Although the first case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was confirmed on Jan. 21, 2020, it wasn’t until March when the novel coronavirus upended life for most Americans. Throughout March and April, states issued stay-at-home orders, closed schools, restricted travel, and changed election dates. Many of those policies remain in place today. 

Here are the policy changes that happened March 30-April 3, 2020. This list is not comprehensive. To see a list of all policy changes in each category, click the links below.

Monday, March 30, 2020:

• Stay-at-home orders:
  • Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) issued Executive Order 55, which directed individuals in Virginia to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state.
  • Executive Order 121 took effect in North Carolina. The order directed individuals to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state. Gov. Roy Cooper (D) issued Executive Order 121 on March 27. 
• Travel restrictions: 
  • Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) issued an order requiring residents to self-quarantine for any out-of-state travel, unless they traveled to care for a person in need, bought groceries or necessary supplies, went to work, were required to travel by a court order, or obtained healthcare.
  • Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) issued an executive order requiring residents and non-residents traveling to Montana, except those traveling for work, to self-quarantine for two weeks. The order also instructed the Montana National Guard to conduct temperature checks and exposure risk inquiries at airports and rail stations in the state.
• School closures:
  • Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) announced schools would be closed for the remainder of the academic year. Prior to the announcement, schools were scheduled to reopen on April 13.
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) announced the statewide school closure would last indefinitely. It was previously scheduled to end on April 8.
• Election changes:
  • Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney (R) announced the state’s May 19 primary election would be conducted entirely by mail.
  • Vermont Governor Phil Scott (R) signed H0681 into law, making a series of temporary changes to the state’s election laws in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
• Federal government responses:
  • Glenn Fine, the acting inspector general of the Department of Defense, was selected to lead the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which oversaw the implementation of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. He was selected as chair by the other eight members of the committee, who were all inspectors general of various federal departments and agencies.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020:

• Stay-at-home orders:
  • Executive Order 22 took effect in Tennessee. The order directed individuals in Tennessee to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state. Gov. Bill Lee (R) issued the order March 30. 
  • Executive Order 2020-18 took effect in Arizona. The order directed individuals in Arizona to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state. Gov. Doug Ducey (R) issued the order March 30.
• Travel restrictions: 
  • West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) issued an executive order requiring all non-residents traveling to West Virginia from areas with “substantial community spread” to self-quarantine for two weeks. The order instructed West Virginia State Police to monitor roadways for such possible travelers.
• School closures:
  • Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) extended the statewide school closure from April 7 to April 30.
  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) extended the statewide school closure from April 3 to May 4.
• Election changes:
  • Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate (R) announced that his office would send absentee ballot applications to all active registered voters in the state in advance of the June 2, 2020, primary election.

Wednesday, April 1, 2020:

• Stay-at-home orders:
  • Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) extended the stay-at-home order to all 67 counties in the state. Previously, the order affected 26 counties. 
  • Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) issued Executive Order 2020-07, which directed individuals to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state.
• School closures:
  • California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced schools would be physically closed for the remainder of the school year.
  • Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced schools would remain closed for the remainder of the school year. Prior to the order, the state’s school closure was scheduled to end April 24.
• Election changes:
  • Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) issued a proclamation establishing deadlines for the state’s all-mail primary election.
  • West Virginia Governor Jim Justice (R) issued Executive Order 18-20, postponing West Virginia’s statewide primary election to June 9, 2020. The primary was originally scheduled to take place May 12.
• Federal government responses:
  • The Bureau of Prisons announced it was instituting a 14-day lockdown of all prison inmates.

Thursday, April 2, 2020:

• Stay-at-home orders:
  • Executive Order GA-14 went into effect. The order directed individuals in Texas to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) issued the order March 31.
  • Executive Order 28 went into effect. The order directed individuals to stay home. Gov. Janet Mills (D) issued the order March 31.
• School closures:
  • Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) announced schools in the state would remain closed through the end of the academic year.
  • Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) announced schools statewide would remain closed for the rest of the academic year.
  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ (D) stay-at-home order closed schools statewide through April 30.
• Election changes:
  • Judge William M. Conley, of the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, issued an order extending absentee voting deadlines in Wisconsin’s April 7, 2020, election.

Friday, April 3, 2020:

• Stay-at-home orders:
  • Executive Order 1466 went into effect. The order directed individuals in Mississippi to stay home except for essential activities and closed nonessential businesses in the state. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) issued the order April 1. 
• Travel restrictions: 
  • Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) issued an executive order requiring all out-of-state travelers to self-quarantine for two weeks. Individuals providing essential services were exempt. The order directed state agencies, such as the Maine Department of Transportation and the Maine Turnpike Authority, to post the order at all major points of entry into the state.
  • Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) issued an order requiring out-of-state travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.
• School closures:
  • As part of a stay-at-home order issued by Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons (R), extended the statewide school closure from April 3 through April 24.
  • Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon (R) extended the statewide school closur`e from April 17 to April 30
• Election changes:
  • Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee (R) signed two orders authorizing candidates to submit qualifying documents, including signed petitions, electronically.
  • The Democratic Party of Maine canceled its state convention, originally scheduled for May 29-30, 2020.
• Federal government responses:
  • The Supreme Court of the United States postponed the oral arguments scheduled for its April sitting. The court was scheduled to hear eight cases from April 20 to April 29.

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