Data: Axios reporting; Map: Danielle Alberti/AxiosAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a stay-at-home order on Friday as the novel coronavirus pandemic persists. The order goes into effect Saturday at 5 p.m. and will remain in place through April 30. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson also issued a statewide social distancing order on Friday.The big picture: In a matter of weeks, the number of states that issued orders nearly quadrupled, affecting almost 300 million Americans.The state of play: Governors that were originally against stay-at-home orders, like those in Georgia and Florida, finally succumbed this week after COVID-19 cases in their states increased rapidly.Florida is the third biggest state in the U.S. and one of the highest-risk for coronavirus. Yet Gov. Ron DeSantis' response lagged well behind other populated states.States that still don't have such orders have a number of local directives suggesting residents stay indoors.California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the first state to issue a shelter-in-place order, had a message on CNN Wednesday to governors who have not mandated its residents stay home: "What are you waiting for? What more evidence do you need? … There’s no greater intervention, period, full stop, none, than physical distancing."The big picture: The orders allow citizens to leave their homes for "essential" reasons like grocery shopping, pharmacy pick-ups or trips to restaurants for takeout only. They also permit people to assist others in obtaining supplies, as well as to walk their dogs and be in nature — as long as they keep 6 feet between themselves and others.Some excursions deemed essential in North Carolina include traveling to and from places of worship and volunteering."Many people want to know how they can help right now, and for most people this is how — by staying home," Washington, D.C. Mayor Bowser said Monday. There is no doubt in my mind that we have to ratchet down what we are doing in society," Amy Acton, director of Ohio's Department of Health, said. "Listen to Italy begging us not to make mistakes — you're hearing it from folks who are ahead of us in this curve. We don't have a day to spare."States/territories that issued stay-at-home orders:OhioLouisianaDelawareCaliforniaNew YorkNew JerseyIllinoisConnecticutMichiganWest VirginiaOregonIndianaWashington VermontMassachusetts WisconsinNew MexicoHawaiiMinnesotaIdahoColorado New HampshireMontanaRhode IslandNorth CarolinaAlaskaKentuckyKansasMarylandVirginiaDistrict of ColumbiaPuerto RicoArizonaTennesseePennsylvaniaFloridaGeorgiaMississippiNevadaMaineAlabamaMissouri