States with a Democratic governor and women-headed public health agencies were more likely to implement Covid-19 stay-at-home orders earlier

Much of the US response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been the responsibility of state governments, with some issuing stay-at-home orders earlier than others, and some not issuing them at all. In new research which analyses the timing of state stay-at-home orders, Laine P. Shay finds that Democratic states were over 400 percent more likely to implement early stay-at-home orders, and almost 250 percent more likely if their state public health agency was headed by a woman.