Since late April, when the first states began to lift restrictions put in place to curb the coronavirus outbreak, a new pattern has played out across America: The number of new cases of the coronavirus continues to grow, as does the number of people returning to public life.
In Oregon, retail stores are flipping their window signs to “Open.” In Oklahoma, people can go out dancing at nightclubs again. More than half of the states have started to reopen their economies in some meaningful way. Several more are letting certain counties or regions reopen while keeping the areas worst-hit by the virus shut down.
The lifting of restrictions has represented hope in some quarters and deepened fear in others. The nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, testified before Congress last week that reopening too soon could trigger a new outbreak and lead to “some suffering and death that could be avoided, but could even set you back on the road to trying to get economic recovery.”
The New York Times is tracking when orders to stay at home are lifted in each state, as well as when broad reopenings are allowed. A state is categorized as “reopening” once its stay-at-home order lifts, or once reopening is permitted in at least one major sector (restaurants, retail stores, personal care businesses), or once reopening is permitted in a combination of smaller sectors. A state is categorized as “regional reopening” if, by and large, the governor permits certain counties or regions to open while others remain closed. States may shift categories as conditions change, or to account for changes in the national landscape.
To view this entire article and the interactive map (both updated regularly), click on: NY Times States Reopen Map
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