Ironman idled, $315M for masks, Navajo Nation: News from around our 50 states
Alabama
Tuscaloosa: The Tuscaloosa City School Board voted 6-2 to move forward on opening with a virtual-only system for the first nine weeks. “There’s really no good recommendation in this plan,” School Superintendent Mike J. Daria said, stressing the unknown factors in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, and presenting an adapted version of last week’s reopening plan. He urged the phased reopening, erring on the side of caution. “That is the model I’m asking you to consider,” he told board members at a Tuesday meeting. “My thinking is we ease back into school, so we can stay in school.” For the first nine weeks, students will work fully virtual, with “limited face-to-face interaction.” The hope is the second nine weeks will be in-person, if that follows governmental and health agency guidelines. “The only thing I want to do (tonight) is tell the community what our plan is,” Daria said. The 84-page version of the Recovery and Reopening 2020-2021 plan can be found on the district’s website at www.tuscaloosacityschools.com, under Board Meeting Minutes & Agendas.
Alaska
Anchorage: Mayor Ethan Berkowitz is limiting gathering sizes and the number of people allowed in bars, restaurants and entertainment venues in response to rising coronavirus cases. The order takes effect Friday and said that because of a “resurgence” in cases there is a need for increased restrictions on public interactions “to preserve health and save lives in our community.” Of the 92 new resident cases statewide reported by the Alaska health department Wednesday, 42 were from the Municipality of Anchorage, which also includes Chugiak and Eagle River. “We are experiencing exponential growth at this time,” Anchorage Health Department Director Natasha Pineda said, noting in part the average daily rate of cases based on a seven-day average. She said there is widespread community transmission. Berkowitz’s order bars indoor gatherings of more than 25 people. Outdoor gatherings involving food and drink can have no more than 50 people, with some exceptions, such as farmers’ markets, where distancing is maintained and onsite eating is discouraged, and drive-in events, where people stay in separate, spaced vehicles and food or other goods are not passed between vehicles. Bars and nightclubs will be limited to 25% of maximum building occupancy. Restaurants and breweries will be held to 50% of their indoor capacity and outside areas limited to table service with tables at least 10 feet apart. Indoor entertainment and recreation venues, including gyms and theaters, will be limited to 50% capacity, the order states.
Arizona
Window Rock: Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez signed an executive order Wednesday to keep parts of the tribal government closed through mid-August, citing surges of coronavirus cases off the reservation. Executive branch divisions, departments and offices that were set to reopen July 27 will stay closed until Aug. 16. The decision was based on recommendations and data from health care experts, the Farmington Daily Times reported. Tribal officials are evaluating steps for reopening the government in phases. Meanwhile, the Navajo Nation Council voted Wednesday to overturn the veto of a bill to cancel the tribe’s primary election that’s held in line with Arizona’s primary on Aug. 4. Navajo voters typically narrow the list of candidates for local chapter officials in the primary. Instead, the winner will be decided by plurality vote in the November general election. Nez had urged lawmakers to come up with alternative voting methods.
Arkansas
Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he believes it should remain up to local school districts rather than the state whether to require all students to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when classes resume next month. Hutchinson said he doesn’t think a broad rule on masks for students should be issued statewide, despite a recommendation from pediatricians for a stricter requirement in K-12 schools. Arkansas this week began requiring masks to be worn in public when social distancing isn’t possible, but the order exempts children under 10. Hutchinson said some schools might have enough room for students to socially distance in class without requiring a mask. “I think there ought to be some flexibility for the social distancing and the environment the students are in,” Hutchinson said, who noted some districts have already approved such requirements. “I think there has to be some flexibility there.” The Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday recommended stronger mask requirements for K-12 students as the group said it couldn’t support a return to in-person classes next month.
California
Sacramento: The state will spend $315 million more to buy hundreds of millions of protective masks as the coronavirus continues to ravage the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom said. A new contract with Chinese manufacturer BYD will provide the state 120 million tight-fighting N95 respirator masks and 300 million looser-fitting surgical masks. California’s initial $1 billion deal with the company was signed in April. The state will soon launch a competitive bidding process to try to get even more protective masks at lower prices and is encouraging manufacturers within the state to make equipment, Newsom said. “We decided to think outside the box, we did something big and bold,” he said during a news conference at a Sacramento warehouse where masks and orher protective equipment are stored. But as he promoted California’s efforts, he acknowledged the equipment isn’t always getting to the workers who need it, something he blamed on hospital systems and local governments. The administration will be “more aggressive” in making sure masks reach front -line workers, Newsom said. Brian Ferguson, a spokesman for the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, could not immediately provide more details on what the state will do to improve distribution to workers. Carmela Coyle, president of the California Hospital Association, challenged Newsom’s comments suggesting hospitals are not appropriately distributing equipment to workers. Hospitals can only access the state supply of protective equipment through local and regional coordinators and only when the hospital is dangerously low on gear, she said. Hospitals distribute gear based on guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she said.
Colorado
Grand Junction: Health officials in western Colorado have reported the first confirmed death from COVID-19 in the county on Tuesday. Mesa County Department of Public Health Executive Director Jeff Kuhr said the person who died was identified as a woman in her 80s who had underlying medical conditions, The Daily Sentinel reported. He declined to provide further information due to privacy regulations, such as where or how she contracted the virus. “I do think that this is the time for people to know that this person was in such a condition with a compromised immune system that she wasn’t out in the community,” Kuhr said, adding that the message here is that people should be thinking about others and who they could potentially infect. About 33% of infections in the county in the past two weeks are people ages 10 to 29, he said. “If they’re not worried about themselves, I would appreciate it if they would be worried about infecting others in the community,” he said. “Unfortunately, that ended up with our first death in Mesa County, and we don’t want any more deaths.” Mesa County has recorded 201 confirmed virus cases as of Tuesday and 71 newly confirmed cases in the last two weeks, health officials said. Seven other people are currently hospitalized.
Connecticut
Hartford: Unionized nursing home workers rallied outside the state Capitol on Thursday, demanding that state lawmakers ensure there’s adequate supplies of personal protective equipment. The New England Health Care Employees Union, SEIU 1199 is also demanding “accountability of state officials and employers and respect for workers who denounce hazardous situations from the front lines.” A dozen unionized nursing home workers have died during the pandemic from COVID-associated causes. The union said it planned to “occupy” the south side of the state Capitol when members of the House of Representatives meet in a special legislative session to vote on four bills, none of which pertain to long-term care facilities. The state Senate is scheduled to vote on Tuesday. The union members won’t be alone. Protests are also planned concerning a police accountability bill that lawmakers are expected to consider. State Capitol Police said they’re expecting large crowds on and around the Capitol grounds.
Delaware
Dover: Gov. John Carney said he is “mad as hell” that residents of his state have again been placed on a quarantine list issued by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Carney made the comment during a news conference Tuesday, saying that it “doesn’t make any sense” why people from Delaware must now quarantine for 14 days when traveling to the three states. “We are better today than we were when we were first put on the list two weeks ago,” Carney said at the news conference. “And we are better today than we were last week when we were taken off the list. We shouldn’t be on the list.” The advisory issued Tuesday included states if their seven-day rolling average of positive tests exceeds 10%, or if the number of positive cases exceeds 10 per 100,000 residents. Delaware has a positivity rate of 4.2% and about 105 coronavirus cases a day on a five-day average, health officials said Tuesday. The governor believes Delaware was added back to the list for two days this month where there were more than 100 daily confirmed cases in the state. “As I said to Govs. Cuomo and Murphy last week, we’re going to be on and off, unless we stop testing,” Carney said at the news conference, referring to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. “And we’re not going to stop testing.” Delaware was taken off a quarantine list by the three states and Pennsylvania last week after Carney voiced opposition to the move. He also said the state was being “penalized” for its small population and expanding coronavirus testing, the Delaware News Journal reported.
District of Columbia
Washington: A D.C.-based company is working to meet people where they are to get them screened for COVID-19 on other underlying health problems, WUSA-TV reported.. Live Chair, a startup company, is working with a team of physicians and local barbers to provide the coronavirus screenings for barbershop customers. “Live Chair Health is a service deeply focused on preventing African American men from dying too young from preventable causes,” said Andrew Suggs, the company’s CEO and co-founder. He has been working with barbershops for years to help them improve their operations and client management through an app platform. Suggs said his father recently died because of congestive heart failure. He said after watching his father’s quality of life deteriorate, he knew the company had to do more to serve the unique social spaces barbershops provide.“Pre-COVID, we equipped and trained barbers on how to take blood pressure readings, and then we equipped the shop with the weight scale so that we were able to take weight and then also gauge BMI,” Suggs said. “So, blood pressure, BMI, and weight. Then, after the client was screened, we provided the client with a health risk assessment.” However, those health screenings stopped when the coronavirus shut barbershops and salons down. Now that many of them are starting to reopen again, those same groomers were given thermometers and screening techniques to monitor for COVID-19 exposure.
Florida
Fort Lauderdale: Floridians dramatically cut their social interactions in March when the coronavirus pandemic hit the state, but by June, their contacts returned to close to normal, just before cases and deaths began spiking, a university study whose preliminary results were released Wednesday showed. The study came as Florida recorded more than 100 new coronavirus deaths for the seventh time in two weeks, giving it the nation’s highest daily average for fatalities for the past week. The University of West Florida study using cellphone locations showed Floridians cut their social interactions by two-thirds between early March when the state’s first coronavirus cases were reported and March 21, the day after the state ordered a ban on indoor dining at restaurants but before a broader statewide economic lockdown was enacted. The study, which has not yet been peer reviewed, tracked cellphone locations for adults who agreed to have that information recorded and covered about 5% of the U.S. population. Interactions remained well below prepandemic levels for about two months as schools and universities closed and the state closed and then slowly reopened sectors of its economy. During that period, Florida’s rate of positive tests dropped from 11% to 2%, its rate of new cases flattened and its daily average death toll dropped from 60 to 30. By late May, however, contacts had returned to a level that would allow significant spread of the virus and were back to near-normal in June as Florida’s economy reopened, the study showed. That occurred even though many people were still working from home, schools were closed, restaurants were limited to 50% indoor capacity and officials asked residents to keep unnecessary interactions to a minimum and avoid large crowds. It was during June that Florida’s positivity rate for coronavirus tests skyrocketed from about 3% to 16%.
Georgia
Augusta: As Augustans increasingly comply with face-mask rules and recommendations, Mayor Hardie Davis said he is confident his mask mandate will hold up in court. Davis joined the governments in Atlanta, Savannah, Athens and other Georgia cities July 10 by signing an order requiring masks be worn in all public places. Gov. Brian Kemp followed with an order specifically prohibiting local governments from requiring masks. Kemp’s subsequent lawsuit attempting to enjoin Atlanta Mayor Keith Lance Bottoms from requiring masks and shuttering businesses could likely spell the end of Kemp’s anti-mask order, Davis said. Georgia Municipal Association, the lobbying arm for Georgia cities, has filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of Atlanta that Davis said will back cities’ ability to enact mask and other pandemic requirements. A hearing in the case is scheduled for July 28. “The brief argues that the governor does not have the authority to usurp home rule that is conferred upon cities by the General Assembly,” said Davis, a former state senator and representative. “That will be the argument that is taken to the court.” Although state law gives the governor authority to issue orders during public health emergencies, it also expressly gives cities authority to do so, he said.
Hawaii
Kailua-Kona: The annual Ironman World Championship in Hawaii has been canceled for the first time in its 43-year history. The competition is considered one of the most important Ironman triathlon events. Participants swim 2.4 miles, ride bicycles for 112 miles and then run a marathon, which goes for 26.2 miles. The 2020 competition was initially postponed from Oct. 10 to Feb. 6, 2021. But organizers decided Tuesday to cancel it because of continuing coronavirus concerns and the risks of international travel, West Hawaii Today reported. The Tribune-Herald reported that a study found that 2019’s World Championship event generated an estimated total economic impact of $72 million for the state. The Big Island played host to about 2,500 athletes from 75 countries. “The coronavirus strikes again at the heart of Kona,” Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce economic development committee chair Ross Wilson told The Tribune-Herald. Wilson added: “While the reasons for canceling are understandable, how can Kona not be disappointed? It reminds me of an old friend or a family member that delays a trip to visit but you know they’re coming next year.” The 2020 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Taupo, New Zealand, was also canceled for similar reasons.
Idaho
Boise: The U.S. Supreme Court should reject Gov. Brad Little’s request to put on hold an online signature-gathering effort during the coronavirus pandemic, backers of an education funding initiative said. Reclaim Idaho in documents filed Tuesday at the request of Justice Elena Kagan said online signature-gathering won’t harm the state as Little contends, and that the state is likely to lose the case anyway. The Republican governor filed an appeal last week after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his request to stay an order allowing online signatures until the case is decided on its merits. State officials said Idaho has never allowed electronic signatures for ballot initiatives, and contends it undermines the state’s election process. The funding initiative backers are trying to get on the November ballot would raise $170 million for K-12 education by raising Idaho’s corporate tax rate and increasing taxes on individuals making $250,000 or more annually. Reclaim Idaho said Little’s statewide stay-at-home order in late March didn’t include exceptions for ballot initiative signature-gathering. The group in the lawsuit against Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, also a Republican, said they violated the First Amendment-protected process of signature gathering, a form of political speech. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill late last month agreed with Reclaim Idaho and ordered the state to choose between accepting online signatures or simply putting the education funding initiative on the November ballot. When Idaho didn’t respond, Winmill ordered the state to collect online signatures or allow Reclaim Idaho to do so.
Illinois
Chicago: Gov. JB Pritzker extended the ban on evictions until Aug. 22 as the state continues to grapple with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement came on the same day the Illinois Department of Public Health announced nearly 1,600 new cases of the coronavirus, the largest daily increase in July. It was at the end of June that the state moved to Phase 4 of Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, allowing much more of the state’s economy to reopen. The ban on housing evictions was scheduled to expire at the end of this month. “I take this step today because I want to ensure we have support in place for those who are most vulnerable,” Pritzker said at a news conference. Illinois lawmakers put into place two programs – each with $150 million in funding – to provide assistance to renters and homeowners at risk of losing their housing because of the pandemic. With many people out of work because of the pandemic, thousands faced eviction for not paying rents or foreclosure for not paying mortgages. Pritzker said that renters can begin applying for assistance the week of Aug. 10 and homeowners can apply beginning the week of Aug. 28. Pritzker said that through the fall, renters can receive grants of up to $5,000 and homeowners can receive grants of up to $15,000. The grants are available through the Illinois Housing Development Authority.
Indiana
Indianapolis: State attorney general Curtis Hill believes Gov. Eric Holcomb has overstepped his authority in issuing a statewide face mask mandate and that only the Legislature can make violations a criminal offense. Hill issued an advisory opinion Wednesday night, just hours after Holcomb announced the mask order taking effect Monday to help slow the coronavirus spread. Hill’s opinion responded to a request from state Senate majority leader Mark Messmer of Jasper and four other Republican senators about Holcomb’s legal authority to impose a mask mandate. The opinion, which does not block the governor’s action, said the state’s emergency law doesn’t give Holcomb authority for the mask mandate without the consent of the Legislature. Hill said the governor should call the Legislature back into session. “By this point in the pandemic – more than four months since the emergency declaration – it’s time to show some deference to the branch of government actually charged by our state constitution with the responsibility for enacting laws,” Hill said in a statement. The governor’s office didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment Thursday. Hill is on his way out of office after failing to win the Republican nomination for reelection earlier this month. Holcomb opposed Hill’s bid and had called for him to resign over allegations that he drunkenly groped a state lawmaker and three other women during a party.
Iowa
Des Moines: The first confirmed coronavirus outbreak at an Iowa meatpacking plant was far more severe than previously known, with more than twice as many workers becoming infected than the state Department of Public Health told the public, newly released records showed. The department announced at a May 5 news conference that 221 employees at the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Columbus Junction had tested positive for COVID-19. But days earlier, Tyson officials told Iowa workplace safety regulators during an inspection that 522 plant employees had been infected to their knowledge, documents obtained through the open records law showed. A dozen of the plant’s roughly 1,300 workers were believed to have been hospitalized by then, and two died after contracting the virus, Tyson officials told the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The discrepancy adds to mounting questions that the state health department faces about its handling of public information during the pandemic. The department last week forced out its longtime spokeswoman, who said she was ousted for pushing hard to fulfill media requests and that the agency’s delays and scripted talking points were embarrassing. On May 5, Sarah Reisetter, the health department’s deputy director, said the Tyson plants in Columbus Junction, Perry and Waterloo and two other workplaces had confirmed outbreaks. Reisetter said the Waterloo plant had 444 positive cases, but county officials said days later it actually had more than 1,000. As for Columbus Junction, department spokeswoman Amy McCoy said the 221 case figure announced by Reisetter reflected the results of the department’s testing and what it “could verify from our data systems” at the time.
Kansas
Topeka: Kansas schools will be allowed to reopen in mid-August after Republican officials on Wednesday again thwarted a plan from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly aimed at reversing a resurgence in reported coronavirus cases. The GOP-controlled State Board of Education on Wednesday rejected a proposal from Kelly to delay the restart of K-12 classes for three weeks until after Labor Day. Decisions on when school buildings reopen will be left to the state’s 286 local elected boards. Republican officials and conservatives outside state government have argued that it’s inappropriate for Kelly to impose “one size fits all” pandemic measures. Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature made similar arguments for weeks to pressure Kelly into lifting statewide restrictions on businesses and public gathering, which she did May 26. Kelly said in a statement that its vote “puts our students, faculty, their families and our economy at risk.” The state’s top public health official, Dr. Lee Norman, warned the board that children can be ”very active disease spreaders.” “A school cannot be a safe island in an unsafe community where there is a marked increase in the number of cases,” Norman said. The board’s action prevents Kelly from issuing an executive order setting Sept. 9 as the start of classes for both public schools and private ones that are accredited by the state. The governor already had ordered them to have students and staff wear masks and have them checked daily for fever, and those mandates still stand.
Kentucky
Frankfort: If Kentucky sees a “sharp uptick” in coronavirus cases, Gov. Andy Beshear said he might close bars and reduce restaurant’s in-person capacity to 25%. Those two steps, part of the White House guidance for worsening states, were recommended after wearing masks, which are mandated in Kentucky and some surrounding states. In previous days, Beshear’s administration has pleaded with people to wear masks as a way to avoid taking those steps that would result in layoffs. “We don’t want to do it,” Beshear said Wednesday. “If we have a surge, we can’t not do what all the national health experts and the vice president personally has suggested.” Beshear on Wednesday announced 518 additional coronavirus cases in Kentucky and a new seven-day rolling positivity rate of 4.92%, up from 4.37% on Tuesday. Thirteen of those new cases are children younger than 5, spread through seven counties.
Louisiana
New Orleans: Because Louisiana’s July bar exam was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, recent law school graduates can practice law without the exam, the Louisiana Supreme Court said in an order Wednesday. But the court also said the graduates must take extra courses and go through mentoring by the end of 2021 to keep their law licenses. “The additional educational and mentoring requirements … will serve as guardrails to ensure the competency and integrity of the newly-admitted attorneys during their first year of practice,” the court said in a news release. Chief Justice Bernette Johnson wrote the order and said the action was “not only warranted, but necessary during this public health crisis.” Three of the seven justices dissented, two of them describing the change as a giveaway to more than 500 people who have earned law degrees since the start of December. The state Supreme Court estimated that 441 would qualify, deputy administrator Robert Gunn said in an email. “Gifting a license to practice law is wrong,” wrote Justice William J. Crain. He said only three other states – Washington, Oregon and Utah – have waived the bar exam because of the pandemic. The bar exam was waived in 1953 because of the Korean War, according to the court’s news release.
Maine
Lewiston: Bates College is considering putting up students in local hotels as it tries to figure out where to safely house them during the coronavirus pandemic. The college told students recently it is “working quickly to add to our existing housing resources” to ensure everyone has a place to stay. “We need to make sure we can house our new and returning students,” spokeswoman Mary Pols told the Sun Journal. The college also needs extra beds for students who might fall ill. Adding to the difficulty: It’s unclear how many of its 1,800 students are going to show up at its campus starting in about a month.
Maryland
Baltimore: Anyone over the age of 2 in Baltimore will be required to wear a face covering in public starting Friday, the same day that indoor dining will be suspended again to stop a recent spike in coronavirus cases. City officials announced the measures are scheduled to go into effect at 5 p.m. and will last at least two weeks. The city’s health department will monitor case counts, deaths and other metrics to determine whether to extend the measures beyond that period. “These decisions were not easy, but are rooted in current data and trends we’re seeing in COVID-19 cases in Baltimore City,” Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, the city’s health commissioner, said in a statement Wednesday. “When considered together, this information warrants the implementation of restrictions to help halt the further spread of COVID-19.” Bars and restaurants will be allowed to continue to offer outdoor, takeout and delivery services. During a news conference to announce the changes, Dzirasa said the mask requirement applies to situations in which people cannot social distance, but not to activities like dog walking or where individuals “are not around people.”
Massachusetts
Boston: Landlords have filed a legal challenge to the state’s moratorium on evictions during the coronavirus pandemic. Landlords in a federal lawsuit filed this month argued the pause on evictions that was extended by Gov. Charlie Baker this week through mid-October, is unconstitutional, Richard Vetstein, an attorney for property owners, told the Boston Herald on Wednesday. The defendants are the state and the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The moratorium violates the constitutional right to petition the judiciary; the right of free speech under the First Amendment; the right to just compensation for an unlawful taking of their property under the Fifth Amendment; and is an unconstitutional impairment of their leases, Vetstein said. Vetstein represents a nurse who is owed $20,000 in back rent. “She’s a blue-collar nurse, and is in serious financial difficulty because of this,” Vetstein said. “When a tenant can’t pay, that burden flows down to the landlords.” The state said it does not comment on pending litigation.
Michigan
Lansing: Lawmakers began approving a plan Wednesday to address a $2.2 billion state budget hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic, relying on a mix of federal funding, the state’s cash reserves and budget cuts. Legislators meeting for a joint session of the House and Senate appropriations committees approved drawing $350 million from the state’s $1.2 billion “rainy day” fund, the second time the state has done so in 15 years. The panel also signed off on an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer cutting nearly $667 million that includes reduced funding to state agencies and a hiring freeze. The bipartisan committees deemed the move an effective solution to address the shortfall caused by shutdowns related to the coronavirus outbreak. The vote was 15-1. “This has been very intense, especially I think, over the last two to three weeks time,” said Midland Republican Jim Stamas, Senate Appropriations Committee chairman. “I think we found a way to come together to find a solution.” Whitmer, a Democrat, and Republican legislative leaders announced an outline of the plan earlier in the summer. It also relies heavily on federal funding, using what’s left from the $3 billion Michigan got from the federal coronavirus relief law.
Minnesota
St. Paul: Gov. Tim Walz said Wednesday he is mandating Minnesotans wear face masks to help stem the spread of the coronavirus following a recent rise in cases statewide. At a news conference that included state officials, business owners and infectious disease experts, the Democratic governor cited support from businesses and health care experts, along with a recent rise in the positive infection rate, for the mandate. Walz said a 90% to 95% compliance rate on the mask order can dramatically reduce the infection rate and slow the spread of the virus statewide. “This is the way – the cheapest and most effective way – for us to open up our businesses, for us to get our kids back in school, for us to keep our grandparents healthy and for us to get back that life that we all miss so much,” Walz said. The executive order – which goes into effect on Saturday – requires masks be worn in businesses, public buildings and other indoor spaces where people gather, but allows room for cities to adopt tougher requirements. Children 5 and under are exempt from the order, along with individuals with a medical condition, a mental health condition or disability. Businesses must post signs to inform customers of the mask requirement and make sure they comply. Violations of the mandate are a petty misdemeanor that comes with a fine of up to $100 for individuals, and a fine of up to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail for businesses.
Mississippi
Jackson: State leaders continued to express concern Wednesday over the impact that rapidly increasing cases of coronavirus and hospitalizations will have on the state’s health care system. The Mississippi State Department of Health reported that 490 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 on June 27, followed by 602 on July 1. On Wednesday, 942 people were hospitalized with the virus. “That is a 55% increase in patients in the month of July,” Gov. Tate Reeves said at a media briefing. “We’ve added over 340 patients in less than three weeks, in less than 20 days.” Reeves and State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs have repeatedly warned in recent days that hospitals in Mississippi are running out of beds. In the past week, the state’s top hospitals have had from zero to only a handful of beds available for urgent patients. At Wednesday’s briefing, Reeves once again implored Mississippians to wear masks. He referred to President Donald Trump tweeting Monday that wearing a mask is patriotic. “If you love the president, join him, be patriotic and wear a mask,” Reeves said. “If you don’t like the president, then just wear a mask to spite him.”
Missouri
Branson: The city will be testing its wastewater to help monitor trends of new COVID-19 outbreaks as part of a statewide program, according to city officials. The city’s utilities department agreed to participate in the program in the hope it could provide an early warning sign, according to a news release from the city. “Not only is participating in this program cost-effective since the samples will be taken in conjunction with our normal sampling process but it will also provide important data to state officials that has the potential to protect the health and well-being of our community,” said Mike Ray, Branson utilities director, in the release. Branson plans to conduct this monitoring for at least a year. This venture is funded through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and monitored by the Department of Health and Senior Services, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the University of Missouri in Columbia. “Raw wastewater samples are collected by communities across the state, including Branson, and then are submitted via courier to the University of Missouri,” the news release stated. “There, a team of scientists conducts a molecular analysis that looks for genetic markers of the virus.”
Montana
Helena: The state has agreements to expand surveillance testing for COVID-19 a week after Gov. Steve Bullock said such testing would have to be put on hold because of a backlog at an out-of-state lab the state was using. “Surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals is a powerful tool in helping slow the spread of the virus in our Montana communities,” Bullock said in a statement Wednesday. A lab at Montana State University will be able to process 500 tests per day, starting as early as next week, he said. “Montana State University has been an enthusiastic partner in helping find a Montana solution to our testing capacity and I am incredibly grateful for their partnership as we work together to protect the health of Montanans,” Bullock said in a statement. The Department of Public Health and Human Services will determine what Montana populations need to be tested and will ship the samples to the lab at MSU for processing, the governor’s office said. Health officials have said nationwide delays in processing tests over the past several weeks have hurt their ability to trace the contacts of those who have tested positive for the respiratory virus, risking further spread.
Nebraska
Omaha: The state health department’s online coronavirus tracker on Wednesday showed more than 600 new cases of the virus since the beginning of the week, including 264 cases on Monday and 343 on Tuesday. The state’s total stood at 23,190 by Wednesday. The site also shows nine COVID-19 deaths so far this week, bringing the state’s total to 310 since the outbreak began. The increases come as at least one Omaha-area health system reported a testing policy change in the face of testing supply shortages. CHI Health announced Tuesday it would suspend its policy of testing patients for the virus ahead of elective procedures. The system said Abbott Laboratories, which manufactures the supplies CHI Health uses for coronavirus testing, can’t meet current demand for the supplies and informed CHI that it would limit shipment of those supplies over then next four to five weeks. “By suspending preprocedural tests, we are able to preserve tests for people experiencing symptoms in the communities we serve,” CHI Health said in a news release. CHI Health centers will continue to perform elective surgeries, despite the suspension in preprocedure testing.
Nevada
Carson City: As Congress negotiates a second coronavirus aid package, every local government in Nevada besides Clark County and Las Vegas is waiting for relief money the state received from the U.S. government. The delay has stymied local response efforts amid rising virus cases, officials said. The relief package passed in March sent $150 billion to state and local governments. It disbursed funds directly to cities and counties with more than 500,000 residents and asked states to distribute funds to smaller jurisdictions. Gov. Steve Sisolak said June 11 that $149 million of Nevada’s $1.25 billion in coronavirus rescue money would go to smaller cities and counties on a per capita basis. But local officials awaiting the funds said the pass-through mechanism has delayed the delivery of relief dollars and hampered their ability to help small businesses, purchase medical supplies and provide services as staff transitions to remote work. Last week, the governor sent paperwork outlining that, once disbursed, half the funds must be spent before Sept. 1 and all by Dec. 31. Cities and counties will be paid after the Governor’s Finance Office processes eligibility paperwork, Sisolak’s spokeswoman Meghin Delaney said Wednesday. The federal government sent $295 million of Nevada’s rescue money to Clark County and $119 million to Las Vegas. Under Sisolak’s formula, which treats cities and counties the same, Eureka County will receive $371,000, Washoe County will receive $20 million and the city of Reno will get $47 million. Delays have set the stage for similar quarrels between state and local officials across the U.S. for months, including in Arizona and Idaho.
New Hampshire
Concord: Providing more coronavirus-related data on race and ethnicity and promoting testing awareness among high-risk populations, especially people of color, are among the recommendations of a group working on strategies to address disproportionate impacts of the pandemic in New Hampshire. The Governor’s COVID-19 Equity Response Team, established in May, released its first report Wednesday. It recommended that data should be included that can be used by service providers and community members to understand the impact to their specific communities. The report also recommended that data should include indicators of quality and spread of contact tracing in affected communities; testing ability in those communities; and data arranged by race in ethnicity in those categories. It also recommended mandating mask use in “high-infection rate areas and high-risk situations or environments.” Other recommendations are grouped under categories such as organizational cultural effectiveness; equitable data practices; and increasing knowledge about communities at risk for experiencing disparities.
New Jersey
Trenton: More than 245,000 cloth masks are being donated to NJ Transit from a federal agency to help out commuters who forget or lose their mask at certain stations. About 10 million masks from the Federal Transit Administration have been distributed to 458 transit agencies and Amtrak since June, according to a NJ Transit press release announcing the donation. “Last week, and continuing through the end of this week, NJ TRANSIT Customer Service Ambassadors began distributing masks at numerous stations. Customers were provided with the FTA-donated cloth masks if they needed a face covering,” the release said. “Major terminals will maintain a limited supply of masks at customer service offices in the event customers forget or lose their masks.” Transit agencies across the country are working to implement new rules for public transportation so people can safely return to trains, buses and light rail. Customers are encouraged to spread out as much as possible, UV light technology for disinfecting is being experimented with on vehicles, enhanced cleaning procedures are still in place, and riders are required to wear masks. Following suit with other transit agencies in the region, the 50% capacity cap on riders in each vehicle has been lifted for NJ Transit and private carriers that operate in the state. The agency also resumed its normal schedule to accommodate social distancing as ridership slowly returns.
New Mexico
Albuquerque: Officials with major health care providers in Albuquerque said they are having to temporarily stop COVID-19 testing for people who are asymptomatic as the number of confirmed cases in the state rise. An unanticipated disruption in testing supplies has forced University of New Mexico Hospital, Presbyterian and Lovelace health system locations to limit testing to only people who show symptoms. Presbyterian also will continue testing for those who have been exposed to someone with a confirmed infection. Statewide, New Mexico has been ramping up testing over recent weeks, building up the capacity to test several thousand people a day. Nearly 490,000 tests have been done since the pandemic began. The health care systems in Albuquerque are telling people without symptoms or known exposure, as well as workers looking for clearance by their employers, to check the New Mexico Department of Health website for alternative testing locations.
New York
New York City: The city has reached its goal of performing 50,000 coronavirus tests a day, and its contact tracing effort has potentially prevented thousands of new infections, officials said Thursday. Mayor Bill de Blasio said four new clinics operated by the urgent care company MedRite will bring the total citywide daily testing capacity to 50,000. “This is the number we’ve been wanting to get to for quite a while. We will now have that capacity,” he said. Dr. Ted Long, the head of the city’s contact tracing effort, said the median wait for test results citywide is now two days, down from more than double that a week ago, but he acknowledged that waits at some testing sites have been much longer. Long said the city’s contact tracers have identified more than 17,000 contacts of people who tested positive and have instructed those who were experiencing symptoms of the virus to isolate at home, an effort that he estimated might have prevented thousands of new cases. Some models suggest that each person who is infected with the coronavirus can infect an average of 2.5 other people, Long said.
North Carolina
Charlotte: Officials in Charlotte, Mecklenburg County and a handful of other towns are restricting alcohol sales after 11 p.m. to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. The Charlotte Observer reported that the ban started Thursday night. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department leaders have said they will enforce the order. Other towns that said they will enact such an order include Davidson, Matthews, Mint Hill and Pineville. Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio said officials are enacting the restrictions after seeing videos of people in restaurants and bars not wearing masks or practicing social distancing. “It is unfortunate that we must take these steps due to the poor decisions by some bad actors,” Diorio said during a news conference. “We hope that by taking this step, we can begin to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.” The order is set to run until Aug. 7. But it could be rescinded earlier or extended past that date. Restaurants that don’t sell alcohol can still operate under their normal hours assuming they follow social distancing and mask requirements.
North Dakota
Bismarck: The state plans increased statewide testing for the coronavirus in the days leading up the reopening of the state’s 11 colleges and universities this fall, officials said Wednesday. North Dakota University System Chancellor Mark Hagerott said he was optimistic face-to-face and online classes could resume on the planned Aug. 24 school start. “We’re confident we can move forward in about a month,” Hagerott said during Gov. Doug Burgum’s weekly COVID-19 briefing. Hagerott’s comments came as the number of deaths in the state approached triple-digits and the number new cases and hospitalizations was the highest since the pandemic began. The state Board of Higher Education has scheduled a meeting Thursday to discuss new testing policies and other precautions, such as requiring masks, Hagerott said. “The strategy is still unfolding,” he said. Joshua Wynne, the state’s chief health strategist recently appointed by Burgum, said students will be returning to classes from well beyond North Dakota’s boarders. He asked that students participate in the testing that he called a “relatively easy process.” University system spokeswoman Billie Jo Lorius said in an interview that all colleges and universities already have indicated they would reopen this fall, with precautions.
Ohio
Columbus: The Ohio Bar Examination is being delayed until Oct. 5-6 when the test will be administered online, the Ohio Supreme Court said. The court is making the allowance for the exam to be done remotely by computer for the first time because of the coronavirus crisis. “The safety of the exam takers and the staff who administer the exam is our top priority, and that’s why the court felt compelled to make this change,” Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor said. Originally, the bar exam was scheduled for July 28-29 but the court in May, citing the COVID-19 crisis, decided to postpone administration of the test to Sept. 9-10. Now the court is allowing the test to be taken online. The high court in May also took the unusual step of allowing recent law school graduates to obtain a temporary license to practice law in Ohio until the applicant got their results from the September bar examination. O’Connor said the court recognized the need for law school graduates to start work and the significant economic hardship that the bar exam delay would impose. The temporary license has been now extended until the applicant receives the results from the Oct. 5-6 test. Those with temporary licenses can: enter appearances, draft legal documents and pleadings, provide legal services to clients and provide other counsel consistent with the practice of law in Ohio. Those with a temporary license have to be supervised by a person with a law license. The court also is allowing a temporary license holder who is practicing law the option of taking the bar examination in February 2021 and extending their temporary license privilege until results are received then. For those who pass the bar exam in October, the planned date for the next swearing-in ceremony for new attorneys is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 14.
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: The governing body for high school activities in Oklahoma plans for sports, including football, to start on time in the fall while the organization is prepared to adjust as it navigates the coronavirus pandemic, it’s director said Thursday. “Our plan is to move forward as scheduled with those activities, knowing that before we start competitions, there may have to be a delay, or if we do get started, there can and probably likely will be interruptions where we have to stop for a while and start again.” said Oklahoma Secondary Schools Association executive director David Jackson. Jackson said in a worst-case scenario, all sports would be played in the spring and extend into late June. In that case with the OSSAA trying to stagger the schedule so multisport athletes could still play more than one sport. Jackson the OSSAA will provide schools with health guidelines, but local districts will create protocols for dealing with positive virus test results and decide whether or not to allow fans at their events. He said he hopes to have fans for state competition, when the OSSAA takes over control of events.
Oregon
Salem: Gov. Kate Brown said she is expanding the state’s COVID-19 mask order to also apply to children 5 years and older and that she is decreasing the capacity of indoor venues from 250 people to 100. The governor said these new mandates, which go into effect Friday, are necessary to help slow the increasing spread of the coronavirus. On Tuesday, the total number of confirmed and presumptive virus cases in the state topped 15,000. “When we see the numbers rise, we must respond,” Brown said. Currently anyone who is 12 years or older must wear masks inside public spaces and in outdoor areas where they cannot maintain 6 feet of physical distancing. The mandate will now apply to anyone 5 years or older. “These younger children can be infected by COVID-19. These younger children live with families,” Oregon State Health Authority Epidemiologist Dean Sidelinger said. In conjunction with the mask expansion, Oregon’s Department of Education announced that school students will be required to wear face coverings during in-person instruction if they return to the classroom in the fall. The department will distribute 5 million face coverings to school districts for students and employees to wear to help with the new requirement.
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg: Every region of Pennsylvania has seen an increase in the rate of positive coronavirus cases and failing to stop that could jeopardize the reopening of schools for the fall semester, the state’s top health official said Thursday. In addition, Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the majority of counties have seen increases in the number of new cases. “It’s critical to drive down the case counts now in terms of the rise of new cases in order to prepare for schools to reopen,” Levine said during a news conference Thursday. “If we don’t do that now, that would put that in jeopardy.” In response to the rise in new cases, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration last week imposed a new round of restrictions targeting bars, restaurants, nightclubs and indoor gatherings to slow the virus’ spread. In July, Pennsylvania’s 14-day rate of new cases per 100,000 residents has risen by more than 50%, from below 60 to 90. The seven-day positivity rate – based on the Health Department’s daily public disclosures of the number of people who are newly confirmed to be positive and the number of people who tested negative – has gradually increased in July, from about 4.5% to 5.8%. Deaths have declined in July, although hospitalizations are on the rise across the state, according to state data.
Rhode Island
Providence: More than 1,000 people have died of coronavirus-related illness in Rhode Island, the state Department of Health said. The agency reported four new fatalities, bringing the statewide coronavirus death toll since the pandemic began earlier this year to 1,001. In response, Gov. Gina Raimondo ordered state flags at all state agencies and buildings to be flown at half-staff in honor of the victims. “This pandemic has taken a terrible toll on our state, and my heart breaks for the thousands of Rhode Islanders who have lost someone to this virus,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “We must continue to do everything we can in their memory to protect our neighbors, friends, and family from COVID-19.” The flags will stay at half-staff until sunset on Sunday. In addition, the State House will be illuminated through Sunday in red, white and blue to honor all Americans who have lost their lives during the pandemic, she said. The state also reported more than 75 new confirmed cases of the disease Thursday, for a total of more than 18,100 known cases since the pandemic began. The new confirmed cases were out of more than 3,500 tests administered, for a positive rate of about 2.1%. The number of people in the hospital with the coronavirus was at nearly 70 as of Tuesday, the latest day for which the information was available, roughly the same as the previous three days. Seven of the patients were in intensive care.
South Carolina
Columbia: State and local education officials are still trying to determine how to return students to school in several weeks – whether in person or online – as COVID-19 cases spike across the state. Clemson University announced Wednesday that all students will start classes virtually on Aug. 19, with in-person classroom learning delayed until Sept. 17. And for younger students, education officials promised the new school year in public schools would be nothing like what happened in March, when the virus caused the sudden closings of buildings as teachers and administrators scrambled to implement online learning in days. Attendance will be taken every day and there will be academic standards just like a typical school year, state Education Superintendent Molly Spearman told a small group of House members Wednesday. “The expectations will be much higher – that students must be engaged every day,” Spearman said. There has been no summer vacation for Spearman and local school administrators across the state as they try to revamp decades of education norms, such as classes of 20 or 30 students, buses full of children and even recess. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases continue to climb. For more than a month, South Carolina has been in the top four states for newly diagnosed cases adjusted by population.
South Dakota
Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem met with senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday in Washington. The Republican governor discussed the response to the coronavirus pandemic in meetings with Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of Health Alex Azar. The governor’s spokesman Ian Fury said Noem discussed with Azar how a vaccine for COVID-19 could be distributed. Pence tweeted after their meeting, ”I ensured her that we will make sure South Dakota has whatever it needs to protect the health and safety of its people.” Fury said that Noem planned to meet with several other members of the president’s team during her trip, but a meeting with Trump was not scheduled. Noem has seen her national profile rise among conservatives as she took a hands-off approach to the pandemic, avoiding orders for lockdowns or business closures. The governor’s pursuit of a national spotlight has led to speculation that she has political ambitions beyond South Dakota, but she has said she is content to remain in her home state.
Tennessee
Bristol: Coronavirus cases at an East Tennessee nursing home have nearly doubled in less than a week, officials said. The Christian Care Center in Bristol reported 92 cases on Wednesday, up from 51 cases on Friday, Director Jennifer Skaggs said in a statement, the Bristol Herald Courier reported. The cases include 66 residents and 26 employees, she said. There are 120 residents at the home, according to the Tennessee Department of Health, meaning that more than half have tested positive. Three residents who tested positive for COVID-19 have died, five are hospitalized, 23 have recovered and 35 are in isolation, Skaggs said. Half of the workers who tested positive have recovered and half are still-isolating, she said. Sullivan County Regional Health Department Director Stephen May said the nursing home has been working diligently with health officials to stop the virus from spreading.
Texas
Austin: Although some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus might be leveling off, officials in counties along the border with Mexico said the outlook there remains bleak. Dallas County officials said the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients dropped below 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time in more than two weeks, and officials in Houston are seeing signs of optimism. But along the border in Starr County, Judge Eloy Vera said “we’re very close to losing the situation” and plans to issue voluntary stay-at-home recommendations this week. He said it would be similar to one issued Monday in Hidalgo County, which set a curfew and recommended that all nonessential businesses cease any activity that can’t be provided at curbside or by takeout. The orders, however, are not enforceable under Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s past mandates that do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions. Meanwhile, Texas is pressing ahead with plans for high school football this fall. The University Interscholastic League, which governs high school sports in Texas, released guidelines that push back the start of the football season for the largest schools into late September. Attendance will be limited and masks will be required.
Utah
Salt Lake City: Utah is among the many U.S. states fighting a surge in coronavirus cases, but officials said Wednesday the Salt Lake City area is bucking the trend after the county issued a mandate a month ago for people to wear masks. There’s no statewide mask order in Republican-led Utah, and face coverings remain contentious, as seen at a recent public meeting that was abruptly ended when dozens of people without masks packed the room. After Gov. Gary Herbert allowed Democratic leaders in Salt Lake County to impose their own mask rule, the county’s share of cases in the state steadily declined despite its denser population. “Today we’re sharing data that indicates that face coverings and other interventions implemented by Salt Lake County are having a positive impact,” county Mayor Jenny Wilson said. “These actions are saving lives, protecting health and stabilizing the spread of COVID-19 cases.” Based on data in Salt Lake County, Wilson called on the governor to order a statewide mask requirement. The number of new cases reported daily in Salt Lake County is nearly down to levels seen in June. However, case numbers in the state as a whole have doubled in the same time frame.
Vermont
Montpelier: The last of the remaining foreign ski workers who have been stranded at Vermont’s Jay Peak resort during the coronavirus pandemic were on their way home to Peru on Thursday, officials said. “We are all very grateful that they will all be with their families soon,” said Melissa Sheffer, the resort’s director of rooms and community engagement, of the college students who work seasonally at the resort. Jay Peak has been providing them food, free accommodations, trips to the store, health checks, hiking trips, and a canoe outing, she said. The resort took the five employees to Boston on Wednesday and they flew to Miami and got on a plan to Lima on Thursday morning, Sheffer said. A sixth extended her visa and moved in with friends in the area, she said. U.S. ski areas employ about 7,500 J1 visa holders each year, according to the U.S. Ski Areas Association. Many had planned to fly home in March, but when the pandemic closed Peru’s borders, some were stranded.
Virginia
Norfolk: Norfolk International Airport said its passenger numbers for June dropped by more than 75% compared the same time a year ago. The Virginian-Pilot reported Wednesday that only about 94,000 people flew out of Norfolk that month because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the number was 385,000. The drop in June is actually not as bad as it was in May, when traffic was down 87%. In April, passenger numbers fell by 94%. The drop in passenger travel was even higher at Richmond’s airport for those months. Meanwhile, Virginia has been added to the list of states from which travelers must quarantine after arriving in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Washington
Seattle: Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau has decided against having students return to the classroom in the new year school, saying the prospect of in-person learning is impossible amid rising coronavirus infection rates. Juneau said Wednesday that she’s recommending a fully remote learning model when school resumes in the fall. The school board is expected to vote on how to proceed during the pandemic at its next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 12. “The current trajectory of infection in King County and the most recent data and information from public health makes it clear that resuming school in-person this fall is impossible,” Juneau said in a news release. Juneau’s latest recommendation has been endorsed by the principals labor union and the teachers union. The district is also at the bargaining table with the Seattle Education Association for a new teachers contract.
West Virginia
Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice was encouraged Wednesday by what he initially thought was a recent drop in confirmed statewide cases of the coronavirus. But the cautious optimism was short-lived. The number of positive cases in the state has doubled in the past month. Twice this month, the daily confirmed cases in the rural state surpassed 170. So Justice had reason for hope when he announced an increase of just 30 positive cases Tuesday.“I always am a believer that one robin doesn’t make spring,” Justice said at a news conference. “This is more like one robin right now. We’ll go and we’ll watch these numbers for a few more days.” But state health statistics released after the governor spoke proved there’s a lot of work left to do. Tuesday’s figure was revised upward later to 141, and the three-day total so far this week of 324 confirmed cases meant the virus scare isn’t slowing down. Wednesday’s number of active confirmed cases, 1,594, was the highest since the pandemic began. Justice said there are virus outbreaks involving churches in at least eight counties: Boone, Grant, Logan, Mason Kanawha, Raleigh, Taylor and Wood. The governor on July 6 issued an executive order mandating face coverings when people are inside buildings, although he has declined to impose a penalty for noncompliance.
Wisconsin
Madison: The body that oversees Wisconsin high school sports recommended Thursday that schools offer fall sports but delay start dates by several weeks as the coronavirus surges across the state. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Association Board of Control voted 8-3 to approve pushing back the start date for girls golf, tennis and swimming to Aug. 17. Girls and boys cross-country also will start on that date. Sports that create a higher risk of virus transmission and infection, including football, volleyball and soccer, will start the week of Sept. 7. Whether the WIAA will offer any postseason state championship tournaments remains unclear. Board members said they just want to get the fall seasons started. The board also ordered WIAA staff to start putting together a plan that would allow schools that opt out of fall competition to offer those sports in the spring. Teams that begin playing in the fall but have to stop because of infections or other reasons could resume their seasons in the spring.
Wyoming
Rawlins: Testing of inmates, staff and health care workers at Wyoming’s maximum-security prison has detected at least 10 cases of the coronavirus, corrections officials said Wednesday. Wyoming was among just a couple of states with no known coronavirus infections among inmates. Testing to date has revealed three inmates, one staff member and six health care workers with the virus. As of Wednesday, 876 inmates and workers at the Wyoming State Penitentiary had been tested. Full results were pending. The tests were part of a plan to screen all Wyoming inmates over the weeks ahead. A case of coronavirus in a contract health care worker last week prompted the department to begin testing at the Wyoming State Penitentiary a couple weeks earlier than planned. The prison was locked down because of the positive results and contact tracing was being done.