Alaska announced on April 21 that its reopening plans would commence three days later. Gov. Mike Dunleavy then announced on May 19 that phase three of the Reopen Alaska Responsibly Plan had been reached and that the state would completely reopen on May 22.
Georgia Gov. Brian T. Kemp announced the beginning of its reopening on April 24, and it’s still rolling as of July 15. Most businesses are allowed to reopen, though face masks are still suggested and gatherings are not permitted.
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While being a remote island state hurts Hawaii when it comes to the cost of living, it clearly benefitted from that factor in this crisis. The reopening started on May 7 with an announcement noting that the state had the lowest fatality rate in the country and one of the lowest rates of transmission — part of why the only businesses still closed there are large venues.
It wasn’t until the end of May that Illinois began phase three of its reopening plan — which gave bars and restaurants the option to reopen with outdoor seating only. About a month later, Gov. Jay Priztker announced that health data indicated that the state could begin phase four, with the fifth and final phase five called “Illinois Restored.”
Iowa kicked off May with an announcement from Gov. Kimberly Reynolds that the state would begin to reopen businesses with restrictions. By June 10, Iowans had access to most options without capacity limits, though social distancing must still be maintained.
Gov. Laura Kelly announced the beginning of the state’s reopening plan — dubbed Ad Astra in Kansas — on the final day of April with plans to kick it off on May 4. By early July, Kelly had continued to recommend that local governments remain in phase three of the plan rather than completely reopen, noting a recent surge in new cases.
Kentucky’s reopening plan began on May 11, but it might have tried to move too quickly. The state announced that it has largely reopened on June 29 but recently had to ask bars to close again for two weeks in light of surging virus numbers.
Maryland’s stage one of its reopening program kicked off in mid-May, with Gov. Larry Hogan announcing that the state would be going from its “Stay at Home” order to a “Safer at Home” public health advisory. On June 5, the state moved on to stage two, which included allowing places like nail salons and massage therapists to open at 50% capacity.
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Minnesota announced that it would end its “Stay Home MN” order on May 18 and move into phase one of its reopening plan, which allowed for gatherings of 10 or less and retail reopening at half capacity. As of June 10, the state had reached phase three, in which outdoor gatherings of up to 25 are allowed, and bars and restaurants can reopen at reduced capacity.
Missouri announced that its “Show Me Strong Recovery” plan would kick off on May 4 (for those not in the know, Missouri is the “Show Me State), with Gov. Mike Parson announcing that businesses could reopen provided they could follow the social distancing guidelines laid out by the state. By June 16, that had given way to a full reopening for the state.
Montana began its reopening on April 26, with Gov. Steve Bullock launching its Reopening the Big Sky plan. By the start of June, the state was into phase two of the plan and most businesses have reopened at 75% capacity.
Nebraska launched its reopening plan on May 4, which included relaxing restrictions on houses of worship. By July 6, every Nebraska county had entered phase three — allowing for businesses to reopen with some capacity restrictions — with some areas even reaching phase four.
Gov. Chris Sununu began the state’s reopening on May 11 with the “Stay at Home 2.0” plan. The initial stay at home order was allowed to expire at midnight on June 16, and as of June 29, businesses have reopened and gatherings of 10 or more are allowed again.
North Dakota opted to reopen via its North Dakota Smart Reset plan, with Gov. Doug Burgum announcing on April 29 that phased reopening would begin in May. This marked the expiration of the initial executive order, so businesses could reopen as long as they followed safety guidelines.
Oklahoma’s OURS plan — Open Up and Recover Safely — was put into action on April 24, allowing a very limited reopening of the economy. By the start of June, Sooners had reached phase three of their plan that allowed businesses to reopen but with clear guidelines regarding cleaning and maintaining social distance.
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The nation’s smallest state ended its stay-at-home order on May 9, and Gov. Gina Raimondo has seen the state move through to phase three. As of now, all counties are into said phase three, with businesses being able to return with precautions being taken.
Gov. Bill Lee announced on April 20 that there would be one week left on his initial stay-at-home order. The majority of businesses have been open since the start of May, and more recently the state issued new guidance on close contact businesses or community events.
Utah was placed on “moderate risk” protocols at the start of May. That allowed for restrictions to be lifted on many businesses with clear guidelines for keeping customers safe.
Vermont began its reopening on May 18, offering retailers the chance to do business if they kept to safety guidelines. While restrictions remain, they’ve been rolled back incrementally throughout June.
Virginia started its process in mid-May, with a phase one that included guidelines for “safer at home” social distancing and teleworking. Virginia has been in phase three of its reopening process since July 1.
Wisconsin’s reopening hasn’t involved a clear plan. The state supreme court shot down its “safer at home” order on May 14, effectively reopening the entire state in a single stroke.
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Gyms, barbershops and hair salons all got the okay to reopen on May 1 under specific guidelines. Gov. Mark Gordon updated those orders on June 15 to allow for schools to reopen, parades and indoor gatherings of up to 250 people.
The recent surge in the coronavirus cases has led a number of states to take more time before moving on to the next stage of their recovery. They haven’t made any reversals, but they are pausing the process until the health news turns around.
Arkansas began its reopening process on May 4, but it may have moved a little too quickly when it signaled the OK for indoor venues a fortnight later. On June 26, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced that Arkansas was hitting pause on further reopening after the state’s highest one-day increase in new cases.
Connecticut’s reopening plan launched on May 20 and advanced into phase two on June 17 — allowing for the opening of a variety of businesses including indoor events and fitness facilities. That came to a stop on July 6 when Gov. New Lamont announced that they were hitting pause on reopening efforts after the recent surge, capping indoor gatherings to 25 and outdoor to 100.
Delaware’s reopening program was late by the standards of most states, but it might still have been too soon. The state entered phase one at the start of June and transitioned to phase two by the 17th, but it had to announce that it was delaying stage three on the 25th.
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Idaho’s reopening plan launched on May Day and had reached stage four by June 13, with all businesses allowed to reopen. But Gov. Brad Little had to announce that the state was going to stall in stage four for at least two more weeks on June 25.
Indiana announced on the Fourth of July that it would be entering stage 4.5, allowing businesses to reopen but maintaining restrictions on capacity. But, as you might guess from the name, 4.5 was not part of the original plan — Gov. Eric Holcomb created it after the state wasn’t deemed ready for stage five of the original reopening plan.
Gov. Janet Mills started her modified stay-at-home order on May 1, and the state has allowed the majority of businesses to reopen with safety limitations. However, on June 22, Mills announced that indoor bar service would not be reopening as scheduled.
Uncertainty continues to swirl around when Massachusetts will enter phase four of its reopening plan, which would give the OK to open to bars, clubs and other entertainment venues. However, the recent surge in cases has clearly made Gov. Charlie Baker decide to opt for prudence.
Mississippi had already reached the final stages of its reopening by the start of June, with most businesses allowed to reopen with some safety guidelines. But that might have proven a bridge too far as it had to pause a month later in the face of a spike in new cases.
The Garden State had to hit pause on its reopening on July 6, after its previous decision to allow for the limited reopening of many businesses appears to be riskier now that the virus is on the rise.
The reopening plan for North Carolina moved quickly in May, launching on the 8th and advancing to phase two about two weeks later. However, Gov. Roy Cooper appears to have decided that moving slower for July and August makes more sense as the state paused plans until health data improves.
Oregon counties have been applying to enter phase two since June with many being able to reopen restaurants and stores with some restrictions. However, the state has also announced that phase three isn’t expected until at least September, and current reopening plans are on pause.
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South Carolina’s reopening continues to advance as Gov. Henry McMaster announced on June 12 that bowling alleys were among the businesses that could now reopen.
Washington’s phase four would involve a “return to normal,” in the words of Gov. Jay Inslee. However, the state also decided to pause the reopening before any counties could apply for the new status in recognition of rising new cases of the coronavirus.
For some states, the health data has simply been too concerning to allow their reopening plans to remain at their current level, let alone move forward. These states have had to reverse some previous steps as the number of new cases keeps creating cause for concern.
Gov. Doug Ducey not only had to hit the brakes on his state’s reopening, but he also had to shift into reverse. On June 29, he prohibited large gatherings, stopped the issuance of any new special event licenses and announced that a raft of businesses would need to close back up, including bars, gyms and theaters — all for at least a full month.
The nation’s most populous state has seen the coronavirus spread fast as of late and was forced to backtrack on the decision to reopen dine-in restaurants, movie theaters, zoos, museums and several other business types.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis needed to roll back the reopening of businesses that came with the transition from a stay-at-home order to a safer at home advisory. That included closing bars back up after they had seen a limited chance to reopen.
The Sunshine State might be wishing it had seen some more clouds ahead as the state had to order bars closed on June 26, about three weeks after it had reopened them. However, with the state setting records for the number of new cases in a day, Gov. Ron DeSantis might have decided the health of residents was what mattered most.
Louisianans had been expecting Gov. John Bel Edwards to announce that the state would be moving ahead to phase three in late July, but it was not meant to be. Edwards revealed that the state would remain in phase two until it had seen more progress in stemming the pandemic.
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America’s High Five has been among the states where the outbreak has been the most difficult to manage. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer had to deliver more bad news on July 1, though, when the state had to move to close bars across lower Michigan.
Nevada’s reliance on the hospitality industry has made the pandemic especially hard. As such, it was likely a very painful decision for Gov. Steve Sisolak to have to close up bars in Clark, Elko, Nye and Washoe counties.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham had to have the state take a step back in mid-July as virus numbers continued to go the wrong way. The state reenacted its public health emergency restrictions, closing restaurants and breweries for dine-in service that they had just gotten back to on June 1.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf had to announce a new set of mitigation efforts on July 15, rolling back some reopenings after every county had officially hit “green” (as in go) on the state’s reopening plan. However, the more recent move meant bars and nightclubs would have to close until better news comes from the state’s health authorities.
Texas had opened all businesses with limited restrictions by June 3, but that appears to have been faster than was completely safe. Rising virus numbers have since forced Gov. Greg Abbott to roll back some of those reopenings, including closing bars and reducing restaurants to half capacity.
West Virginia’s reopening plan was launched on the last day of April and involved opening up a new type of business each week. However, the rising new cases appear to have forced a retreat — with the state moving to cap gatherings at 25 on July 14 and closing bars in Monongalia County on the 23rd.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 23 States That Reopened (and 11 More That Closed Again)
