This is where states stand on reopening
By Alaa Elassar, CNN
April 17, 2020
Delaware
Gov. John Carney
issued a statewide stay-at-home order that will remain until May 15 or until the "public health threat is eliminated."
Delaware has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a
press release from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's office.
The governor said April 17 that once the state reopens, social distancing, face coverings in public, washing hands, limited gatherings and vulnerable populations sheltering in place will remain.
District of Columbia
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel E. Bowser
extended a stay-at-home order until May 15.
"I don't know if that means we will be open on May 16, but it will be a point for us to check in. And if we need to extend it beyond that, we certainly will," Bowser said during April 15 media briefing.
Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for Floridians until April 30.
DeSantis plans to announce his reopening plan for the state of Florida next week, he said April 16.
During a news conference Thursday, he suggested it could start with allowing elective surgeries.
DeSantis said he will meet April 17 with a task force that includes experts across various industries throughout the state.
Southeast Florida, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in the state, could be treated differently than other parts, the governor said.
Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp
issued a statewide shelter-in-place order that runs until April 30. The governor also extended the public health emergency through May 13. All K-12 public schools will remain closed through the end of the school year.
Kemp emphasized the importance of expanding testing before reopening the state.
"We're a little behind the curve from when our peak is going to be to other states around the country," Kemp said during an April 13 press briefing. "That is certainly a day I am ready for, but I think today specifically we have been focused on the surge capacity, ramping up testing to do more than we're doing."
Hawaii
Gov. David Ige issued a stay-at-home order for Hawaii residents which will last through at least April 30.
He said Thursday the state doesn't satisfy the federal criteria for phased reopening, one of which is a 14-day downward trend in the number of cases. "We're making progress, but we're not there yet, so please continue your hard work and perseverance, we will get through this together," he said.
Idaho
Gov. Brad Little amended his order April 15 to allow for some businesses and facilities to reopen for curbside pickup, drive-in and drive-thru service and for mailed or delivery services. It is now effective through the end of the month.
Little said that the measures were working and Idaho is "truly seeing a flattening of the curve."
Little said that the measures were working and Idaho is "truly seeing a flattening of the curve."
"Our goal is for most businesses to open after the end of the month, but with the understanding that it may not be possible if there's an upward trend in severe Covid-19 cases in Idaho between now and then," Little said.
Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order through at least April 30.
Pritzker said during a media
briefing Monday that he believes the current state in Illinois has been enough to slowly start lifting shelter-in-place orders so that some industry workers can go back to work.
Although there is no clear time line, he hopes that restarting production will go "industry by industry, and maybe company by company."
On April 15 when asked about possibly extending the order into May he said: "We're continuing to (consult health officials) and we'll be making announcements about our decisions over the next several days."
Indiana
Gov. Eric Holcomb on April 17 extended the stay-at-home order through May 1.
The extension will give the state additional time to look into what the best way is to reopen sectors of the economy, Holcomb said. He said he would work with the state hospital association to see when elective surgeries could resume.
Indiana is part of a Midwest coalition of states looking at reopening possibilities
Iowa
Gov. Kim Reynolds has not declared a stay-at-home order. Reynolds
issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency on March 17, ordering all nonessential businesses to close until April 30.
The governor formed an Iowa economic recovery task force consisting of state leaders and private business leaders and announced plans to discuss with education leaders about the possibility of reopening schools.
Reynolds on April 16 announced that residents of the region of the state with the most cases, where there was an outbreak at a food processing plant, cannot get together until April 30.
"You may gather only with members or your immediate household," Reynolds said, adding there were a few exceptions like religious services with 10 worshippers or fewer.
Kansas
Gov. Laura Kelly
issued a stay-at-home order, which has been extended until May 3.
The initial order was set to expire April 19.
Kelly said Kansas expects to see its peak of coronavirus cases between April 19-29, based on projections.
Kentucky
Gov. Andy Beshear
issued a "Healthy at Home" orde March 25 that is in effect indefinitely.
Kentucky is working with six other states to coordinate reopening measures.
The governor said April 16 it will be a phased-in approach "where we can have that that symbiotic bump ... to make sure that the steps that we take ultimately have a bigger reward or bigger output, because they are being replicated in other areas that we already do so much business with."
Louisiana
Gov. John Bel Edwards extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 30.
The governor announced on April 16 the formation of an economic recovery task force.
"They're going to look at our economy, make recommendations to make our businesses more resilient so that we can open them up, get businesses open, get workers back to work, but do so in a way that adequately affects public health," he said.
Maine
Gov. Janet Mills
issued a "Stay Healthy at Home" executive order through at least April 30. Mills
extended the state's civil state of emergency until May 15.
"We are in the midst of one of the greatest public health crises this world has seen in more than a century," Mills said in a
news release. "This virus will continue to sicken people across our state; our cases will only grow, and more people will die. I say this to be direct, to be as honest with you as I can. Because saving lives will depend on us."
Mills said she wished she didn't have to extend the state of emergency, but "the continued spread of the virus demands a sustained response by the State."
Maine is in touch with neighbors New Hampshire and Vermont on reopening measures, the governor said April 14.
Maryland
Gov. Larry Hogan
issued a statewide stay-at-home order on March 30. There is no current potential end date.
The governor said during his appearance on CNN Newsroom on April 13 that the state is discussing ways to safely reopen the state with health officials, and that his priority is to save lives, not the economy.
"We've got to listen to the doctors and scientists," Hogan said. "We've also got to be concerned about people getting the help they need and getting on track, but doing so in a gradual and safe manner when it's really the right time to do it."
Hogan
said a cooperation amongst other governors on when to reopen the states would be a "good idea."
People in Maryland will be required to wear face coverings in stores and on public transportation as of April 18.
Massachusetts
Gov. Charlie Baker
issued an emergency order requiring all nonessential businesses to close facilities until May 4.
Massachusetts has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a
press release from NY Governor Andrew Cuomo's office.
Baker told residents of his state that officials have begun conversations around reopening the state but there's still a lot of work that needs to be done before a plan is set into motion.
The state will need to have testing, tracing, isolation and quarantine procedures in place to reopen, the governor said.
"I think it's going to be really important that we all pay attention to what the others are up to, and to make sure that nobody does anything that puts somebody in a really bad spot, because they just weren't thinking about what that impact was going to be on some other part of the Northeastern part of the US," he said.
Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer
extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 30.
Whitmer said during Monday's press briefing that reopening the state's economy will be based on a "data-driven approach based on facts, based on science, based on recommendations from experts."
The four factors the governor will take into consideration before reopening Michigan include a sustained reduction in cases, expanded testing and tracing capabilities, sufficient healthcare capacity, and the best practices for the workplace.
At the end of week that saw a protest at the Capitol and an anti-Whitmer tweet from Trump, the governor said April 17: "There's no one I think is more eager to start reengaging sectors of our economy than I am. But the last thing I want to do is to have a second wave here and so we've got to be really smart."
She said the first businesses to reopen will be in low-risk sectors.
Minnesota
Gov. Tim Walz
extended the state's stay-at-home order through May 3.
He also signed an executive order extending the peacetime emergency for an additional 30 days until May 13.
Walz emphasized the importance of expanding testing and tracing the spread of the virus before opening the state.
The governor's plan to open up the economy is to "test, we have to do contact tracing, and we have to isolate the people who need to be isolated, and this has to be on a massive scale," Walz said.
Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves has extended a shelter-in-place order to April 27.
Reeves said April 17 the state will begin relaxing some of the restrictions on nonessential businesses by allowing them to offer services via drive-thru, curbside or delivery.
Reeves has said the state needed to open things back up as quickly and as responsibly as possible.
"We know that we will not be able to return to our typical lives right away," Reeves said during a media briefing on April 13.
"There are still more sacrifices to be made. We do want to look ahead to opening things up, I know that there are many Mississippians whose lives and livelihoods rely on our ability to get them back to work in a responsible way."
Missouri
Gov. Mike Parson on April 16 extended the stay-at-home order through May 3.
The governor's office said they will work with hospitals, healthcare providers, health officials, and business leaders to develop a reopening plan.
"Our reopening efforts will be careful, deliberate, and done in phases," he said.
Montana
Gov. Steve Bullock extended the state's stay-at-home order through April 24.
Bullock held a governor's coronavirus task force
tele-town hall for Montanans on Monday in which he said following the state's guidelines will allow the state to reopen sooner rather than later.
Bullock said he does not know when the stay at home order will be lifted and that while he doesn't "want to have it in place any longer than what's necessary," he is more concerned about completely reopening the state and jeopardizing the work that has been done.
Nebraska
Gov. Pete Ricketts
issued the "21 Days to Stay Home and Stay Healthy" campaign on April 10. Ricketts
ordered that all hair salons, tattoo parlors and strip clubs be closed through April 30 and all organized group sports canceled until May 31.
Nebraska is one of the states that has not issued a stay-at-home order to limit the spread of coronavirus nationwide. Ricketts has not made any plans to reopen the state.
The state's campaign is based on six rules: staying home, socially distancing at work, shopping alone and only once a week, helping kids social distance, helping seniors stay at home and exercising at home.
Nevada
Gov. Steve Sisolak
issued a stay-at-home order that expires April 30.
When asked about how he'd make his decision to reopen the economy, Sisolak said "positive testing is important but it's not my number one parameter."
"The things that I look at on a daily basis are hospitalizations, intensive care unit hospitalizations, ventilator usage, and people who pass," Sisolak added.
He said April 16 that reopening would happen with gradual steps. "I cannot take the chance of overwhelming our healthcare system," he said.
New Hampshire
Gov. Chris Sununu
issued a stay-at-home order until May 4.
Sununu told reporters on April 16 that he'll decide on whether to extend the order before May 4.
"We want to give people some flexibility and be able to plan," Sununu said. He said that applies to restrictions on nonessential businesses and public gatherings.
All public and private schools will remain closed for the rest of the school year, and students will continue remote learning, he said.
New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy
issued a stay-at-home order on March 21
that has no specific end date.
New Jersey has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Rhode Island and Massachusetts to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a
news release from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
"No one has given more thought or is more eager to restart our economy than I am, but if we don't get the sequencing right, we put more lives at risk. The only path to a sustainable economic recovery is through a strong healthcare recovery," Murphy said in a
news release.
"A coordinated, regional approach, informed by a multi-state council of experts, will help us avoid a major setback with potentially disastrous consequences."
New Mexico
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham
extended the state's emergency order to April 30.
She said Thursday her state is evaluating the federal guidelines but authorities cannot put the "cart before the horse."
"Please know that my administration is working doggedly to develop robust economic recovery plans alongside a plan for a thoughtful, staged and flexible reopening of our state -- and the moment we can safely implement those plans, they will be implemented with the same dedication and focus that we are using to contain this pandemic," the governor said.
New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo
issued a "New York State on PAUSE" executive order which took effect on March 22. Schools and nonessential businesses are
ordered to stay closed until April 29.
New York has joined a coalition with the Northeastern states of New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Rhode Island and Massachusetts to coordinate the reopening of the economy, according to a
press release from Cuomo's office.
The governor has not come to any decision on when businesses will reopen and said he rejected "any elected official or any expert who says I can tell you what's going to happen four weeks from today."
The governor said April 16 there are factors for when a business can reopen, including how essential it is and what is the risk of catching the virus.
North Carolina
Gov. Roy Cooper
issued a stay-at-home order for the state effective until April 29.
The governor said that the more people adhere to social distancing requirements in April, the sooner the state will loosen restrictions.
"We have a team examining how North Carolina can emerge with the right practices in place to keep us healthy and strong and ready to jump start our economy," Cooper said in Monday's
press briefing.
"We're considering the most effective ways to modify executive orders to help boost the economy while continuing to prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients."
North Dakota
Gov. Doug Burgum has only shut down schools, restaurants, fitness centers, movie theaters and salons. Burgum
declared a state of emergency on March 13.
North Dakota is one of the states that has not issued a stay-at-home order.
Burgum has said he hopes some businesses can start to reopen May 1.