Nine governors continue to drag their feet on issuing stay-at-home directives.
Some say they fear lockdowns could harm their states' economies, while others think their residents can help curb the spread of coronavirus by using their own good judgments. The states are Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming.
"What else are we doing by doing a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order except for potentially disrupting the supply chain, putting additional pressure on the essential workforce, and making sure that we are considering how we bring that back up?," Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa said during a press conference.
Reynolds has, however, ordered all non-essential businesses to remain closed until April 7, while schools will be closed until April 15.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House coronavirus task force, recently told CNN’s Anderson Cooper the federal government should move to place the entire country under a stay-at-home order to curb the spread of coronavirus.
"I don't understand why that's not happening,” Fauci said, "If you look at what's going on in this country, I just don't understand why we're not doing that. We really should be.”
But some governors don't think the one-size-fits-all approach is necessary.
On Thursday, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts doubled down on his belief that his state should not be locked down.
"We're a different state than states like New York that are doing that. We are much earlier in the epidemic curve than New York," Ricketts said, according to ABC News.
Ricketts has banned gatherings of more than 10 people.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt has all but issued a stay-at-home order. He has called for non-essential businesses to close and ordered elderly and at-risk residents to self-quarantine.
"I have agonized over all these decisions, but this is the right time to take these steps," Stitt.
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