Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Nebraska, acknowledged that his own state—and others with large rural populations—“may be able to be much more liberal about how they can open things.”

But Rupp cautioned that those areas will still need all of the testing and contact-tracing that large metropolitan areas are seeking. In fact, a recent surge in cases in Rupp’s state—even as Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts has resisted calls for a stay-at-home order—left some residents panicked about their exposure to the virus. Cases spiked up again over the weekend, according to the Associated Press.

“Small towns in Nebraska are not immune from this,” Rupp said Friday. “This infection can rip right through a small town or manufacturing plant, just as it does in a big city.”

As Hyzler—who is based in the U.K.—put it: “I would rather be in a state that is a week or two behind and can monitor developments and take steps accordingly.”