Florida Ranked 9th For Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions

ACROSS FLORIDA — Ranking seventh in the country for the most cases of the coronavirus, Florida may not be doing all it can to curb the spread of the virus. That's according to a survey done by Wallethub, the personal finance website.

With some states beginning to open up for businesses and relax limitations put in place due to the coronavirus pandemic, WalletHub released its report Tuesday on the States with the Fewest Coronavirus Restrictions.

WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across nine key metrics including requirements to wear a face mask in public, travel restrictions, large gathering restrictions, reopening schools, reopening restaurants and bars, reopening nonessential businesses, the strictness of shelter-in-place orders, the suspension or postponement of legislative sessions and restrictions on elective surgery and medical procedures.

Leading the nation with the fewest restrictions is South Dakota, followed by Utah and North Dakota.

Missouri came in at fourth place followed by Idaho, Tennessee, Montana and Texas with Florida ranking ninth place, just behind Texas.

The most restrictive state was Hawaii, followed by Rhode Island.

The survey rated Florida No. 1 among states that didn't require face masks in public and No. 3 among states permitting the reopening of restaurants and bars.

Other Florida rankings were:

• 10th – Large Gatherings Restrictions
• 7th – Shelter-in-Place Order
• 15th – Reopening of Nonessential Businesses

Wallethub analyst Jill Gonzalez said the speed at which states are reopening parks, beaches, restaurants and other businesses is a major concern of residents.

“When states start to reopen their economies, many people will be hesitant to go out initially," she said. "We’ve heard a lot of conflicting information about what is safe and what is not since the beginning of the pandemic, so it’s understandable that some people won’t trust that everything is indeed all clear right away. It may take a while to shake lingering coronavirus fears, considering we’re starting from a point where around 60 percent of people are even worried about the safety of having packages or food delivered to their home."

She advises those living in the states with the fewest coronavirus restrictions to continue to wear face masks and gloves even if it's not required and minimize the amount of time they spend with other people.

"Employees whose jobs allow for working from home could request that their employers let them do so for another few months, and those who can’t work remotely should make sure their workplaces are cleaned regularly and have measures in place to reduce crowding," she said.

She noted, however, that some states ranking high for having the fewest coronavirus restrictions don't necessarily have the most coronavirus cases.

"South Dakota ranks as the state with the fewest coronavirus restrictions in large part because it is one of only seven states that never required statewide school closures during the coronavirus crisis, and the only state that never announced a statewide closure of bars and restaurants,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “South Dakota has imposed some restrictions, like a ban on large gatherings, but is one of the first states lifting that limitation."

However, South Dakota had only 2,668 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 21 deaths due to its low population and lack of major cities where the coronavirus tends to spread more quickly.

In contrast, despite ranking seventh in the nation for the most coronavirus restrictions, New York had the most confirmed cases of coronavirus (312,618) and the most deaths (24,560), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as of May 4.

"Some of the biggest restrictions that New York has imposed during the COVID-19 crisis are a limited statewide quarantine and bans on all gatherings, along with a requirement for all citizens to wear a face mask in public when social distancing is not possible, which is a measure that only a few states have made mandatory so far," said Gonzalez.

The high numbers can be attributed to international travel into New York City, crowded conditions and a population of 19,491,339 living within 54,556 square miles. In contrast, Texas has a population of 29,087,070 spread over 268,597 square miles and California has 39,747,267 people spread across 163,696 square miles.

Despite its burgeoning population of 21,646,155, Florida has managed to keep the number of coronavirus cases comparatively low. Florida has had 39,969 positive cases of coronavirus and 1,399 deaths spread over 65,755 square miles.