In rural U.S., fears of virus seem far away as stores reopen

Nicole Snider, right, makes a sale to Shannon Thompson at the Northern Treasure thrift store on Monday April 27, 2020 in Roundup, Mont. Thompson said there has been little fear over the coronavirus in the rural town. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In this Monday April 27, 2020, photo, Kim and 4-year-old Marley Farwell, of Stowe, Vt., walk through the greenhouse at Evergreen Gardens of Vermont in Waterbury Center, Vt. Monday was the the first day businesses such as greenhouses and garden centers could allow a small number of customers inside as part of Vermont's gradual coronavirus pandemic reopening plan. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)

In this Monday, April 27, 2020, photo, with a bottle of hand sanitizer in the background, a sign limits the number of shoppers in the greenhouse of Evergreen Gardens of Vermont in Waterbury Center, Vt. Monday was the the first day businesses such as greenhouses and garden centers could allow a small number of customers inside as part of Vermont's gradual coronavirus pandemic reopening plan. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)

Jerel Gustafson gives Caleb Brown his first haircut in over a month at Falls Barber Shop in downtown Great Falls, Mont., on Monday, April 27, 2020. Non-essential businesses like barber shops and boutiques are reopening this week after Governor Steve Bullock announced a tiered lifting of the stay-at-home order in response to the coronavirus. (Rion Sanders/The Great Falls Tribune via AP)

Traffic along Main Street in Roundup, Mont. is seen on Monday, April 27, 2020. A few businesses reopened in the small town this week as Montana began to lift restrictions imposed over the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Shannon Thompson looks through clothing items at the Northern Treasure thrift store on Monday, April 27, 2020 in Roundup, Mont. As shutdowns are eased in parts of America, some of the quickest to reopen are rural states. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Nicole Snider checks out a customer at the Northern Treasure thrift store in Roundup, Mont. on Monday, April 27, 2020. The store was one of only a few to reopen in the town as coronavirus restrictions were eased since many businesses had stayed open. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In this Monday, April 27, 2020, photo, owners Carol and Mike MacLeod pose in one of the greenhouses of Evergreen Gardens of Vermont in Waterbury Center, Vt. Monday was the the first day businesses such as greenhouses and garden centers could allow a small number of customers inside as part of Vermont's gradual coronavirus pandemic reopening plan. (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)

Grants Mayor Martin Hicks speaks to a news media outlet on the phone outside Loffler's Gun Etc in Grants, N.M., Monday, April 27, 2020. Hicks opened the city's businesses back up with an executive order, defying the Governor's orders. (Luis Sánchez Saturno/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP)

Dody's Hair Creation owner and operator Dody Morrison wears personal protective equipment during a haircut service for Evelyn Wilson, Friday, April 24, 2020, at her salon in Ketchikan, Alaska. Both Wilson and Morrison conversed with each other from behind masks. (Dustin Safranek/Ketchikan Daily News via AP)

Milagrose Sarmiento works the drive-thru window at McDonald's Restaurant in Sitka, Alaska, Friday, April 24, 2020. The restaurant closed the dining room, but has kept the drive-thru open during the coronavirus pandemic. (James Poulson/The Daily Sitka Sentinel via AP)

A PPE-clad stuffed bear greets patrons at the Lasso the Moon toy store Monday, April 27, 2020, in Helena, Mont. (Thom Bridge/Independent Record via AP)

Tom Hagstrom mows the grass of St. Benedict's Catholic Church along Main Street in Roundup, Mont. on Monday, April 27, 2020. Most stores in the small town were considered essential businesses and stayed open despite a month-long closure order over the coronavirus that was lifted this week. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)