With states taking actions such as closing non-essential businesses, banning gatherings and ordering people to shelter in place to fight the spread of COVID-19, personal finance website WalletHub found that New Jersey is the fifth most aggressive state against coronavirus.

Analyst Jill Gonzalez said WalletHub looked at three metrics to come up with their findings. Those include prevention and containment: what the states are doing to mitigate the spread of the virus; risk factors and infrastructure already in place; and economic impact and how poised states are to recover.

Gonzalez said the state is doing great when it comes to prevention and containment. It was one of the first to close non-essential businesses such as nail salons, hair salons and barber shops when other states around the country kept them open. New Jersey was also the first state to impose a curfew.

When it comes to risk factors and infrastructure, such as poverty in cities, New Jersey does not do well. The coronavirus thrives in densely populated areas and New Jersey is one of the most densely populated states.

As far as the economic impact, New Jersey ranks 9th. While a negative impact is being felt in places like Atlantic City, where casinos are closed, and the Jersey Shore, where many of its beaches and boardwalks are shuttered, wages and salaries in the state are high and the state budget has a good amount of surplus.

California is the most aggressive state in the nation against novel coronavirus, followed by Rhode Island, Maryland and New Hampshire.  Connecticut is 6th and New York is 7th. Pennsylvania is the 29th most aggressive state. On the flip side, Mississippi is the least aggressive state against coronavirus followed by Nevada, Tennessee, Idaho and Arkansas.

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