California Most Aggressive State on Coronavirus

With states taking actions such as closing non-essential businesses, banning even small gatherings, and ordering people to shelter in place to fight the spread of the coronavirus, WalletHub today, March 24, released updated rankings on the Most Aggressive States Against the Coronavirus.

To identify which states are taking the largest actions to combat coronavirus, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 46 key metrics. The data set ranges from tested cases of COVID-19 per capita to school closures, ICU beds, and shelter-in-place policies.

Aggressiveness Against the Coronavirus in California (1=Best, 25=Avg.):

14th – State and Local Public Health Laboratories per Capita
27th – Share of Employment from Small Businesses
1st – Share of Workers with Access to Paid Sick Leave
13th – Public Healthcare Spending per Capita
5th – Epidemiology Workforce per Capita

Note: Rankings reflect data available as of 2 p.m. ET on March 23, 2020.rn

California bumped Rhode Island out of the No. 1 spot.

The primary way that coronavirus (COVID-19) spreads is through close interaction with other people, according to the World Health Organization. If people come into contact with droplets exhaled or coughed out by infected people, they are at risk of getting the virus. In response, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that Americans use “social distancing.” This includes canceling large events and staying at least 6 feet away from others when possible, among other measures to limit close contact.

Many states have taken the CDC’s advice and have legally enforced social distancing, to the point of banning even small gatherings, closing all non-essential businesses, shutting down schools, canceling in-person worship services, and even ordering residents to shelter in place in some cases. Other states have focused on laws ensuring greater funding for combating the pandemic or guaranteeing that treatment is covered by insurance. Some states have even taken hygiene into their own hands – for example, New York is manufacturing its own hand sanitizer to deal with shortages.

In order to determine the states that are most and least aggressive in their efforts to limit exposure to coronavirus, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 46 unique metrics. Our data set ranges from tested cases of COVID-19 per capita and state legislation on the pandemic to the uninsured population and share of the workforce in affected industries. Read on for the ranking and a complete description of our methodology.