Special Report
Every State’s Rules for Reopening Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic
June 25, 2020 6:51 pm
Last Updated: July 2, 2020 11:26 am
The second part of phase 2 of reopening started on June 22. Indoor service at restaurants and businesses that provide close contact personal services can reopen. Retail dressing rooms can open by appointment only, and offices can open at 50% capacity.
Organized sports programs resumed for no-contact drills and practices, but participants must be separated into groups of 10 or fewer. Colleges and occupational schools can resume for the purposes of completing graduation requirements. Massachusetts recently released guidelines for reopening schools in the fall. All students above second grade as well as adults have to wear masks, maintain social distance, and most likely eat in their classrooms.
Retailers are open, but with capacity limits. Swimming pools, libraries, museums, and day camps for children can open as well. Groups of up to 250 people have been allowed to gather outdoors while social distancing since June 1. Indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Outdoor performance and sporting venues can reopen but with a capacity of no more than 500 people. Hair salons and similar personal care businesses can resume services. Restrictions on overnight travel and troop camps have been lifted. Some school sports and other extracurricular activities can resume, but outdoors only.
Six of Michigan’s eight regions were supposed to move to phase 5 of reopening by June 26. This has now been postponed at least until July 4 due to isolated outbreaks of new COVID-19 cases in some parts of the state. People statewide are required to wear non-medical grade face coverings in closed public spaces. Employers are obliged to provide masks to employees who are back in the office.
Minnesota is now in phase 3 of reopening. The plan allows for the limited reopening of indoor dining, gyms, and entertainment venues. Restaurants can open indoor dining at 50% capacity, but reservations are required. Gyms, movie theaters, and other indoor entertainment venues can open at 25% capacity. Hair salons, barbershops, and tattoo parlors can expand to 50% capacity, but clients have to make reservations. Places of worship can expand to 50% capacity.
Outdoor event venues, including sporting events, concerts, and theaters, can open at 25% capacity. Indoor social gatherings are limited to 10 people. Outdoors, people can gather in groups of 25. Public swimming pools can reopen at 50% capacity if they have a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan. Youth sports can begin team practices and outdoor games and scrimmages. Indoor games and scrimmages can resume on July 1.
Mississippi’s safer-at-home order ended June 1 and has been replaced by a safe return order, which was effective until June 15. Social gatherings must comply with social distancing requirements, with a limit of 50 people indoors and no more than 100 people outdoors. Gatherings where people cannot socially distance have limits of 20 people indoors and up to 50 people outside.
Health care procedures can return as before, but hospitals have to set aside at least 25% of capacity for COVID-19 patients. School buildings can open for summer programs. Restaurants and bars can now have live music performances, with customers and musicians maintaining at least a 12-foot distance. Indoor places of amusement such as bowling alleys and playgrounds can open at 50% capacity. Gyms and fitness centers can expand to 50% capacity. Outdoor and indoor arenas can open with limiting seating to 25% capacity.
Missouri’s stay-at-home order ended May 4. Phase 2, which began June 15, allows the maximum number of people gathering in one place to increase to 50 people from 10. Also in phase 2, businesses such as restaurants, places of worship, gyms, and salons may boost operations to 50% capacity as long as social distancing is followed.
Local officials still have the authority to put further restrictions in place. Outside and window visitations at long-term care facilities are now allowed provided they comply with social distancing protocols. Group dining and group activities in the facilities may resume under certain circumstances, including not having any cases of COVID-19 among staff or residents, or it has been 28 days since the last coronavirus case was confirmed.
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