14 Other States Have MORE COVID-19 Restrictions Than Washington
This may seem hard to believe for some but bear with me for a moment. While it seems to some that our great state of Washington is leading the way when it comes to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and lockdowns, in reality we're not even in the top 10.
According to data crunched by our friends at WalletHub.com, there are 14 other states (District of Columbia is included as well) that have more restrictions in place than the Evergreen State. The personal finance site used nine different metrics and gave them all a weight to arrive at an overall score for fewest/most COVID-19 restrictions.
The metrics included:
* Requirement to Wear a Face Mask in Public
* Travel Restrictions
* Large Gatherings Restrictions
* Statewide School Restart
* Reopening of Restaurants and Bars
* Reopening of Non-Essential Businesses
* Strictness of “Shelter in Place” Order
* Suspension or Postponement of Legislative Sessions
* Guidance on Elective Surgery and Medical Procedures
The score Washington received puts us at #37 for FEWEST restrictions (or, in other words, #15 for MOST restrictions).
After ranking each state from fewest to most, they then plotted the states according to deaths in relation to restrictions, or lack thereof.
Washington landed in the category of "Many Restrictions and Low Death Rate". It is interesting, however to see states that have been more relaxed and yet still have what is considered a low rate of coronavirus related deaths.
Here is their chart: