- A majority of US states have eased stay-at-home orders and are allowing some businesses to reopen.
- Some states, like Texas, have already seen a surge in new cases.
- But it’s still too early to draw definitive conclusions about the effects of loosened restrictions, since data on confirmed cases and deaths lags behind the on-the-ground reality.
- These interactive charts show how many new COVID-19 cases are being reported daily in 20 states.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Across the US, 30 states have relaxed aspects of their stay-at-home orders and allowed certain businesses to reopen, hoping the worst is behind them. Meanwhile, 18 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam remain under lockdown.
Public-health experts have repeatedly warned that lifting lockdowns too early could lead to more waves of coronavirus transmission, which could force states to implement new lockdowns to curb the virus’ spread.
Some states have already seen cases spike. Less than two weeks after its stay-at-home order expired, Texas reported its largest daily increase in new coronavirus cases and deaths. Others states, including Florida and Georgia, eased restrictions in recent weeks even though case numbers weren’t declining, but have seen them hold relatively stable so far. States like New York and Washington, where outbreaks hit earlier and lockdowns are still in effect, have reported steady declines in new cases.
However, we don’t yet have definitive answers as to how states’ decisions to loosen restrictions are impacting their outbreaks. That’s because new case data can lag several weeks behind what’s actually happening – people who get COVID-19 take an average of five days to develop symptoms, then may need to wait multiple days for test results. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has estimated that numbers we see today reflect infections that occurred about two weeks ago.
In states that aren't doing extensive testing, many cases might also not show on public health officials' radars at all.
Still, based on our best current information, here's what the progression of new cases reported each day looks like in 20 US states that have had significant COVID-19 outbreaks.
These maps show which states have relaxed some or all stay-at-home rules.
Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming never issued statewide stay-at-home orders, though many non-essential businesses closed in most of those states, and some cities within them issued local lockdowns.
Arizona has recorded more than 13,000 coronavirus cases in total — 1,800 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
New daily case data comes from The COVID Tracking Project. Calculations of cases per million use the US Census Bureau's population estimates.
The line showing daily new cases may appear jagged, since states often report more cases following weekends, so we've added a weekly "moving average" line that is more helpful in showing the broader trend.
California has more than 74,000 cases — 1,800 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Connecticut has more than 36,000 total cases — 10,100 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Washington, DC has more than 6,800 total cases — 9,700 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Florida has more than 43,000 total cases — 2,000 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Georgia has more than 36,000 total cases — 3,400 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Illinois has more than 90,000 total cases — 7,100 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Louisiana has more than 33,000 total cases — 7,200 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Maryland has more than 36,000 total cases — 6,100 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Massachusetts has more than 83,000 total cases — 12,100 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Michigan has more than 50,000 total cases — 5,000 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Minnesota has more than 14,000 total cases — 2,500 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
New Jersey has more than 143,000 total cases — 16,200 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
New York has more than 345,000 total cases — 17,700 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Pennsylvania has more than 60,000 total cases — 4,700 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Rhode Island has more than 12,000 total cases — 11,500 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
South Dakota has more than 3,800 total cases — 4,300 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Texas has more than 45,000 total cases — 1,500 per million residents.
Data as of 5/15
Virginia has more than 28,000 total cases — 3,300 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
Washington has more than 17,000 total cases — 2,300 per million residents.
Data as of 5/14
