This is our daily update on how federal, state, and local officials are planning to set America on a path to recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
Each day, we:
Want to know what happened yesterday? Click here.
The next two days
What is reopening in the next two days? Which stay-at-home orders will expire?
May 15
- Stay-at-home orders are set to expire in seven states: Arizona, Delaware, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont. Arizona is a Republica trifecta. Delaware, Nevada, New Mexico, and New York are Democratic trifectas. Louisiana and Vermont are under divided government.
- They will be 18th through 24th in the list of states where stay-at-home orders have expired.
- Of the 17 states where stay-at-home orders have already expired, 13 have Republican governors and four have Democratic governors.
- Louisiana (divided government): Phase 1 of Louisiana's reopening plan will take effect on May 15, with the following businesses reopening at 25% capacity: gyms and fitness centers; barber shops and hair/nail salons; gaming establishments; theaters; racetracks (no spectators); museums, zoos, and aquariums (no tactile exhibits); and bars and breweries with food permits. Gaming establishments must register and obtain approval before reopening. No other business owners will be required to do so.
- New York (Democratic trifecta): Four regions—Finger Lakes, North Country, Southern Tier, and Mohawk Valley—have met criteria in the state’s reopening plan to begin reopening May 15. In Phase 1, construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply chains, agriculture, forestry, and fishing can resume, and retail can open for curbside pickup.
- Ohio (Republican trifecta): Outdoor dining at restaurants and bars, and personal services such as salons and barbershops, are scheduled to reopen on May 15. Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said on May 12 that he hopes to announce when public pools can reopen and summer activities can resume on Thursday, May 14.
- Oklahoma (Republican trifecta): Under Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan, bars can reopen with diminished standing room capacity and social distancing measures, organized sports activities may resume, funerals and weddings may resume with social distancing measures, and childcare areas in places of worship can reopen, effective May 15.
Since our last edition
Have any states opened? For a continually updated article on reopening status in all 50 states, click here. For our last edition, click here.
- Arizona (Republican trifecta): Gov. Doug Ducey (R) announced that he would not extend the state’s stay-at-home order, which is scheduled to end on May 15. He said that gyms and pools could reopen on May 13 if they follow recommendations provided by health officials and that professional sports teams could begin playing on May 16 without fans.
- California (Democratic trifecta): Eleven counties in California—Amador, Butte, El Dorado, Lassen, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Tuolumne, and Yuba-Sutter—were approved to reopen more quickly than the rest of the state. Read more on California's reopening plan in our "Featured plan" section below.
- Delaware (Democratic trifecta): Gov. John Carney (D) announced that the state was hiring 200 residents to work as contact tracers and support staff to reach its goal of testing up to 80,000 people a month. The state will partner with the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago to build the contact tracing program.
- Georgia (Republican trifecta): On May 12, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced that pools could reopen under social distancing and health guidelines on May 14. He also extended his order closing bars, nightclubs, performance venues, and amusement parks through the end of the month.
- Kentucky (divided government): Effective yesterday, healthcare facilities were allowed to resume non-emergency inpatient medical procedures at 50% of pre-COVID-19 shutdown volume. Beginning May 27, healthcare facilities will be able to determine their own patient capacities, subject to continued progress in containment efforts.
- Maryland (divided government): Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he would make an announcement at 5 p.m. local time today on Phase 1 of Maryland's reopening plan. We will have more details in tomorrow's edition. Also, the Maryland Department of Education released a 54-page guide for the state’s 24 school systems to transition from remote to in-person learning.
- New Jersey (Democratic trifecta): Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he would sign an executive order today allowing certain reopenings to begin Monday, May 18. The order will allow retail stores the state defined as nonessential to reopen for curbside pick up, nonessential construction to resume under social distancing measures, and drive-in events like church services and movies to resume if people remain in their cars. If cars are unable to maintain six feet of distance, windows must stay closed.
- New Mexico (Democratic trifecta): Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she would address the public health stay-at-home order in a press conference at 4 p.m. local time today. We will have more details in tomorrow's edition.
- Tennessee (Republican trifecta): Gov. Bill Lee (R) extended Tennessee’s State of Emergency declaration through June 30. It had been scheduled to expire on May 18, and originally went into effect March 12. Tennessee's stay-at-home order expired on April 30.
Status of stay-at-home orders
Forty-three states issued orders directing residents to stay home except for essential activities and the closure or curtailment of businesses each state deemed nonessential. Seven states did not.
As of May 13, 17 governors have ended their state's stay-at-home orders. Thirteen of those states have Republican governors and four have Democratic governors. Of the 26 states where governors have not ended their state's stay-at-home orders, six have Republican governors and 20 have Democratic governors.
Here's which stay-at-home orders have expired, and when the rest are scheduled to expire.
Reopenings status
The table and maps below show the status of plans to lift restrictions on activities because of the pandemic. We update them daily.
We place states into six categories. How does your state stack up?
- Reopenings in progress: the state has already lifted restrictions on some industries put in place because of the pandemic.
- Announced reopenings, effective date: the state will reopen or partially reopen three or more industries on a set date.
- Announced reopenings, contingent date: the state will reopen or partially reopen three or more industries on a targeted date, dependent on other conditions.
- Announced reopenings, no date: the state has a plan to reopen three or more industries entirely dependent on conditions.
- Limited or no announced reopening plan: the state has not yet put forth a plan to reopen three or more industries
- No state-mandated closures were issued.
Featured plan: California's Resilience Roadmap
This is an in-depth summary of one of the latest reopening plans. Is there a plan you'd like us to feature? Reply to this email and let us know.
On April 28, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the "Resilience Roadmap," a four-stage plan for reopening the state. California began the first phase of Stage 2 on May 8.
Businesses in specified industries may reopen once the state has released safety guidance for their industry and if county health rules permit reopening. As of Wednesday, the state had released guidance for 20 industries, plus general cleaning and physical distancing guidelines.
The first phase of Stage 2 allows retail businesses to open for curbside pickup and allows related manufacturing and logistics to resume. Outdoor museums, landscaping, car washes, pet grooming, offices where telework is not possible, and childcare for nonessential workers are also allowed. A later phase of Stage 2 will allow dine-in restaurants, shopping centers, and schools (with modifications) to reopen.
The plan states that people over 65 or with serious medical conditions should continue to stay home until Stage 4.
Newsom named six indicators that will determine when the state moves from one stage to the next:
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- The ability to monitor and protect our communities through testing, contact tracing, isolating, and supporting those who are positive or exposed;
- The ability to prevent infection in people who are at risk for more severe COVID-19;
- The ability of the hospital and health systems to handle surges;
- The ability to develop therapeutics to meet the demand;
- The ability for businesses, schools, and child care facilities to support physical distancing; and
- The ability to determine when to reinstitute certain measures, such as the stay-at-home orders, if necessary.
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On May 4, Newsom said the state could move into Stage 2 on May 8 due to a stabilization of COVID-19 intensive care unit rates, personal protective equipment inventory, surge capacity, growing testing capacity, and growing contact tracing capability.
Counties may receive permission to move through Stage 2 more quickly than the state as a whole. For more on county variances, see below.
If counties have implemented stricter restrictions than the state, they are permitted to relax those restrictions at their own pace throughout Stage 2.
Context
- California was the first state to issue a stay-at-home order. It is the most populous U.S. state, with an estimated 39.5 million residents as of July 2019.
- On March 4, Newsom declared a state of emergency. He issued a stay-at-home order March 19, with no expiration date, directing residents to stay home except for critical infrastructure work or to conduct authorized activities. On May 4, Newsom issued an executive order directing residents to obey State Public Health Officer Sonia Angell's directives. Angell issued an order on May 7, effective May 8, modifying stay-at-home directions and allowing for the implementation of Stage 2.
- As of May 11, California had 69,382 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 2,847 deaths. Based on a population estimate of 39.5 million, the state had 175.6 cases per 100,000 residents and 7.2 deaths per 100,000 residents.
- Los Angeles County accounted for 46.5% of the state's cases—32,279 cases—and 55.1% of deaths—1,569 deaths. As of July 2019, the county's estimated population was 10 million—25.4% of the total state population.
- California is a Democratic trifecta, with a Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.
Plan stages
Stage 1: Safety and Preparedness
- Build out testing, contact tracing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and hospital surge capacity
- Continue to make essential workplaces as safe as possible
- Physical and workflow adaption
- Essential workforce safety net
- Make PPE more widely available
- Individual behavior changes
- Prepare sector-specific safety guidelines
Stage 2: Lower Risk Workplaces
Modifications for businesses
Industries that may open in the early phase of Stage 2, with modifications:
- Curbside retail
- Manufacturers
- Logistics
- Childcare for nonessential workers
- Office-based (telework still strongly encouraged)
- Select services (car washes, pet grooming, landscape gardening)
- Outdoor museums and open gallery spaces/other public spaces with modifications
What may open in a later phase of Stage 2, which will involve a modified stay-at-home order:
- Destination retail (i.e., shopping malls, swap meets)
- Dine-in restaurants
- Schools with modifications
Stay-at-home modifications for individual behavior
The state public health officer's May 7 order stated the following:
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Californians may leave their homes to work at, patronize, or otherwise engage with those businesses, establishments, or activities [allowed to reopen in Stage 2] and must, when they do so, continue at all times to practice physical distancing, minimize their time outside of the home, and wash their hands frequently. To prevent further spread of COVID-19 to and within other jurisdictions within the State, Californians should not travel significant distances and should stay close to home.
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Stage 3: Higher Risk Workplaces
"Open higher risk environments with adaptations and limits on size of gatherings:"
- Personal care businesses (i.e., hair and nail salons, gyms)
- Entertainment venues (i.e., movie theaters, sports without live audiences)
- In-person religious services (i.e., churches, weddings)
Stage 4: End of Stay-At-Home Order
"Re-open highest risk workplaces with all indicators satisfied once therapeutics have been developed:"
- Concerts
- Convention centers
- Sports with live audiences
County variance
Counties may receive a variance to move through Stage 2—but not on to Stage 3— more quickly than the state as a whole. A county must meet readiness criteria specified by the California Department of Public Health and the state must post guidance for each industry permitted to reopen.
Shopping malls, dine-in restaurants, and schools with modifications are permitted to reopen under county variances. As of May 13, Newsom had released guidance for dine-in restaurants and shopping centers.
The public health criteria, outlined here, include new case and death benchmarks (i.e., no deaths in the past 14 days), testing capacity, hospital capacity, and a plan for how the county will reopen.
As of Wednesday, the following counties qualified for a variance:
- Amador County
- Butte County
- El Dorado County
- Lassen County
- Nevada County
- Placer County
- Plumas County
- Shasta County
- Sierra County
- Tuolumne County
- Yuba-Sutter County
If counties have implemented stricter restrictions than the state, they are permitted to relax those restrictions at their own pace throughout Stage 2.
Plan guidances
Statewide guidance for industries
Statewide industry guidance says all facilities must do the following before reopening:
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- Perform a detailed risk assessment and implement a site-specific protection plan
- Train employees on how to limit the spread of COVID-19, including how to screen themselves for symptoms and stay home if they have them
- Implement individual control measures and screenings
- Implement disinfecting protocols
- Implement physical distancing guidelines
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The guidance further says:
Industry-specific guidance for 20 industries (as of May 13) can be found here.
Guidance for customers and individuals
The roadmap contains the following guidance for individuals and customers.
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Customers and individuals are encouraged to stay home if they have a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms. Those with symptoms or elevated temperatures should not shop, get services in person, go to work, or gather with others. If you’re not sure if this applies to you, check your symptoms with this Symptom Screener.
Higher risk individuals (over 65 or with serious medical conditions) should continue to stay home until Stage 4. Minimize errands by getting groceries delivered or asking for help from friends or family.
Shop safely! Crowded settings increase your risk of exposure to COVID-19. Wear a face covering or cloth mask, stay 6 feet away from others, avoid touching your face, and wash your hands when you get home.
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Additional activity
In this section, we feature examples of activities by other federal, state, and local governments and influencers relevant to recovering from the pandemic.
- Park officials announced that Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado would begin a phased reopening on May 27. The park is expected to work within the state’s safer-at-home guidelines and in coordination with the White House and the CDC.
- Officials in Broward and Miami-Dade counties in Florida sent requests to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to be allowed to begin reopening on Monday, May 18. Most other counties in the state began reopening on May 4. Palm Beach County began reopening May 11.
- The city of Miami, Florida, announced it was coordinating a reopening plan with the cities of Hialeah, Miami Beach, Doral, and Miami Gardens. The target date for reopening some businesses in the five cities is May 20. The types of businesses to reopen will be determined once the county’s reopening plan is finalized.
- The Brookings Institution released a report detailing the organization’s proposal for reopening America’s economy on Monday.
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