In his March 11 presidential address, President Joe Biden mentioned July 4 as the date on which the majority of Americans could return to somewhat of a normal life following more than one year of COVID-19-related lockdowns and restrictions. “After this long hard year, that will make this Independence Day something truly special, where we not only mark our independence as a nation, but we begin to mark our independence from this virus,” Biden stressed.
Since this address, several states have completely reopened for business and some have even removed mask mandates. As of May 17, 25 states have reopened, while California and New York had plans to do so on June 15 and May 19, respectively. Below is a look at three states that have already reopened.
Texas
Texas became one of the first states to loosen COVID-19 restrictions when, on March 10, Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order to increase business and facility capacity to 100 percent and remove the mask mandate. At the time, the executive order came with the caveat that county judges could impose COVID-19 mitigation actions in their respective regions if hospital bed capacity exceeded 15 percent for COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Yet, cases have continued to decline as more Texans have become vaccinated. The Texas Department of Health and Safety reported that more than 40 percent of Texans 16 years and older were fully vaccinated as of May 12. In addition, the state reported no new COVID-19-related fatalities for the first time on May 16.
Florida
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took the first steps to reopening the state in September, when he removed restrictions on businesses and stated that people can't be fined for refusing to wear masks. All COVID-19 mandates in the state will be removed as of July 1, a decision DeSantis attributes to vaccine supply outpacing demand.
Disney World was one of the first theme parks in the US to open during summer 2020 and has since enforced social distancing and required patrons to wear masks. The park released a statement following DeSantis' announcement that it would continue to maintain these safety measures for the time being.
Arizona
Arizona officially opened for business shortly before Texas on March 5. Gov. Doug Ducey announced that all businesses and facilities can operate at 100 percent capacity as long as they enforce mask wearing and social distancing. Businesses in the state were previously limited to 50 percent capacity or less.
More than 35 percent of people in Arizona were fully vaccinated as of May 17, while 45.74 percent of residents had at least one dose.