The novel coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on many areas in the United States, prompting nearly all states to issue stay-at-home orders and close businesses in an effort to stem the tide of the virus.
But the ensuing, unprecedented economic shutdown has caused devastation of its own -- with some 33 million filing for unemployment, an economic contraction not seen since the Great Recession and businesses of all sizes scrambling to adapt and survive. It has also prompted calls to get the economy moving again -- raising the issue about how to do so safely as the virus continues to tear through the country.
There is no unified approach among states and only non-binding national guidelines. Complicating matters is that the virus is impacting different states in a dramatic way. And within states, there is dramatic variation as well.
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