WASHINGTON—The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission released an interactive map highlighting how states have implemented five of the commission’s key recommendations to save lives and livelihoods. So far, 34 states—or 68%—have completed the commission’s key recommendations.
“The National Coronavirus Recovery Commission’s recommendations require an all-of-society-approach to reach recovery. America’s system of federalism has empowered states to lead on the ground,” said Kay C. James, chairman of the National Coronavirus Recovery Commission. “As we evaluate states’ progress, we’re looking closely at how they hold to America’s founding principles of preserving life and liberty. It’s encouraging to see the governments at every level make data-informed, locally-driven decisions that consider both physical and economic health.”
The commission identified whether states have implemented the following five recommendations that seek to protect the health of Americans and the strength of the economy:
- Is the state allowing businesses to re-open based on conditions on a county level?
- Did the state provide extra protection for vulnerable citizens?
- Is testing for asymptomatic individuals readily available?
- Has the state improved access to telemedicine by reducing regulations?
- Has the state lowered occupational licensing requirements?
States that have completed all five include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Yet, as the United States contends with the threat of an economic depression amidst 41 million jobless claims, seven states still haven’t let Americans to return to work by opening businesses on a county level. Those seven states are Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
Visit the map here to see how all 50 states measure.
The Heritage Foundation’s National Coronavirus Recovery Commission is made up of 17 top experts and thinkers. The commission has put forward 265 recommendations that represent a strategy for achieving a prudent balance to protect both lives and livelihoods. All of the recommendations are available here.
The commission will release its final report June 15 at a virtual event open to the public.
For media inquiries or to schedule an interview, contact Gloria Taylor at [email protected].
