When will the U.S. open back up after COVID-19?

By: Aisha Dirie

Image taken from: Image taken from: https://www.statnews.com/2020/02/11/disease-caused-by-the-novel-coronavirus-has-name-covid-19/

Throughout the pandemic there have been many different restrictions, in many different states. These restrictions have been going on since mid-March, when the pandemic first hit.

There are a lot of questions surrounding when certain countries, specifically the U.S., will open back up. This isn’t very clear since the U.S. is spiking in COVID-19 cases as of now. But, many states are implementing stricter mandates.

Although we do not know when the U.S. will open back up officially after COVID-19, there is a way we can predict around what time the country will open back up.

According to the New York Times, there are eight states that don’t have a mandatory mask law. Among these eight states, Idaho, Georgia, and Wyoming don’t have mandatory mask mandate as of early December.

Also by the New York Times, 2 out of 50 states have a stay-at-home order or curfew. These two states are California and Ohio.

There are also states being monitored to see if they need to go into lockdown. Even before Thanksgiving break, there were cases of spiking all around the country. In the weeks following Thanksgiving there is expected to be an increase in cases again. This is because of holiday traveling.

There are many clinical trials being done, as stated by the CDC, for a vaccine. Late in November, the CDC put out an article talking about the benefits of getting a COVID-19 vaccine. We know that we are close, or somewhat close, to the development of an effective vaccine to treat and prevent COVID-19. Late in December is the earliest a vaccine could be widely distributed. There are countless sources about when a vaccine should be out.

Although it’ll be a big breakthrough for developing a COVID-19, the vaccine has to be widely distributed. The vaccines will probably go to the people most at risk, i.e. healthcare workers and the elderly, first.

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