Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Idaho Gov. Brad Little issued statewide stay-at-home orders on Wednesday to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, with exemptions for certain essential workers and businesses.
The big picture: They're the latest states to announce such a policy. More than 1.5 billion people worldwide were asked to stay home Monday.
The big picture: The orders allow citizens to leave their homes for "essential" reasons like grocery shopping, pharmacy pick-ups or trips to restaurants for takeout only. They also permit people to assist others in obtaining supplies, as well to walk their dogs and be in nature — as long as they keep six feet between themselves and others.
- "Behave as though you have the coronavirus," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said Sunday.
- "There is no doubt in my mind that we have to ratchet down what we are doing in society," Amy Acton, director of Ohio's Department of Health, said. "Listen to Italy begging us not to make mistakes — you're hearing it from folks who are ahead of us in this curve. We don't have a day to spare."
States that issued stay-at-home orders:...