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WalletHub: Florida has some of the fewest COVID-19 restrictions in the country

Jordan Kirkland

Florida has some of the fewest coronavirus restrictions in the U.S., according to an analysis by WalletHub.

With much of the country starting to reopen thanks to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, the personal-finance website on Tuesday released new rankings for the states with the fewest coronavirus restrictions. In the updated report, the Sunshine State ranked 5th in the nation of states with the least restrictive regulations.

In order to determine the states with the fewest coronavirus restrictions, researchers compared all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 14 key metrics, including requirements to wear a face mask, guidelines on travel, and the reopening of restaurants and bars. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the fewest restrictions. All metrics were used to calculate an overall score for each state.

Compared to others in the study, Florida set the bar high for states not allowing the pandemic to dictate the day-to-day activities of its citizens. WalletHub found that Florida ranked 1st in the nation in several categories, including reopening restaurants and bars, reopening “non-essential” businesses, loosening travel restrictions, and not requiring shelter-in-place orders. Florida’s total score in the report was 75.51, with the state moving up 6 spots on the list since the last study was conducted on Oct. 6, 2020.

“Florida has the fifth-fewest COVID-19 restrictions. The state has no requirement to wear a face mask in public, no traveler quarantine in place, does not have a ban on large gatherings, and no shelter in place order,” said WalletHub analyst Jill Gonzalez. “In addition to this, schools have reopened, as have restaurants, bars and other non-essential businesses, with no customer health check requirement, or workplace temperature screening.”

A full rundown of how Florida ranked in each metic can be seen below:

Coronavirus Restrictions in Florida (1=Fewest, 25=Avg.):

 

  • 1st – Requirement to Wear a Face Mask in Public
  • 1st – Workplace Temperature Screening
  • 1st – State Guidance on Customer Health Checks at Restaurants
  • 1st – Travel Restrictions
  • 1st– Large Gatherings Restrictions
  • 1st– Strictness of “Shelter in Place” Order
  • 1st – Reopening of Non-Essential Businesses
  • 1st – Reopening of Restaurants and Bars
  • 14th – Working from Home Requirements/Recommendations

 

Other states with the least COVID-19 restrictions include Oklahoma (1); South Dakota (2); Iowa (3); and Arkansas (4), while states with the most restrictions were New Mexico (47); Washington, D.C. (48); Massachusetts (49); Virginia (50); and California (51).

To view the full study, click here.