Containing COVID-19: A Case Study on the Oregonian and Texan Government Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The American political response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic varied greatly based on state policies and procedures. There has been very little federal intervention in terms of coronavirus-related policies, leading to a disjointed effort to slow the spread of the disease. The states of Oregon and Texas chose opposing requirements in terms of mask mandates and social distancing guidelines, allowing for a comparison of the impacts of certain policy changes implemented for the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the ongoing nature of the pandemic, the effects of these differing policies have produced observable variation in confirmed case number in each state. While there are demographic differences between these two states, the impact of the state government responses should not be understated. Understanding the ways in which state policies affected the spread of SARS-CoV-2 can serve to assist governments in future pandemics.