Recent Study Says Wyoming Has 3rd Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions
According to a study by WalletHub, Wyoming has been named as the state with the 3rd fewest coronavirus restrictions.
WalletHub is a personal finance website that was launched in August of 2013. It’s based in Washington D.C. and initially positioned itself as a ‘personal finance social network’ with a focus on reviews for financial advisors.
Date experts perform various studies to predict financial trends and, over the last year, COVID-19 has been one of the biggest variables in many aspects, including financial.
This study, according to the WalletHub website, was performed by a wide variety of experts, including Natalie Simpson, the Chair and Associate Professor of the University at Buffalo, and The State University of New York, as well as Dr. Kelsey Hample, an Economics Professor at Furman University, Dr. Govind Persad, an Assistant Professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, and more.
“In order to identify the states that have the fewest coronavirus restrictions,” the study noted, “WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 13 relevant metrics. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the fewest restrictions.”
According to the study, Wyoming has the fewest restrictions in the following areas:
- Requirement to Wear a Facemask in Public
- Workplace Temperature Screening
- State Guidance on Customer Health Checks at Restaurants
- Travel Restrictions
- Large Gathering Restrictions
- Strictness of ‘Shelter in Place’ Order
- Reopening of Non-Essential Businesses
- Reopening of Restaurants and Bars
- Working from Home Requirements/Recommendations
The study noted that rankings are based on data that was available as of 12:30 p.m. ET on April 5th, 2021.
For the full report, you can visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/states-coronavirus-restrictions/73818
The following Q&A also accompanied the study:
Q&A with WalletHub
Do you expect the recent spike in COVID-19 cases to impact reopening?
“The recent spike in COVID-19 cases will not impact reopening. People are impatient for restrictions to be over and are not willing to delay reopening to wait for a decline in new cases,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Consider states like Texas and Iowa, where mask mandates and other restrictions were lifted while only a small portion of the population was vaccinated. Even though COVID-19 cases are increasing in those states, it's unlikely we'll see significant restrictions return.”
Should there be any vaccine-related COVID-19 restrictions?
“America should implement vaccine-related COVID-19 restrictions. The U.S. could follow the model of Israel, which has instituted a 'Green Pass' system. The 'Green Pass' allows people who have received both doses of the vaccine, as well as people who have already recovered from COVID-19, to visit certain institutions like gyms, hotels and entertainment venues that are closed to the general public,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Having a 'Green Pass' in the U.S. would not only help to keep people safe, but it would also encourage more people to get vaccinated and it would help struggling industries open sooner.”
Is there a correlation between how restrictive a state is and its unemployment rate?
“There is a moderate correlation between a state’s restrictiveness and its unemployment rate,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “WalletHub's analysis found that 76% of states with few COVID-19 restrictions had low unemployment rates. This makes sense because states with fewer restrictions allow more places to open, which in turn provides more opportunities to work.”
Why does Iowa rank as the state with the fewest coronavirus restrictions?
“Iowa ranks as the state with the fewest coronavirus restrictions in part because it is one of 17 states that have not taken any action on face coverings in public, and one of 24 states that have no limits on large gatherings,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Iowa has reopened all non-essential businesses, and it is one of only 13 states that neither require nor recommend working from home.”
California has experienced the most coronavirus cases overall in the U.S. How has that impacted the state’s restrictions?
“California has the 7th most coronavirus restrictions in the U.S., and is one of only three states to currently limit gatherings to 25 people,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Non-essential businesses in California are open with limits and the state is one of only a few where bars continue to remain closed.”
LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.
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