Most governors have issued statewide stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, but nine have opted against it. USA Today, the New York Times, and ABC News take a look at the holdouts. One common denominator is that all nine are run by Republican governors, and the Times sums up a sentiment: "For many conservative governors who believe strongly in small government and personal responsibility, the prospect of mandatory stay-at-home orders is anathema and they rejected what they called a catchall approach that could wreck their states’ economies." Generally, the governors argue that a shutdown is unnecessary because they have taken other steps such as shutting schools and nonessential business, and issuing social-distancing advisories. “I can’t lock the state down,” is how Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds puts it. "People also have to be responsible for themselves." Here are the nine:
- Arkansas
- Iowa
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Wyoming
USA Today has comprehensive list of restrictions in place in all 50 states. (More
coronavirus stories.)