As COVID-19 is rapidly spreading throughout communities in the United States, policies promoting social distancing have been a critical strategy to “flatten the curve” of infections to prevent overwhelming the medical system and allow time for states to accelerate testing, public health, and health system capacity. According to projections cited by the White House, the United States could face as many as 1.5 million to 2.2 million COVID-19-related deaths without strict social distancing measures, and 100,000 to 240,000 deaths even with such policies in place.
All NGA COVID-19 memos can be found here, or visit COVID-19: What You Need To Know for current information on actions States/Territories are taking to address the COVID-19 pandemic; as well as advocacy, policy, and guidance documents for protecting public health and the economy.
