During the latter half of March, a majority of states began implementing stay-at-home orders in attempts to flatten the curve. California, New York, and Washington were among the earliest to enforce these policies. However, states like Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming chose to forgo these measures. Some states, such as Texas, Nevada, and Missouri, implemented orders later, during the first week of April.

After identifying the states as a blue or red state based on the results of the 2016 presidential election, we noticed that Democratic states typically had later reopening dates in early to mid-May while most Republican states had reopening dates in the latter half of April. 

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Currently, all states are in the process of transitioning to their second phase. For example, Texas is in its second phase of its Open Texas Plan, reopening bars, recreational establishments, childcare programs, and in-person summer schooling while increasing restaurant capacities to 50%. Several counties in Washington, where the first confirmed US case occurred, are also in the second phase of its Safe Start Washington plan. Several counties in California are in the second phase of its Resilience Roadmap plan and are reopening retail, childcare, and places of worship at limited capacity. 

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While states have taken certain precautions to reduce the spread of the virus in the midst of reopening, it may have been too early for some to take this step. States reopening earlier increases the likelihood of a second wave of the pandemic occurring in the future. Although the nation is in the process of reestablishing regularity, there should be caution when stepping out in public.