It’s well known that California has been weathering the coronavirus storm fairly well - less than a thousand dead so far, compared to over twelve thousand in New York. The general consensus seems to be that California’s relatively low death rate is at least partly due to the San Francisco Bay Area’s March 12th “shelter-in-place” order, which may have prevented the explosion of contagion that has afflicted New Yorkers. Seems reasonable and yet… the governors of Texas and Florida did not order statewide lockdowns until April. And Texas has a lower COVID-19 death rate than California’s and Florida’s rate is not much higher. Take a look:
I don’t know why Texas and Florida aren’t being hit harder by the coronavirus. Both have big cities and both have plenty of international visitors. Their residents are likely less compliant with stay-at-home orders than Californians (who are more accustomed to nanny state rules). True, Texas is less densely populated than the others. Then again - how much does it matter how far houses are from each other? When people congregate, whether at restaurants, sporting events, church, funerals, or dance clubs, they’re just as close in Lubbock as they are in New York City.
The SF Bay Area’s early lockdown probably did make a difference but how much of a difference? Too early to tell.