COVID-19: Which States Have Ordered People To Stay Home?

The list of U.S. states issuing "stay at home orders" is continuing to grow and more than 30 have now implemented such measures affecting millions of Americans. Florida and Nevada are two of the latest states to order their residents to remain at home in a bid to halt the spread of COVID-19. Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) extended the closure of all nonessential private businesses and schools to the end of the month, though residents will still be allowed out to purchase food, undertake essential business or do exercise. Florida Gov. Ron DeSanti has now announced similar measures for the Sunshine State's residents for the next 30 days, though they too will be able to go shopping and exercise outside responsibly.

President Trump declared a state of emergency on March 13, 2020 to strenghten the government's response, though he has held short of implementing a national lockdown. Several states declared their own emergencies before that and a patchwork response to the pandemic has now emerged which could undermine efforts to curb its spread. It can still be carried from critically-affected regions into lower-risk areas. Data from both the Kaiser Family Foundation and New York Times shows that the number of states that have ordered residents to stay at home reached 33 as of 02 April, 2020. Several others have taken some kind of action but fallen short of state-wide action. Mississippi is an example of a state announcing restrictions for certain counties while Utah and Georgia have told their high-risk groups to stay home.