Reality Check: What Happened In The States That Opened First?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- All 50 states are now taking the steps to reopen their economies, including Minnesota. Despite experts who worry it might be too much, too soon.
Some states have already been open for weeks. All 50 states have their own plans for reopening, but only a few meet CDC guidelines -- that first they must show the number of cases in their states falling over a period of 14 days.
Minnesota is slowly opening, even though COVID-19 cases are still rising.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is loosening restrictions on some businesses that have been shut down from the coronavirus outbreak. It's the same in neighboring Wisconsin where coronavirus cases are still rising.
Only 13 states meet the reopening guidelines -- steadily declining cases for the last two weeks. They include Vermont, Idaho, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Nevada, Rhode Island, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Georgia.
Georgia was the first state to open three weeks ago despite national criticism. And this week, Georgia cases are down 12% with 5,101 new cases. In Florida and Texas the situation is not going as well -- Florida cases are up 10.5% with 6,554 cases in the last week. And in Texas, new cases are up 21.8%. Last week Texas recorded its single-highest one day total on record with 1,818 new cases.
Despite nationwide pressure to reopen, including a protest in Minnesota this week to open a bar, experts say it's still dangerous. There's a lag time for the virus to take hold.
And the numbers we see in Florida, Georgia and Texas are snapshots of what the outbreak looked like.
The Minnesota Health Department model is predicting a spike in virus cases during June as the state reopens businesses.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz today loosened restrictions for some businesses beginning June 1.
RELATED: Gov. Walz: Outdoor Dining Allowed To Return At Restaurants, Salons To Reopen On June 1
Here are some of the sources that we used for this Reality Check:
Georgia Hasn't Seen A Massive Spike In Coronavirus Cases Since Reopening
See Which States Still Have Increasing Rates Of COVID-19
These Are The States With Coronavirus Cases Falling And Rising The Most
Florida's COVID-19 Data And Surveillance Dashboard
Situation Update for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) In Minnesota
United States COVID-19 Cases and Deaths by State
Most States That Are Reopening Fail to Meet White House Guidelines
See Which States Are Reopening And Which Are Still Shutdown
