States that are opening up, here’s how they are doing it

It was not long ago that 90% of the US population was under mandatory lockdown orders. But as we speak, some states have begun lifting stay at home orders and allowing their citizens to begin to get back to normal.

Here are some states that are re-opening and how they are doing it.

Keep in mind, this could help provide a glimpse into how your state might reopen its economy in the coming weeks or months and what it might be like to visit a restaurant or movie theater. 

In Georgia, we saw salons, bowling alleys, spas, and gyms open back up as well as restaurants and movie theaters. In the media, there has been a lot of backlash against Georgia because many people believe that they are opening up prematurely.

That criticism is not invalid as Georgia still has not hit its peak in daily deaths according to the latest model.

But these places in Georgia are opening up with certain guidelines that are pretty strict.

For example, restaurants can open back up subject to following many different guidelines like:

• No more than 10 patrons per 500 square feet are allowed inside at once.
• All employees must wear masks at all times.
• Employers must screen and evaluate workers who exhibit signs of illness, such as a fever over 100.4 degrees and a cough or shortness of breath.
• Restaurants must post signs that say no one with symptoms of COVID-19 can enter.
• Party size is limited to no more than 6 per table.
• Salad bars and buffets are no longer allowed.
• Restaurants must use pre-rolled silverware
• Items must be removed from self-service drink, condiment, utensil and tableware stations and have workers provide those items to patrons.

In the movie theaters, parties must be seated at least 6 feet apart and tape must be applied to floors at ticket counters to keep people at a safe distance. Importantly, employees must also clean every seat, armrest, door handle, handrail, and door knob before and after each showing.

So places like Georgia aren’t just opening up the floodgates when it comes to getting things back to normal.

If these type of guidelines are strictly enforced, it would seem like these venues could be visited with lessened risk to regular, healthy individuals. (Reminder, I’m not a health expert.) 

I’m sure there will be an increase in cases but it seems possible that that increase could be controlled and very minimal.

If those individuals who are at risk or who come in contact with people who are at risk take extra precautions to take things slow, this may not be the disaster that some people predict (in my opinion).

Still, it is a risk given that Georgia still may not have peaked in its daily death toll.

Colorado is another state that is opening things back up.

Retail shops will be able to open the doors again with curbside pick up. And many commercial businesses will be able to open up with 50% of employees working in person. Hair salons, barbershops, and tattoo parlors will reportedly also open.

Elective surgeries will be able to resume but they must have a plan to reduce or stop those procedures if there is a surge in cases.

In Colorado, things are being handled on a county by county basis and so some guidelines will not be implemented state wide. 

One thing that is great about Colorado is that counties can enforce stricter measures than the state wide regulations if they want. This is in contrast to states like Georgia that have forced local areas to open up beaches when they did not want to.

Ideally, the states would have robust testing and tracing protocol in place before opening up. That way, cases could be identified quickly and the spread eliminated.

A lot of experts don’t believe we have the testing/tracing that we need across the country so this re-opening in many ways is a great experiment.

I think if these guidelines are enforced strictly in the states and testing can get ramped up, things may not be as bad as some people think but that is a big if and there definitely is some serious risk to opening up right now.

As long as there is a reasonable plan for shutting things down quickly in the event of a surge in cases, I can’t fault some states for being among the first to re-open. (Georgia does not seem like the best candidate given that they may not have even hit their daily death toll peak.)

At some point, we have to figure out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to re-opening up the economy.

If states are willing to test the waters while enforcing strict guidelines based on science and data, at least that will show us what is or is not possible in a responsible way. 

We will see how it plays out and I’m sure other states will be paying close attention to those that open up first.