17 States are Pausing Reopening Plans as COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations Surge. See the List.

The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday expressed concern about “significant increases” in coronavirus cases across the nation, which he attributed to increased testing, community transmission and individual outbreaks.

Robert Redfield, CDC director, said hospitalizations are rising in 12 states and that 130 counties across the country are considered “hot spots.”

The news comes as state officials grapple with reopening plans as COVID-19 persists. Some are taking preemptive measures to postpone further phases of their reopening, while others have rolled back their phases to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Among the measures implemented to keep rising COVID-19 cases at bay are shutting down high-capacity spaces such as bars and gyms, halting elective surgeries and mandating mask wearing.

Here is a look at which states have postponed their reopening. This list will be updated.

Arizona

Gov. Doug Ducey’s issued an executive order mandating bars, gyms, theaters and water parks to shut down Monday evening.

The order follows mounting pressure to respond to the ballooning COVID-19 numbers that followed his accelerated reopening plan, which he announced in May.

“Arizonans have been, by and large, terrific, fantastic and responsible,” the governor said Monday. “But, we have found some situations in categories where we need to take more aggressive actions, and that’s what we’re going to do today.”

— Maria Polletta, Arizona Republic

Arkansas

Nearly two weeks after moving into phase two, which allowed for two-thirds capacity in restaurants and other businesses, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he’s not ready to ease business restrictions further as the state experiences a spike in coronavirus cases.

As of Monday, the state has recorded over 20,000 confirmed cases, more than a quarter of which are currently active.

California

As California faces an explosion of new COVID-19 cases, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered seven counties to shut down bars, including Los Angeles County and the hard-struck Imperial County, where 23% of those tested, per LAist, are positive.

The ban, however, doesn’t apply to restaurants that serve alcohol or bars that serve food.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the state set its record for the most cases confirmed in a day Monday, with more than 8,000. More than a third of those took place in Los Angeles County.

Delaware

Delaware did not move into phase three of its economic reopening plan as scheduled on Monday. The announcement, issued by Gov. John Carney Thursday, postponed official action until this week so that officials “can get a better handle on what’s going on in Delaware and around the country.”

“Too many Delawareans and visitors are not following basic public health precautions,” Carney said.

The state reported 150 new cases on Monday, the highest one-day total since late May. But through Sunday, Delaware remained at 507 deaths, marking four consecutive days without a new coronavirus death. Hospitalizations through Sunday were at 72, the lowest since the pandemic began to hit Delaware hard in late March and early April.

— Jeff Neiburg, Delaware News Journal

Florida

Florida has ordered bars to stop serving alcohol effective immediately.

The state’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Friday announced it was suspending on-premise consumption of alcohol at bars statewide. Bars will still be able to serve drinks in to-go containers.

Halsey Beshears, the department secretary, said the action was taken because of an increase in COVID-19 cases and noncompliance by some businesses. But the order only applies to bars — restaurants that happen to serve alcohol will be allowed to stay open.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Florida increased by another 5,226 on Monday, rising to a total of 146,341 cases. That means Florida has the fifth most cases in the U.S., ahead of Illinois.

— Dave Osborn, Naples Daily News; Jane Musgrave, Palm Beach Post

Idaho

Gov. Brad Little announced last week that the state will remain in phase four of its reopening process, after a nearly monthlong spike in COVID-19 cases. Phase four allows for visits to senior living facilities and corrections facilities, and lets nightclubs and sporting venues to open with limited capacity. It is the last stage before full reopening.

The state confirmed more than 200 cases a day for five out of six days last week, totaling 5,752 cases as of Monday, Boise State Public Radio reported. That includes a state high of 263 cases last Friday.

Kansas

Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday she plans to sign an executive order this week that would mandate mask use in public spaces statewide, in time for the Fourth of July weekend.

The governor pointed to an upward trend in new coronavirus cases in the state as a reason for mandating mask use.

The mandate follows a recommendation last week that communities remain in phase three of reopening, which allows for bars, nightclubs and personal care facilities such as nail salons and barber shops to remain open with reduced capacity. However, the governor cannot enforce this statewide.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 14,443 positive COVID-19 cases Monday — an increase of 905 cases since Friday, Kelly said. The agency has reported 270 deaths across the state.

— India Yarborough, The Topeka Capital-Journal  

Maine

Last week, Gov. Janet Mills postponed the reopening of indoor bar service indefinitely. The policy change comes as an uptick of cases nationwide were reported to be attributed to reopened indoor bars, the state’s CDC director Nirav Shah told WMTW-TV in Poland, Maine.

More venues in the state, including movie theaters and museums, can reopen Wednesday as part of its third phase of reopening — with a 50-person cap and a checklist of requirements.

As of Monday, the state has 3,219 cases and 105 deaths.

Michigan

Just hours away from reopening June 25, a federal appeals court ruled that Michigan gyms may be shuttered indefinitely during the coronavirus pandemic, even as bars and restaurants spring back to life.

Several metro Detroit gyms opened prematurely — and illegally — early in the week in anticipation of the now-canceled restart date, risking potential misdemeanor charges.

As of Monday, the statewide total of positive cases is at 63,497, while the statewide death toll has risen to 5,915.

— Miriam Marini and JC Reindl, Detroit Free Press

Nevada

Gov. Steve Sisolak will sign an emergency directive extending phase two of the state’s COVID-19 recovery plan through the end of July, according to a Monday news release from the governor’s office. Churches, salons, bars and gyms, all at limited capacity, were part of the state’s second phase.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nevada hospitals has reached 373 cases, the second-highest mark since the outbreak began.

— Brett McGinness, Reno Gazette Journal

New Mexico

New Mexico’s coronavirus spread is trending upward, state health officials said at a press conference June 25, leading the state to put the next phase of reopenings on hold. According to New Mexico’s phased reopening plan, Phase 2 could include limited reopenings of theaters, casinos and bars.

The number of hospitalizations related to COVID-19 has been declining in recent weeks. A week ago, the number of people hospitalized was 134. A month ago it was 196. However, the number of cases of COVID-19 has not been declining, with 192 additional cases announced Sunday, bringing the total up to 11,809.

— Michael McDevitt and Lucas Peerman, Las Cruces Sun-News

North Carolina

North Carolina will not move into the next phase of easing coronavirus restrictions after Gov. Roy Cooper moved to extend the current phase for another three weeks, June 24, through July 17, and to add a new requirement that face coverings be worn in most public spaces.

Cooper vetoed another attempt by Republican legislators to accelerate the speed in which North Carolina commerce is being restored through his COVID-19 executive order, which went into effect June 26.

— Mackenzie Wicker, Asheville Citizen Times

Louisiana

Louisiana topped 57,000 coronavirus cases Monday as the state’s hospitalizations and ventilator use also continued to rise, a reversal from just three weeks ago when both were on the decline.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a 28-day order last week to keep the state in phase two of reopening rather than move to phase three as he had hoped. Phase two allows restaurants, malls, gyms, theaters, museums, bars and other businesses to open at 50% capacity.

The state reported 845 new cases Monday for a total of 57,081.

— Greg Hilburn, Monroe News-Star

Tennessee

As cases of coronavirus continue to soar in Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee extended his state of emergency declaration on Monday, along with a host of other provisions that were set to expire this week.

Tennessee will remain in a state of emergency until at least Aug. 29, according to Lee’s latest order. The state of emergency expanded access to telehealth services, allowed restaurants to offer take-out and delivery alcohol services, and eased access to unemployment benefits.

As of Monday, Tennessee had 14,743 active cases of coronavirus, with 592 deaths and nearly 2,600 hospitalizations since the outbreak began. The latest figures show the state is averaging about 43 new virus-related hospitalizations per day — the highest rate since early May.

— Joel Ebert, Nashville Tennessean 

Rolling back an aggressive reopening process, Gov. Greg Abbott paused reopening plans for the state Thursday, including prohibiting elective surgeries. One day later, he closed Texas bars and limited restaurant occupancy.

State health officials reported 5,913 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals Monday, a record for the state and a 416-person increase from the day before.

Hospitalizations have climbed over the last month, with Sunday marking the end of a 16-day streak for record numbers of patients in Texas hospitals. Texas surpassed 5,000 hospitalized coronavirus patients for the first time Friday.

– Nicole Cobler, Austin American-Statesman

Utah

Troubling numbers prompted Utah Gov. Gary Herbert to mandate masks at all state facilities on Thursday. Earlier this month, he announced a pause to reopening.

Statewide, there were 564 new cases reported Sunday. The state had counted 21,664 cases and more than 1,400 hospitalizations due to COVID-19.

— Staff, The Spectrum

Washington

Gov. Jay Inslee delayed phase four of reopening amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

“Rising cases across the state and concerns about the spread of the COVID virus have made Phase 4, which would essentially mean no restrictions, impossible at this time,” the governor’s office wrote.

As of Thursday, 17 of Washington state’s 39 counties had moved into phase three of Inslee’s four-part coronavirus recovery plan, which allows for gatherings of no more than 50 people, more outdoor recreation, and theaters, museums.

Washington had more than 30,800 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 480 new cases were reported on Friday.

Joshua Bote and Grace Hauck