Coronavirus outbreaks are smaller in states and cities that cracked down months ago, data shows

(Image credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

published 19 November 2020

The benefits of cracking down early and hard against COVID-19 are becoming even more clear.

Early in the coronavirus pandemic, some states — mainly those in the northeast experiencing early case surges — decided to implement tough lockdown measures and mask mandates to control their spreads. And on the whole, they're avoiding recent major outbreaks seen in states that didn't take as much action, a New York Times analysis of Oxford's COVID-19 government response tracker shows.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

In contrast, many Midwestern states implemented barely any containment measures throughout the spring and summer — North Dakota and Iowa only just implemented a mask mandate a few days ago, and South Dakota still hasn't. As of Nov. 16, North Dakota has seen an average of 175 coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the state, while South Dakota has seen about 65 people hospitalized for every 100,000.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox