Coronavirus Restrictions on a Federal, State, and Local Level

As the coronavirus continues to ravage the world, regions of the United States have begun the process of reopening to varying degrees. Roughly along political lines, some states like Georgia, Arkansas, and Indiana have significantly loosened restrictions on movement and abandoned requirements for personal protective equipment (PPE); meanwhile, other states like California, New York, and New Jersey, places that were hit the hardest, remain in lockdown. Protesters have taken to the streets in many of the latter states, often referencing the president’s rhetoric surrounding the legitimacy of the virus and the information “mainstream media” has dispensed about it.


State and local officials face the quagmire of balancing the mitigation efforts already in place with the reality that many citizens have not and will continue to not comply. Although current data suggests containment and eradication was a more viable strategy than initially perceived in the States, many decision makers have essentially tossed that prospect aside. Governors, mayors, and state legislators must then decide how to reopen states: which businesses and public areas, how quickly, and with what restrictions on PPE and social distancing still in effect.


Here in Los Angeles, California, both our governor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Eric Garcetti have emphasized the importance of staying at home as much as possible. Though California and Los Angeles in particular are Democratic strongholds, conservative and libertarian groups have still very much made their voices heard, in Orange County, Fresno, and Sacramento.

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