• Track the status of reopening in all 50 states.
• Compare the status of one industry or activity across the country.
• Provide in-depth summaries of the latest reopening plans.
• Give you the latest stories on other reopening plans and ideas.

Want to know what happened yesterday? Click here.

The next two days

What is reopening in the next two days?

July 3

• Kansas (divided government): Effective 12:01 a.m. on July 3, most Kansans will be required to wear face coverings in public spaces. Gov. Laura Kelly (D) made the announcement on July 29. The executive order enacting the requirement is expected to be issued on July 2.

Since our last edition

What is open in each state? For a continually updated article on reopening status in all 50 states, click here. For our last edition, click here.

• Alabama (Republican trifecta): Gov. Kay Ivey (R) extended the state’s safer at home order through July 31. The order first went into effect on May 22 and is effectively the first phase of the state’s reopening plan. The order was initially scheduled to end on July 3.

• California (Democratic trifecta): Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) ordered that the 19 counties on the state’s monitoring list shut down indoor service at restaurants, wineries, movie theaters and other family entertainment, museums, zoos, and card rooms. Bars in those counties must close all operations. Four of the state’s five most populous counties—Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino—are on the list. The other county not on the list is San Diego.

• Colorado (Democratic trifecta): Gov. Jared Polis (D) ordered all bars and nightclubs in the state to close. Bars that serve food and function as restaurants can stay open if they follow social distancing guidelines. Bars and nightclubs had been allowed to reopen with limited capacity on June 19.

• Maine (Democratic trifecta): Effective July 1, the following businesses are permitted to reopen or expand operations: indoor amusement facilities (e.g., bowling alleys; 50 people maximum); movie theaters (50 people maximum); outdoor amusement facilities (25% capacity); performing arts venues (50 people maximum); casinos; overnight summer camps; and spas and close-contact personal services (e.g., nail services; 50 people maximum).

• Massachusetts (divided government): Effective July 1, all travelers arriving in Massachusetts are being directed to self-quarantine for 14 days. This includes Massachusetts residents returning home from interstate travel. The directive does not apply to travelers from Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, and New Jersey. The order also exempts essential critical infrastructure workers, as defined by the federal government.

• Michigan (divided government): On June 30, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) released the “MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap,” a set of guidelines by which local districts can draft their own reopening plans for the fall. The guidelines, which include both requirements and recommendations, are tiered to the phases of the state’s broader reopening plan. The state is currently in Phase 4 of its reopening plan. Full details on requirements and recommendations by reopening phase can be accessed here.

• New York (Democratic trifecta): Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the Capital Region of the state is entering Phase 4 of reopening starting July 1.

• Oregon (Democratic trifecta): Face coverings in indoor public spaces are required statewide, effective July 1. Face coverings have been required in Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Marion, Polk, Hood River, and Lincoln counties since June 24.
• Virginia (Democratic trifecta): Virginia entered Phase 3 of its reopening plan on July 1, further easing restrictions on businesses and gatherings. As many as 250 people can gather together, and gyms can operate at 75% capacity. Most businesses can operate without capacity restrictions, so long as they provide enough space for social distancing. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) announced late Tuesday, June 30, that bar areas in restaurants would remain closed in Phase 3, a reversal from the original plan. 

Update on 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 July 1, stay-at-home orders have ended in 42 states. Nineteen of those states have Republican governors and 23 have Democratic governors (including Wisconsin, where the state supreme court invalidated the stay-at-home order).

California, which has a Democratic governor, is the only remaining state with an active stay-at-home order.

Tracking industries: Gyms

All 50 states are reopening in some way. Here, we give the status of one industry or activity across the states. Today’s question: in which states may you go work out in a gym?

We last looked at gyms in the June 8th edition of the newsletter. Since then, nine states (CA, CO, CT, IL, MD, ME, MN, VT, and WA) have opened gyms. One state (Arizona) closed gyms that were previously reopened.

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. Click a state below to read a previous Featured Plan.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) and his Bounce Back Advisory Group announced Oklahoma’s Open Up and Recover Safely plan on April 22. The first phase of the plan began on April 24, allowing personal care businesses (like salons and barbershops), state parks, and outdoor recreation to reopen. Oklahoma was the fourth state to begin reopening. The state entered the final stage of the plan on June 1.

According to the health order implementing the reopening guidelines, local governments are allowed to enforce stricter regulations.

In a press release announcing the plan, Stitt said, “From the beginning it has been my intent to protect the health and lives of Oklahomans, especially our vulnerable populations, and mitigate the impact to Oklahoma’s economy and get Oklahomans safely back to work. We have put together a group of industry professionals from across our state, and they have been working with my Governor’s Solution Task Force and our health advisors to develop a way to get back open safely. As we begin to responsibly implement this measured response, we will continue to prioritize the safety of Oklahomans and base all decisions on the data in our state.”

The state’s reopening was contingent on the following prerequisites:

Context

• Oklahoma’s statewide stay-at-home order took effect on April 1 and expired on May 6, making the state the 16th to lift a stay-at-home order.
• As of June 30, there had been 13,757 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Oklahoma and 387 confirmed deaths. A total of 348,350 tests had been administered, amounting to a positive test rate of 3.9 percent. As of July 2019, Oklahoma’s estimated population was four million. Per 100,000 residents, there have been 343.9 confirmed positives, 9.7 confirmed deaths, and 8,708.8 total tests.
• Oklahoma is a Republican trifecta, with a Republican governor and Republican majorities in both chambers of the state legislature.

Plan details

General guidance

Oklahoma’s reopening plan encouraged individuals to do the following:

The plan encouraged businesses to consider:

Phase 1 (April 24 – May 14)

Individual recommendations

Business recommendations

• General guidelines for businesses included:

• On April 24, the following businesses and activities could begin reopening:
  • Personal care businesses, including salons, barbershops, spas, and pet groomers (appointment only)
  • State parks and outdoor recreation
• On May 1, the following businesses and activities could begin reopening:
  • Dining, entertainment, movie theatres, and sporting venues
  • Gyms and fitness centers
  • Places of worship
  • Tattoo parlors (appointment only)

Phase 2 (May 15 – May 31)

Individual recommendations 

Business recommendations 

• General guidelines

  “

  Close common areas or enforce social distancing and sanitation protocols. Honor requests of personnel who are members of a vulnerable population for special accommodations. Employers are recommended to implement social distancing protocols, which include proper sanitation and the use of protective equipment when interacting with the public.

  ”

• Phase 2 allowed the following businesses and activities to begin reopening:
  • Organized sports activities
  • Limited hospital visitation
  • Bars
  • Funerals and weddings
  • Nursery areas in places of worship

(started June 1)

Individual recommendations

Business recommendations 

• General guidelines

  “

  Businesses can resume unrestricted staffing at their worksites by observing proper CDC-recommended social distancing protocols and are recommended to continue increased cleaning and disinfecting practices. Suggested guidelines regarding the use of masks and other personal protective equipment can be found on the CDC website along with the Oklahoma Department of Commerce website. Businesses operating by appointment only may begin operating by appointment and walk-in at their discretion.

  ”

• Phase 3 allowed the following businesses and activities to begin reopening:
  • Church and school summer camps

Reactions

• Dr. George Monks, president of the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said the plan would reopen the state too quickly. In an editorial posted on April 24, Monks said, “Even without widespread testing, Oklahoma has seen an ongoing growth in the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the past week alone. According to the Trump administration, states should not begin this process until they’ve seen a two-week downward trajectory in COVID-19 cases, and we are far from this point.”

• Chad Warmington, president and CEO of the State Chamber of Oklahoma, said he supported the state moving into Phase 2 of the reopening plan. In an article published on May 14, he said, “The sacrifices made by all Oklahomans over the past few weeks have paid off. Now it is time to resume living our lives with an appropriate emphasis on social distancing and personal hygiene. Oklahoma’s economy can’t recover if we don’t all actively participate in it.”

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.

• United Airlines announced it was scheduling 25,000 domestic and international flights in August, which is triple the flights the airline flew in June. Officials said that the number of flights flown this August would be about 40% of its total schedule from August 2019.
• New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) announced that restaurants would not be allowed to resume indoor table service next week as initially scheduled. Restaurants in the city have been allowed to reopen for outdoor dining since June 22.
• Philadelphia issued a travel advisory for individuals coming from 15 states that require travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days. The advisory applies to the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah.
• On June 29, a group of twenty-two plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in Travis County District Court against Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R), the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC), and Bentley Nettles, the executive director of the TABC. The plaintiffs seek an injunction blocking implementation of Abbott’s Executive Order GA-28, which re-closed bars and scaled back restaurant capacity to 50%. Twelve of the plaintiffs are owners of bars throughout the state, and 10 are citizens affected by the shutdown. The plaintiffs argue Abbott’s actions exceed emergency disaster authority granted to the governor per the Texas Government Code and violate multiple sections of the state constitution. The case has not yet been listed on the docket or assigned to a judge.
• In Dane County, Wisconsin, health officials issued an order closing indoor service in bars and limiting capacity in restaurants to 25% beginning July 2. Madison, the state capital, is in Dane County. Milwaukee moved into the fourth phase of reopening July 1.
• A mask mandate went into effect in Charleston, South Carolina, on July 1. Face coverings are required in all public areas. Violations can result in a fine of $50. According to Mayor John Tecklenburg, the mandate will be enforced by code enforcement officers in the livability department rather than officers of the Charleston Police Department.