The coronavirus has impacted people from all walks of life in a variety of ways both medically and economically. As markets drop and small business owners struggle to make ends meet, government officials continue to search for a balance between stopping the virus’s spread and protecting the American people financially. However, it seems individual states, each of which gets to return to normal life on its own terms, have vastly different ideas on the proper way to do this.

Take New York, by far the hardest hit state with over 250,000 cases as of April 23. Stay at home orders and closures of nonessential businesses are set to last until May 15, though this could be extended depending on the decisions of the state government. Governor Andrew Cuomo has also said that the reopening process will differ in each region of the state, and that it is likely upstate New York will return to normal life before New York City. In fact, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City has made it clear he has no plans to reopen the economy anytime soon, shutting down schools for the remainder of the academic year and prohibiting nonessential gatherings until June. On the other hand, in a decision starkly contrasting those made in New York, governor Brian Kemp of Georgia has said his state will reopen tattoo parlors, bowling alleys, and salons on Friday, April 24. According to the New York Times, this decision sparked concern in local Georgian leaders, health officials, and President Trump himself. In response to the governor’s choice, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stated, “I know that there is a desire to move ahead quickly, but going ahead and leapfrogging into phases where you should not be, I would advise him as a health official and as a physician not to do that.”

Meanwhile, some states have seen protests erupting over stay at home orders. Rally participants in Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and more have come out to support a variety of messages, most prominently the economic decline caused by the shutdown of everyday life. However, experts remain concerned that protesters, some of whom have broken social distancing recommendations to prove their point, are putting themselves and others in danger.

Ultimately, no two states are alike, and the following weeks are likely to see plenty of change in coronavirus policy that will, for better or worse, change the way countless people live their lives. However, until the economy is reopened, and when it does, government and health leaders say social distancing remains the best and only way to slow the spread of the virus. As California governor Gavin Newsom put it, “we must have a health-first focus if we’re ultimately going to come back economically.”