States continue to lift more restrictions on business and personal activity imposed to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic in the past two months as Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of summer approaches.
Miami-Dade and Broward counties, the two most populous Florida counties, catch up Monday with the rest of Florida in terms of what has been allowed to reopen. The Florida Keys will lift checkpoints keeping out visitors on June 1, and the state also will allow counties to develop plans to once again open to vacation rentals, subject to state approval. (Hint: New York City renters not welcome.)
Some businesses in much of Virginia will be able to reopen on Monday, as well.
Among other states loosening rules this week, Mississippi is set to allow casinos to reopen on May 21, a few days after casinos in Louisiana. West Virginia is allowing outdoor recreational rentals to resume May 21 and will lift the 14-day quarantine for out-of-state visitors at the same time, but it is limiting state-park campsites to state residents only.
Beaches in New Jersey and Delaware will open on May 22. New York will reopen beaches as well for Memorial Day weekend — except in New York City. Connecticut beaches were never closed.
Rhode Island and Connecticut plan to loosen some rules this week. Massachusetts will announce details of its four-phase plan on Monday and is expected to begin with construction, manufacturing and houses of worship.
Walt Disney World will start to reopen on May 20, the company announced. A small number of shops and restaurants at Disney Springs that are owned by others will open then. But a full reopening of Disney World, including the rides, could depend on out-of-state tourists being willing to travel again. Walt Disney Co. stock DIS, +6.49% has plunged as the coronavirus brought tourism to a halt,.
But for some entertainment venues, reopening remains distant — if at all.
In New York, Broadway theaters have announced they will remain closed through at least Labor Day weekend. The move by the Broadway League, the national trade association for the theater industry underscores how difficult it could be for some industries, particularly in entertainment, to recover from the coronavirus. Broadway performances have been suspended since March 12, before many states implemented stay-at-home orders. The popular Disney musical “Frozen” won’t reopen, making it the first Broadway show to officially close during the pandemic.
States began loosening restrictions on businesses in late April, although rules remain restrictive in many of the country’s economic hubs, including the New York City area, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
With the northeasternmost portion of Illinois, which includes Chicago, having seen its testing positivity rate remain below 20% for four consecutive days through Sunday, it is now 10 days, if the trend holds, from moving to Phase 3 of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s reopening plan, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In Phase 3, some nonessential businesses, including salons and barbershops, are permitted to reopen with public health precautions observed.
Other big states, such as Texas and Florida, have eased restrictions on businesses and residents. In Wisconsin, the state’s Supreme Court struck down the state’s stay-at-home rule late on May 13, essentially reopening businesses in the state immediately and lifting limits on the size of gatherings. Local governments can still impose their own rules, and schools remain closed, but the move catapulted the state into the ranks of the most open in the country.
The latest developments again show how what’s allowed continues to vary widely by state, as has been the case since the first states acted a few weeks ago, and almost always still includes plenty of restrictions.
While some states, for example, are allowing hair salons to reopen under certain conditions, others are keeping them closed. Schools generally remain closed, although some small schools in Montana were allowed to reopen on May 7. And some governors are loosening rules in select parts of their states, rather than everywhere.
Social distancing remains a constant, and face coverings are increasingly required in stores. Los Angeles County has ordered that face masks are mandatory whenever people are outside their homes. Some states, including Florida, Texas and Montana, continue to require self-quarantine for travelers and visitors from certain states for two weeks.
Sports are trying to resume. Major League Baseball has a plan to start the season in July — but would keep fans out of ballparks. Many NBA teams have reopened training facilities for voluntary workouts. Germany’s Bundesliga, one of the world’s premier soccer leagues, resumed play over the weekend with no fans in attendance, no handshakes or post-goal embraces, and other achievable social distancing and cautionary measures observed.
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An impatient President Donald Trump has been pushing governors to move quickly and has vocalized, notably on Twitter, his support for protesters in several state capitals calling for states to reopen. He has called on states to work to reopen schools, despite warnings from health officials. The federal government let its social-distancing guidelines expire at the end of April, citing the work governors have done in their states.
The economic toll of the coronavirus has been widespread. Unemployment in April surged to 14.7% as 20.5 million people lost their jobs in that month alone, after the economy contracted at a 4.8% annualized pace in the first quarter. States generally only began shutting down parts of their economies in mid-March, and economists fear second-quarter data will be grimmer than the first-quarter figures were.
In the weeks since the virus shut down much of the U.S. economy, more than 36 million people have applied for unemployment benefits, though some have since returned to work as businesses reopen.
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Here’s what some states have announced:
Virginia:Beginning May 15, nonessential retail businesses can open at 50% capacity and restaurants can offer outdoor dining, also with restrictions. Religious services can resume at 50% capacity, as well. Telework continues to be encouraged. The new rules don’t apply to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., the state’s economic engine.
Arizona: Casinos plan to begin reopening on May 15, bookending a week in which restaurants began opening for dine-in service on May 11. Elective surgeries resumed May 1, while retailers could offer curbside service as of May 4 and open stores to customers on May 8. Barbershops and salons were allowed to reopen on May 8 as well. The state’s stay-at-home order will expire on May 15. Major-league sports can resume May 16, but without fans.
Schools, however, remain closed.
Gov. Douglas Ducey’s latest executive order also lets expire an order that mandated two-week self-quarantines for all those who arrive from an area with substantial community spread, including but not limited to New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
New Jersey: Nonessential businesses can reopen for curbside pickup on May 18, and all construction can resume then, as well. Drive-in and drive-through events, including graduation ceremonies, are allowed. The Jersey Shore beaches reopen on May 22, with local governments deciding how many people are allowed at a time. Boardwalk rides and arcades will remain closed, and restaurants there will still only be allowed to offer take-out and delivery. Golf courses and state and county parks reopened on May 2. However, playgrounds will remain closed, and picnics and team sports won’t be allowed.
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Washington: Dentists can reopen on May 18. Elective medical procedures also are allowed. Retailers also have been allowed to offer curbside pickup. Public lands began reopening on a rolling basis starting May 5. All kinds of recreation will be allowed except camping. Construction projects deemed low risk can restart under conditions.
West Virginia: The state moves into its “week four” reopenings on May 21 and will start allowing indoor restaurant seating at 50% capacity. Large retailers will be allowed to open. Rentals of kayaks, boats, bicycles and other outdoor recreation equipment can resume then too. Outdoor guided fishing and rock climbing is allowed as of May 15. Hair and nail salons have already been allowed to reopen. Low-contact youth sports can return on June 8.
Rhode Island: Restaurants can begin offering limited outdoor dining on May. 18. “Noncritical” retail stores were allowed to reopen on May 9 with capacity limits. Elective medical procedures were allowed to resume then, too. Hair and nail salons, among others, remain closed.
Connecticut: The state aims to allow outdoor restaurant seating to be permitted on May 20. Hair and nail salons and retailers also would be allowed to reopen, as would outdoor areas in zoos and museums. Campsites also could reopen.
New York: “Low-risk” businesses were allowed to reopen May 15 in the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Finger Lakes, Central New York and Mohawk Valley regions. They include construction, manufacturing and all retail where curbside pickup is possible, as well as agriculture, forestry and fishing. The New York City area, the most populous part of the state by far, remains in lockdown.
The New York Stock Exchange will partially reopen its trading floor on May 26.
Pennsylvania: Retail stores in 13 counties in the southwestern part of the state, including Pittsburgh, were allowed to reopen on May 15, following similar steps in 24 counties in the northern and central parts of the state that were allowed to reopen on May 8. Child-care facilities in those counties, which will move to the “yellow” phase, also will be allowed to reopen, and in-person church services can resume. But hair and nail salons, among other businesses, must remain closed, and gatherings will be limited to 25 people. The Philadelphia area remains under the tightest stay-at-home rules.
Construction projects previously deemed nonessential were allowed to restart statewide on May 1.
Oregon: Bars, restaurants, malls, salons and gyms were allowed to reopen in most counties on May 15 but with restrictions. The Portland area is among a handful of counties that remain closed.
Michigan: Manufacturers were allowed to reopen on May 11 after certain safety measures have been put in place. Real-estate showings have resumed. Garden stores, nurseries, and lawn care, pest control and landscaping operations have been allowed to reopen, subject to limits on the number of people allowed at one time. Big stores that sold garden supplies also have been allowed to resume selling them. Boating and golf also are allowed.
Kentucky: As of May 11, manufacturing, construction and professional services can operate at 50% capacity; car and boat dealerships, pet groomers and horse racing without fans should be able resume. The target for allowing in-person services at houses of worship and the reopening of nonessential retail businesses is May 20, and barber shops and salons could reopen May 25.
California: Stores selling books, toys, sporting goods and flowers, among other categories, were allowed to reopen on May 8 with curbside pickup only. In-store sales still aren’t allowed. Warehouses also can reopen. Rules are tighter in the Bay Area, where San Francisco curbside pickup from retailers could begin May 18.
The next round of modifications could allow inside dining at restaurants as well as shopping malls and offices to reopen. The state on May 12 released a 12-page document detailing requirements and recommendations for restaurants looking to reopen for dine-in service, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has yet to say when and in what parts of the state that could happen. He has said it will take longer before hair and nail salons are allowed to reopen; Newsom said the state’s coronavirus outbreak began in a nail salon.
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Nevada: Restaurants and retailers could reopen at 50% capacity on May 9, and hair and nail salons were allowed to reopen with restrictions. Casinos have yet to reopen. Massage parlors, strip clubs and brothels, among other businesses, remain closed.
Maryland: Hospitals and other health-care providers were allowed to resume elective and nonemergency procedures on May 7. Golf, tennis, fishing and hunting, boating, horseback riding and outdoor exercise classes are now allowed as well. Beaches and state parks have reopened for walking and exercise. Nonessential retail stores remain closed; no curbside pickup allowed.
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North Carolina: Some nonessential businesses were allowed to reopen late on May 8 at 50% capacity, although salons spas, tattoo parlors and entertainment sites remain closed. In-restaurant dining remains off-limits.
South Carolina: Restaurants were allowed to reopen with limited indoor seating on May 11. Boating restrictions were also lifted.
The state was one of the first to loosen restrictions. Stores selling furniture, clothing, sporting goods, books and flowers, among other retail categories, as well as department stores and flea markets, were allowed to reopen on April 20 at no more than 20% capacity and with social distancing. Beaches began reopening on April 21.
Florida:Beginning May 4, restaurants in most parts of the state could resume sit-down service at 25% capacity indoors and with social distancing outdoors. Retailers can reopen at 25% capacity. Elective surgeries can resume. Hair salons and other personal services as well as gyms remain closed. Palm Beach County joined the counties operating under those restrictions on May 11, and Miami-Dade and Broward counties, populous counties with more instances of COVID-19 illnesses, followed on May 18. Beaches are open.
When the Keys lift checkpoints on June 1, hotels there will be allowed to open at 50% capacity.
Rental properties remain closed in the state; county officials can begin submitting plans on May 18 for allowing them to reopen with restrictions, including those on who is allowed to rent.
Florida continues to require those coming from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut or Louisiana to self-isolate or self-quarantine for 14 days.
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Ohio: Offices, warehouses, manufacturers and construction companies reopened May 4. Retailers and service businesses can open on May 12, and customers must wear face masks. All are subject to social-distancing rules. Dining in a restaurant remains off-limits. Hair and nail salons as well as gyms remain closed.
Missouri:Businesses were allowed to reopen on May 4, though metro areas can impose stricter rules. There also will be no limit on the size of gatherings. With live events allowed, shows in Branson, a resort town in the southwest part of the state, will be back in business, although the state says social distancing is expected between families or individuals.
The city of St. Louis and St. Louis County will begin to lift stay-at-home orders on May 18 with certain restrictions, including on capacity.
Nebraska:Beginning May 4 in 59 of the state’s 93 counties and including Omaha, dine-in restaurant services can resume at 50% capacity, and groups will be limited to a maximum of six people. Hair and nail salons, barbershops, massage therapy and tattoo parlors can reopen that same day, and both workers and patrons must wear masks. Child-care facilities can reopen, also with limits. Rules affecting places of worship will be loosened. Rules affecting Lincoln, the state capital, don’t expire until May 6, and it’s unclear whether restrictions will be eased then.
Kansas: Dine-in restaurant service resumed on May 4 with tables of no more than 10 people and distancing between tables. Houses of worship will be allowed to hold services with more than 10 people, but with social distancing. Child-care facilities and libraries can operate. Bars may be allowed to open as early as May 18 at 50% capacity.
Indiana: Retail stores, including shopping malls, and any manufacturers that had been closed were allowed to reopen beginning May 4 in most of the state. Gatherings can be increased to 25 people. Size limits on religious services will be lifted on May 8. Restaurants can reopen for sit-down meals at 50% capacity on May 11, and hair salons also will be allowed to open then. The looser rules don’t apply to Marion County, which is home to Indianapolis, or Lake County in northwest Indiana near Chicago until May 11, and Cass County, where many of the state’s coronavirus cases have occurred and a pork processing plant was closed for more than a week, until May 18. Working from home continues to be encouraged.
The state could begin moving to the next phase of reopening on May 24. Gov. Eric Holcomb said he aims for businesses to be fully open on July 4 and conventions, sports events, fairs, festivals and the state fair to be allowed, all with social distancing. Face coverings would be optional.
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New Hampshire: Elective medical procedures gradually resumed on May 4. Retailers can reopen May 11 at 50% capacity. Hair salons and barber shops also can reopen then, with certain restrictions. The same goes for golf courses. Restaurants can begin offering outdoor dining on May 18 with restrictions; seated indoor dining won’t be allowed.
Texas: All retail stores, malls, restaurants, movie theaters, libraries and museums reopened as of May 1 at 25% capacity. That could increase to 50% capacity on May 18. Outdoor sports like tennis and golf can resume with groups of no more than four people. Hair and nail salons are not yet allowed to open. Only essential workers will have access to child-care facilities, not retail and other workers.
The state requires 14-day self-quarantine for travelers arriving from airports in California, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Washington, as well as Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit and Miami. It has lifted self-quarantine rules for travelers from Louisiana.
Illinois: Greenhouses, garden centers and nurseries were allowed to reopen on May 1; other retailers, including department stores, can offer curbside pickup and delivery. Elective surgeries can resume. Some parks are reopening, and boating with no more than two people, as well as golf, will be allowed. Parts of the state may be able to move to the next phase, which would allow nonessential businesses (including barbers and hair salons) and manufacturers to reopen, on May 29.
Colorado:Business across much of the state, including hair and nail salons as well as dental and other elective medical services, reopened on May 1 under certain conditions, though not in the Denver area. Nonessential business there remains closed through at least May 8, although most counties will allow curbside pickup from retailers. Real-estate agents were allowed to start showing homes again on April 27, though open houses are not allowed. Offices can reopen on May 4 with 50% of staff and with social distancing, although Gov. Jared Polis said people should continue working from home if possible. Face masks are still required, and group gatherings can’t exceed 10 people.
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Maine: Barber shops, hair salons and pet groomers reopened as of May 1, as well as drive-in movie theaters, car dealers and outdoor recreation. Limited drive-in, stay-in-your-vehicle religious services are allowed. Restaurants remain closed. All those coming to the state must quarantine for 14 days.
Tennessee:Most businesses reopened May 1. Restaurants were able to open for dine-in services at half-capacity starting April 27. Retail stores could open on April 29. Counties with their own health departments, which include those that are home to Memphis, Nashville and Knoxville, plan their own reopen strategies.
Alabama: All retail businesses were allowed to reopen at 50% capacity beginning May 1. Elective medical procedures can resume. Beaches are open. Nonwork gatherings of 10 or more people aren’t allowed. Barbershops and hair salons remain closed.
Oklahoma: Sit-down restaurants, movie theaters, sporting venues and gyms were allowed to reopen on May 1 with social distancing. Places of worship can reopen for in-person services if they leave every other row or pew open. Hair salons, barber shops, nail salons, pet groomers and spas were allowed to reopen earlier with social distancing, if they aren’t in communities with their own restrictions in place. State parks and outdoor recreation areas also can reopen.
Idaho: Almost all retail stores and houses of worship were allowed to open May 1. Day cares and youth events can restart as well. Bars, restaurant dining rooms, hair salons and indoor gyms stay closed.
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Iowa: Restaurants, stores and shopping malls as well as some other businesses were allowed to reopen in 77 of the state’s 99 counties beginning May 1 but at no more than 50% capacity. Restaurants will be limited to tables of no more than six people, and all tables must be at least 6 feet apart. Among the counties that aren’t reopening are those home to the state’s largest cities, including Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Sioux City and Iowa City.
Virginia:Nonemergency doctor visits were allowed to resume May 1.
Georgia: Gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors were allowed to reopen on April 24 with social-distancing and hygiene requirements. Hospitals can resume elective surgeries. On April 27, movie theaters were allowed to reopen, and restaurants can offer limited dine-in service. The plan has been met with skepticism within the state, as The Wall Street Journal reports, and Trump was unexpectedly critical of the Georgia plan.
Mississippi:Retail stores were allowed to reopen on April 27 with limits on the number of customers, but gyms, hair salons, tattoo parlors, movie theaters and casinos are among those that must stay closed. Restaurants can’t offer sit-down dining. Although places of worship aren’t covered by the state’s rules, Gov. Tate Reeves says he has asked pastors not to have in-church services.
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Montana: The state’s reopening began on April 26 with churches, followed by retail stores a day later. Dine-in restaurants and bars were allowed to reopen on May 4 with 50% capacity.
Alaska:Sit-down restaurant meals have been allowed to resume, but only with tables comprising members of a single household and only with a reservation. Restaurants can be only 25% full, among other rules. Restaurants in Anchorage must keep a log of customers to help with any future contact tracing, among other rules. Indoor and outdoor gatherings, which include religious services, are limited to 20 people, or 25% of a building’s capacity. Retail stores can reopen, but with a limit of 20 people or 25% of capacity at a time, and only one adult from a household can enter at a time. Hair salons, barber shops and nail salons are allowed to reopen as well, also with social distancing.
Vermont:Crews of no more than two could resume outdoor work and construction in unoccupied buildings beginning April 20. Retailers could reopen with curbside pickup and delivery services.
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