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    Local government responses to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

    From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 7 min


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    Responses by state



    Tens of thousands of local government entities issued policy changes in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Local government offices and services were limited or closed. Federal and state governments received the vast majority of media coverage for their actions, however.

    This page captured the various ways that local governments responded to the outbreak. It was powered directly by Ballotpedia's community of readers.


    In this article you will find:


    Local responses[edit]

    The spreadsheet below was populated by Ballotpedia's readers. We reviewed the spreadsheet daily to ensure compliance with our neutrality policies and to remove possible vandalism.

    Responses in America's 10 largest cities by population[edit]

    See also: Largest cities in the United States by population

    The following is a list of local government responses to the coronavirus outbreak in the 10 largest cities by population in March 2020.

    • New York City
      • March 15, 2020: Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced at a press conference that schools in the city would close on March 16, 2020, and remain closed until at least April 20, 2020. He also stated that schools might not reopen this year.[1]
      • March 12, 2020: Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) declared a state of emergency.[2] He announced that there were no plans to close schools or mass transit.[3]
    • Los Angeles
      • March 15, 2020: Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) ordered all bars, restaurants, entertainment venues, and gyms to close until March 31.[4]
      • March 13, 2020: The Los Angeles Unified School District announced the closure of all schools in the district for two weeks effective March 16.[5]
      • March 7, 2020: Mayor Eric Garcetti (D) announced that the Los Angeles Marathon would take place as planned on March 8.[6]
      • March 4, 2020: Los Angeles County declared a public state of emergency.[7]
    • Chicago
      • March 15, 2020: Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) announced restrictions on businesses that sell liquor requiring them to have less than half their normal capacity and capping capacity at no more than 100 people.[8]
      • March 13, 2020: Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) and Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) banned all gatherings of more than 1,000 people for 30 days.[9]
      • March 11, 2020: Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) canceled St. Patrick's Day parades in the city.[10]
    • Houston
    • Philadelphia
      • March 12, 2020: Mayor James Kenney (D) banned all events with 1,000 or more attendees.[14]
    • Phoenix
      • March 17, 2020: Mayor Kate Gallego (D) declared a state of emergency, closed bars, and ordred restaurants to only operate in delivery, drive-through, and take-out capacities.[15]
      • March 11, 2020: Mayor Kate Gallego (D) announced that a Democratic primary debate scheduled for March 15 would not have a live audience. The debate was later moved to Washington, D.C.[16]
    • San Antonio
      • March 16, 2020: Mayor Ron Nirenberg banned all gatherings of more than 50 people.[17]
      • March 2, 2020: The city sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and asked a federal court to raise standards for releasing individuals quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base.[18]
    • San Diego
      • March 13, 2020: The San Diego Unified School District announced the closure of all schools in the district from March 16 through April 6.[19]
      • March 9, 2020: The city announced that it would open 66 handwashing stations aimed at protecting the homeless population from the coronavirus.[20]
    • Dallas
      • March 16, 2020: Mayor Eric Johnson (D) ordered all bars, lounges, taverns, nightclubs, gyms, health clubs, theaters, music venues, and entertainment establishments to close. He also ordered restaurants to only allow drive-through, take-out, and delivery.[11]
      • March 12, 2020: Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins (D) declared a local disaster for public health emergency.[21]
      • March 11, 2020: The city announced the cancelation of its annual St. Patrick's Parade.[22]
    • San Jose
      • March 16, 2020: Santa Clara County was one of six counties to announce shelter in place restrictions for three weeks beginning on March 17.[23]
      • March 11, 2020: The city council announced it was considered a 30-day moratorium on evictions for residents who can document that they cannot pay rent due to an income loss related to the coronavirus.[24]

    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.


    See also[edit]

    Footnotes[edit]

    1. ↑ NBC News, "New York City to close schools; bars, restaurants around U.S. ordered closed over coronavirus," March 15, 2020
    2. ↑ Politico, "City in state of emergency as coronavirus outlook becomes more dire," March 12, 2020
    3. ↑ New York Post, "Coronavirus in NY: City prepares historic measures as cases jump to 62," March 12, 2020
    4. ↑ Twitter, "Mayor Eric Garcetti on March 15, 2020," accessed March 16, 2020
    5. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Los Angeles Unified district to close all schools," March 13, 2020
    6. ↑ Deadline, "Los Angeles Marathon To Continue As Planned Despite Coronavirus Fears," March 7, 2020
    7. ↑ The Wrap, "Los Angeles County Declares Emergency Following 6 New Cases of Coronavirus," March 4, 2020
    8. ↑ NBC Chicago, "Chicago Officials Announce New Restrictions for Bars, Restaurants Selling Alcohol as Coronavirus Cases Rise," March 15, 2020
    9. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named ilban
    10. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot cancels St. Patrick’s Day parades because of coronavirus, says they’ll be rescheduled," March 11, 2020
    11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 The Texas Tribune, "Coronavirus prompts Dallas and Houston to close bars and clubs, make restaurants takeout only," March 16, 2020
    12. ↑ Click2Houston, "HISD cancels classes until March 30; More than 30 other school districts announce closures," March 13, 2020
    13. ↑ Houston Public Media, "Houston Rodeo Cancels Remaining Dates Amid Coronavirus Health Emergency," March 11, 2020
    14. ↑ The Philadelphia Inquirer, "Philly to ban events with 1,000 or more people due to coronavirus," March 12, 2020
    15. ↑ ABC15, "Gilbert, Phoenix, Mesa, El Mirage declare states of emergency amid COVID-19; restricting restaurants, bars," March 17, 2020
    16. ↑ Fox7 Austin, "DNC: No live audience during presidential debate in Phoenix amidst coronavirus outbreak," March 11, 2020
    17. ↑ San Antonio Express-News, "Mayor: San Antonio will restrict all gatherings to 50 or less to help slow coronavirus spread," March 16, 2020
    18. ↑ The Texas Tribune, "San Antonio mayor demands extension of coronavirus quarantine, bans evacuees from entering city," March 2, 2020
    19. ↑ ABC 10 San Diego, "San Diego Unified School District announces closures due to Coronavirus," March 13, 2020
    20. ↑ NBC San Diego, "Steps Taken to Keep Homeless Protected from Coronavirus," March 9, 2020
    21. ↑ DFW CBS Local, "Dallas County Judge Announces Declaration Of Local Disaster For Public Health Emergency, 5 More Cases Of Coronavirus Confirmed," March 12, 2020
    22. ↑ Fox4News, "City of Dallas cancels Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Parade due to coronavirus worries," March 11, 2020
    23. ↑ The Mercury News, "Coronavirus: Six Bay Area counties to ‘shelter in place,’" March 16, 2020
    24. ↑ The Mercury News, "Coronavirus: San Jose moves forward with moratorium on evictions, proposes financial aid for small businesses," March 11, 2020
    v • e
    Political responses to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020-2021
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    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
    State responses to coronavirus
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