These Are the States Yet to Issue a Stay-at-Home Order Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

A number of U.S. states have yet to issue a stay-at-home order, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Every state has imposed some type of restrictions, including bans on social gatherings or closing of certain businesses but 11 states still do not have a stay-at-home order in place. According to a tracker provided by Johns Hopkins University, there are over 216,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. and at least 5,137 deaths.

Newsweek has provided a detailed list of the states that have yet to impose this order.

Alabama

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has yet to impose a statewide stay-at-home order but instead suggested that people should stay at home. "These are uncertain times for sure," Ivey said in a recent video. "So now, and for the foreseeable future, please consider staying safe at home."

The state does have some social distancing policies in place, such as a ban of large public gatherings and closures of nonessential businesses. The city of Birmingham has imposed a city-wide shelter-in-place order as well.

According to the tracker, there are over 1,100 confirmed cases in Alabama and at least 28 deaths.

Arkansas

Like Alabama, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson has yet to impose a stay-at-home order but has implemented similar social distancing policies.

"I do not want to go to a shelter-in-place environment," Hutchinson recently said at a press conference.

According to the tracker, in Arkansas there are over 620 confirmed cases and at least 10 deaths.

Iowa

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has suggested that a statewide stay-at-home order is not necessary and that the state's social distancing policies have helped curb the spread of the virus in Iowa. Like most other states, the social distancing policies include bans on large public gatherings, closures of nonessential businesses and limiting restaurants to take out options.

"I can't lock the state down," Reynolds recently said, according to the Des Moines Register.

In Iowa, there are at least 550 confirmed coronavirus cases and nine deaths.

Missouri

Instead of issuing a statewide stay-at-home order, Missouri Governor Mike Parson suggested that it would be more beneficial to allow local mayors to impose their own citywide restrictions.

"Every day, we look at the models to see how many counties in Missouri has a positive hit, and how many are multiple hits," Parson said, according to The Kansas City Star. "And we go by that to make the decisions on what day, if we do a stay-at-home (order) at some point. Right now, I'm not ready to do that."

A number of Missouri cities have issued their own stay-at-home orders, including Kansas City and St. Louis.

According to the tracker, there are over 1,600 confirmed cases in Missouri and at least 22 deaths.

Nebraska

Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts has yet to implement a stay-at-home order but has implemented a ban on social gatherings of 10 or more people across the state. Ricketts has said that he will not issue the stay-at-home order because the state has been proactive in their handling of the coronavirus.

"We've implemented procedures earlier, which will help us take care of people who get sick," Ricketts said according to 1011 NOW news in Nebraska.

According to the tracker, there are over 210 confirmed coronavirus cases in Nebraska and at least four deaths.

North Dakota

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum has ordered a number of different social distancing policies across the state but has not decided to impose a stay-at-home order. Many cities across the state have implemented their own policies, but Burgum noted that a statewide order could come if it is necessary.

"It's not about staying at home, it's about avoiding contact," Burgum said. "We'll keep monitoring the situation, and if our approach isn't working, we may issue additional guidance."

In North Dakota, there are over 146 confirmed cases and at least three deaths, according to the tracker.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has stated that older and high-risk people should stay at home but has not imposed a statewide stay-at-home order. The state has also imposed social distancing policies such as bans on large public gatherings and the closures of nonessential businesses.

"We're taking what we think is appropriate action at this time based on the facts that we have and the data in Oklahoma," Stitt said according to The Oklahoman.

According to the tracker, there are over 700 confirmed cases in Oklahoma and at least 30 deaths.

South Carolina

In South Carolina, Governor Henry McMaster has yet to implement a statewide stay-at-home order but has ordered all nonessential businesses, beaches and schools to close. Two cities in South Carolina, Charleston and Columbia have issued their own citywide stay-at-home orders.

"We are not ordering people to stay at home, but from the very beginning we've been telling people to stay home," McMaster said.

In South Carolina, there are over 1,200 confirmed coronavirus cases and at least 26 deaths.

South Dakota

Similar to Oklahoma, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem recently issued an order for people over the age of 60 and other vulnerable groups to take extreme precautions during the pandemic. Noem has ordered nonessential businesses to allow employees to work from home but noted that restaurants and bar closures are not needed in the state because the state has not experienced community spread of the virus.

According to the tracker, there over 120 confirmed coronavirus cases in South Dakota and at least two deaths.

Utah

In Utah some counties have imposed their own stay-at-home orders, but Governor Gary Herbert has not issued a statewide stay-at-home order. Instead of an order, Herbert recently issued a directive to "stay safe, stay home."

The directive allows people to leave their homes for work (but encourages them to work from home), for health care and for groceries.

According to the tracker, there are over 1,000 confirmed cases in Utah, and at least seven deaths.

Wyoming

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon recently said that he has no plans to implement a statewide stay-at-home order.

"If we're going to issue a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order, it will not have multiple exemptions. It will be a true stay-at-home order," Gordon said at a recent press conference.

According to the tracker, there are over 130 confirmed coronavirus cases in Wyoming. The state has not reported any deaths related to the virus.