All 50 states have moved to reopen their economies, at least partially, after shutting down businesses and gatherings in response to the coronavirus pandemic but, only 3 states meet these basic criteria to reopen and stay safe. They need to ensure the SARS-CoV-2 virus is no longer spreading unabated, the testing capacity to track and isolate the sick and their contacts and, the hospital capacity to handle a potential surge in Covid-19 cases. A Vox analysis suggests that most states haven’t made the preparations needed to contain outbreaks putting themselves at risk for a rise in Covid-19 cases and deaths should they continue to reopen. As of July 22nd, just three states, Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, met four or five of the goals, which demonstrates strong progress. Twenty-two states and Washington, DC, hit two or three of the benchmarks. The other 25 achieved zero or one.
