health 202: Only North Dakota and Kentucky meet federal criteria to reopen, new coronavirus tracker finds \- The Washington Post, May 14, 2020
* Kentucky's population among the most vulnerable to coronavirus, new report says \- Lexington Herald Leader, May 12, 2020

#### Louisiana[edit]

* Coronavirus claims 49,138 hotel-supported jobs in Louisiana \- The Center Square, May 21, 2020

#### Maine[edit]

* Maine’s economic fallout from coronavirus could be nation’s worst \- Portland Press Herald, April 26, 2020

#### Maryland[edit]

* Maryland shows higher risk for nursing home coronavirus outbreaks and deep racial disparities \- The Baltimore Sun, May 21, 2020

#### Massachusetts[edit]

* A new analysis: Coronavirus death rate surged in Massachusetts locations that already faced challenges \- The Boston Globe, May 9, 2020
* In educated and affluent Massachusetts, coronavirus cases surged. The decline has yet to come. \- The Washington Post, May 1, 2020

#### Michigan[edit]

* Coronavirus Deaths Were Likely Missed in Michigan, Death Certificates Suggest \- The Wall Street Journal, May 21, 2020]
* Michigan company maps data to analyze, predict spread of coronavirus \- M Live, April 20, 2020]

#### Minnesota[edit]

* Coronavirus claims 53,482 hotel-supported jobs in Minnesota \- The Center Square, May 20, 2020
* New York Times data analysis: Northfield-Faribault, Minn. area poised for largest COVID-19 spike \- Fox 9 KMSP, May 20, 2020

#### Mississippi[edit]

* Mississippi Gov OKs Business Grants From Virus Relief Fund \- U.S. News, May 20, 2020
* Coronavirus in Mississippi: 27 new deaths, 272 new cases reported Tuesday \- Clarion Ledger, May 19, 2020

#### Missouri[edit]

* Missouri COVID-19 cases increase during 2nd week after reopening \- KSHB Kansas City, May 25, 2020

#### Montana[edit]

* Montana's Unemployment Rate in April Reaches 11.3% \- U.S. News, May 22, 2020
* Montana's New Unemployment Claims Dropped Again Last Week \- U.S. News, May 21, 2020
* Montana to enter phase 2 of reopening plan. Here's what to expect. \- U.S. News, May 19, 2020

#### Nebraska[edit]

* Nebraska's coronavirus peak was projected to arrive by now, but it's probably still coming \- Live Well Nebraska, May 9, 2020

#### Nevada[edit]

* New coronavirus model shows Nevada is "low risk: for one reopening criteria, "medium" risk for two others \- The Nevada Independent, May 12, 2020

#### New Hampshire[edit]

* Analysis: As COVID-19 Outbreak Unfolds, N.H.'s Case Numbers Tell Just Part Of The Story \- New Hampshire Public Radio, March 24, 2020

#### New Jersey[edit]

* N.J. needs 75K coronavirus tests a day to reopen, analysis says. It’s running about 7K a day now, \- NJ.com, May 2, 2020

#### New Mexico[edit]

* How New Mexico Is Beating the Virus. \- The New York Times, May 1, 2020

#### New York[edit]

* The Richest Neighborhoods Emptied Out Most as Coronavirus Hit New York City \- The New York Times, May 15, 2020

#### North Carolina[edit]

* Four things North Carolina’s coronavirus data tells us — and what it doesn’t. \- North Carolina Health News, April 14, 2020

#### North Dakota[edit]

* North Dakota is 1 of only 9 states ready to safely reopen, Harvard study says \- Grand Forks Herald, May 7, 2020

#### Ohio[edit]

* Dataminr analysis predicts 3 Ohio counties will be next coronavirus hotspots \- Cleveland 19 News, May 1, 2020

#### Oklahoma[edit]

* COVID-19 tests surge, but short of recommendations \- The Journal Record, May 1, 2020

#### Oregon[edit]

* Dissecting Phase 1 of Gov. Brown's reopening plan for Oregon \- KGW, May 12, 2020

#### Pennsylvania[edit]

* Reopening Pennsylvania: What the red, yellow and green phases mean \- WPXI, May 14, 2020
* When will we reopen? How Pennsylvania decides what’s in the red, yellow, and green phases. \- The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 11, 2020

#### Rhode Island[edit]

* Rhode Island Reports 17 Percent Unemployment Rate In April \- Patch, May 22, 2020
* Raimondo: R.I. restaurants, hair salons, gyms can reopen June 1; coronavirus deaths hit 579 \- The Boston Globe, May 22, 2020

#### South Carolina[edit]

* People stayed home, prompting a plunge in gas tax collections that fund SC road projects \- The Post and Courier, May 19, 2020

#### South Dakota[edit]

* Governor Unveils Plan to Get South Dakota 'Back to Normal' \- U.S. News and World Report, April 28, 2020

#### Tennessee[edit]

* Tennessee businesses follow reopening guidelines \- WCYB 5, May 18, 2002

#### Texas[edit]

* Plans to reopen school in North Texas are taking shape \- WFAA, May 25, 2020
* Is there a plan to reopen North Texas businesses after coronavirus? They’re working on it \- Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 10, 2020

#### Utah[edit]

* Most of Utah will move to ‘yellow’ risk level for coronavirus. Here’s what that means. \- The Salt Lake Tribune, May 15, 2020

#### Vermont[edit]

* Why Vermont still isn't ready to welcome out-of-state visitors \- WCAX 3, May 22, 2020

#### Virginia[edit]

* Northern Virginia has met 4 of 6 reopening metrics, health officials say \- WTOP News, May 25, 2020

#### Washington[edit]

* Reopening phases in Washington state: When you can get a haircut, go to the gym, or eat at restaurants as coronavirus lockdowns are lifted \- The Seattle Times, May 22, 2020

#### West Virginia[edit]

* West Virginia takes counties off hotspot list; guides re-opening businesses \- The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, May 19, 2020

#### Wisconsin[edit]

* Wisconsin's high court said reopen. Did residents end self-quarantine amid coronavirus? \- USA Today, May 20, 2020

#### Wyoming[edit]

* Wyoming one of four states best positioned to begin reopening, analysis finds \- Casper Star Tribune, April 27, 2020

## General resources[edit]

The chart below shows coronavirus statistics from countries across the world. The information is provided by Real Clear Politics.

Click the links below to explore official resources related to the coronavirus outbreak.

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
* National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
* Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor
* U.S. Department of Education
* World Health Organization
* Trends in Number of COVID-19 Cases and Deaths in the US Reported to CDC, by State/Territory
* Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations, Our World in Data (Number of vaccines administered)
* Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker, New York Times (Progress of vaccine trials)

## See also[edit]

* Political responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
* Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020
* Changes to ballot measure campaigns, procedures, and policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020
* Federal Politics
* State Politics
* Local Politics

## Footnotes[edit]

v • e

Political responses to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020-2021

Overviews|

Overview • Changes to election dates and procedures • Newsletter: Documenting America's Path to Recovery • Newsletter: Roundup of weekly updates • Ballotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemic • Resources for citizens • Terms and definitions

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Articles by Type|

Federal policy responses • State government responses • Local government responses • Diagnosed or quarantined incumbents, candidates, and officials • State legislative session changes • State legislative responses • State executive orders •  Eviction and foreclosure policies • Travel restrictions • School responses (2021-2022) • School responses (2020-2021) • School responses (2019-2020) • State court closures • Stay-at-home order status • States that issued stay-at-home orders • States that did not issue stay-at-home orders • Changes to ballot measure campaigns and policies • Changes to vote-by-mail and absentee voting procedures • Initial key federal official responses • Arguments in support of and opposition to government responses • Lawsuits • Multistate agreements • Non-governmental plans to reopen • Unemployment filings • Analysis articles • Paycheck Protection Program • Mask requirements • School budget changes • State budgets • Federal definitions of essential and nonessential businesses • Federal aid to states • Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program • State emergency power authority • Changes to state emergency power authority • Municipal emergency power authority • Halloween guidelines • Vaccine distribution plans • State plans to end federal unemployment • Changes to emergency power laws • Active COVID-19 emergency orders • State vaccine requirement (vaccine passport) policies • Recalls related to the pandemic • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on school responses to the coronavirus • State employee vaccine requirements • Healthcare worker vaccine requirements

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State responses to coronavirus|

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

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State paths to recovery|

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

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State school responses|

Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

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Coronavirus debate topics|

Elections • Protests • Religious service restrictions • School closures  • State lockdown

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Coronavirus debate by state|

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