- 22 states have issued stay-at-home orders, encouraging isolation measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
- Other metro areas, such as Anchorage, Alaska; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Houston and Dallas, Texas; are also under stay-at-home orders.
- In total, that brings nearly half of America's population under some form of lockdown.
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As of Thursday, 22 US states have issued stay-at-home orders, asking residents to leave their homes only for essential services such as buying food and medicine.
The goal is to minimize how often people come within 6 feet of one another, thereby reducing the spread of the coronavirus and "flattening the curve," so healthcare systems aren't overwhelmed.
The state-wide orders are represented on the map above in red. Different leaders have called the directives by different names — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee called his state's policy "stay home, stay healthy," while Hillsborough County, Florida, is calling it "safer at home."
The 22 states with stay-at-home orders are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Other cities and counties have issued similar orders even though their entire states don't have such policies. These include: St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri; Hillsborough County, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Portland, Maine; Summit County, Utah; Houston and Dallas, Texas; and Anchorage, Alaska.
How many people are staying at home?
Together, the state and city populations affected by some kind of stay-at-home order add up to approximately 160 million people — nearly 49% of the US population.
Ten other states and territories have ordered nonessential businesses to close: Guam, Puerto Rico, Kentucky, Maryland, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC.
The precise definition of "essential" varies by location, but "nonessential" tends to apply to most recreational businesses. Grocery stores, banks, and pharmacies are staying open, but in some places, restaurants had to convert their operations to takeout. Museums and salons are mostly closed. Rules about construction operations and marijuana dispensaries vary by region.
On Thursday evening, the US's number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the disease that the coronavirus causes — reached 83,500. That's more than China's (81,700) and Italy's (80,500). The total number of confirmed cases globally is nearing 530,000, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University.
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