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NY: New York to release pregnant inmates
New York state corrections officials, in response to the coronavirus pandemic, said they will begin releasing incarcerated women who are pregnant or postpartum, if they have not committed a violent felony or sex offense and are within six months of release.
WY, CA: Wyoming National Guard troops deploy to California
Nine airmen from the Wyoming Air National Guard have deployed to California as part of an effort to address the coronavirus pandemic within the military. The group will head to Travis Air Force Base to set up an infectious disease containment unit, which is designed to minimize contamination risk to aircrew and medical attendants.
US: Sweeping lockdown gives way to patchwork of state responses
The straightforward orders that have kept roughly 9 in 10 Americans at home gave way Friday to a more complicated and sometimes dangerous patchwork of state and local measures that would allow millions of Americans to return to restaurants, movie theaters and malls for the first time in a month or more.
IL: Illinois lawmakers sue governor over stay-at-home order
As the extended stay-at-home order kicks in Friday, another Illinois state lawmaker has filed a lawsuit against Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to get the state open again. Republican lawmaker John Cabello is the latest to file suit.
MD, US: Trump told America’s governors they were on their own. So Maryland’s governor is taking charge.
Like every other governor in America, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, is dealing with a crisis for which there is no playbook. From Tallahassee, Florida, to Olympia, Washington, in big states and small, every governor in America has improvised, scrambling to keep up with the outbreak.
CT: Connecticut parents petition governor to allow for outdoor high school graduations
Parents are circulating a petition asking Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to allow a unified day of outdoor graduation ceremonies next month with strict safety protocols in place to protect against infections. It asks him to lift his ban on large gatherings for five hours so outdoor graduations can be held.
OH: Conditions within Ohio’s coronavirus-infected prisons described as ‘war zone’
Ohio correction officers are describing increasingly frightening working conditions trying to protect inmates at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center and inside two of the state’s prison facilities that are hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
GA: Lifting stay-at-home order, Georgia governor shifts focus to economic recovery
For GOP Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, the cost of fighting the coronavirus pandemic became too steep to pay. So, hoping to revitalize a reeling economy, Kemp lifted a shelter-at-home mandate for most Georgians, ending the state’s most ambitious attempt to slow the virus’ spread.
MI: Michigan lawmakers refuse request to extend shutdown
The standoff continued as Michigan Republicans refused Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s request to extend her state of emergency. Whitmer refused to negotiate a quicker timeline for reopening the state.
FL: Floridians sue over malfunctioning unemployment system
The department overseeing Florida’s broken unemployment system — and the company that created it — are now being sued for its disastrous handling of coronavirus-related unemployment claims. Attorneys are asking the state to immediately pay hundreds of thousands of idled workers.
AK: Alaska’s chief medical officer pushes back against ‘herd immunity’ idea
Alaska’s chief medical officer said intentionally allowing cases to grow puts the state at real risk of overwhelming the health care system, like has happened in other places in the country and regions around the world.
MA: Massachusetts has changed how it classifies coronavirus cases. It could lead to a spike in numbers
As the coronavirus pandemic stretches into a third month, state health leaders are reclassifying the way they count COVID-19 cases, a change that’s sure to lead to an increase in the number of reported victims and have a profound effect on our understanding of the devastating impact of the disease in Massachusetts.
MS: Mississippi Supreme Court won’t stop evictions, garnishments during coronavirus pandemic
The Mississippi Supreme Court says no to halting evictions and garnishments during the coronavirus pandemic. In a ruling, the state high court said it was beyond the court’s authority to halt eviction and garnishment judicial proceedings.
PA: Pennsylvania GOP subpoenas governor’s administration over business waivers
Pennsylvania’s auditor general said he has begun an audit into the controversial process, but won’t release the names of businesses that received a coveted waiver.
TX: Texas reports highest daily death toll as state prepares to reopen
Texas reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, the most in any one day since the state reported its first deaths in mid-March. The state also reported it had added more than 1,000 new positive cases of COVID-19, the biggest one-day increase in infections since April 10.
CA: California governor closes Orange County beaches
California is closing Orange County beaches in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said. The decision was driven by crowds that flocked to those beaches over the weekend, apparently violating social distancing rules that people stay six feet away from others from different households.
KY: Kentucky prosecutor seeks to force judge to issue quarantine order for man exposed to coronavirus
A county prosecutor has asked the Kentucky Court of Appeals to make a circuit judge order home quarantine for a man who has been exposed to the coronavirus.
LA: Louisiana governor responds to petition to cancel emergency order: ‘Silly is not the right word’
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, blasted a movement by some GOP state lawmakers to cancel his emergency declaration on the new coronavirus in order to end his stay-at-home order on businesses and residents, calling it “nonsensical.”
DC: Reopening District of Columbia may not happen until summer, officials warn
The District of Columbia’s Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said the hope is for a limited return to normal in late May — but that it could also be delayed into the summer months.
NV: Nevadans asked to stay at home until May 15
Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak is extending his directive asking Nevadans to stay at home to limit the spread of coronavirus until May 15. But he will ease restrictions on other outdoor activities and some businesses starting Friday.
NM: New Mexico to ease restrictions on businesses
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state may be able to ease public health restrictions put in place last month as the pandemic began to sweep across New Mexico. Business may begin to reopen, but people should continue to wear masks outside.
AL: Alabama lawmakers to resume session
The legislative article of Alabama’s 1901 Constitution says “The doors of each house shall be opened,” but Alabama lawmakers will return to work Monday in a State House that’s mostly closed to the public. Legislative officials said it would be almost impossible to follow social distancing rules while allowing the usual access.
AZ: Arizona city displaces part of massive homeless encampment
City and county leaders are worried that if the novel coronavirus enters the homeless population in and around the Human Services Campus, home to the state’s largest homeless shelter and an encampment of about 500 people, it will spread quickly to an already vulnerable group.
MD: Maryland governor prohibits garnishments of federal stimulus checks
Under the order issued by Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, Marylanders’ federal stimulus checks are protected from financial and banking institutions, as well as credit unions. The order does not apply to garnishment relating to child support payments.
NV: Nevada gambling revenue drops 40% in March
Nevada gambling revenue for March — when casinos were ordered shut mid-month to curb the spread of coronavirus — was down nearly 40% compared with the same month a year ago. The Las Vegas Strip took a 46 percent hit year over year.
CO: Sixth Colorado meat processing plant worker dies of coronavirus
Testing has confirmed 245 cases of COVID-19 among employees at the JBS USA beef plant in Greeley, according to state data, making the outbreak one of the largest confirmed in Colorado. The actual number of infections may be higher than those cases confirmed through lab testing.
UT: Results from TestUtah.com are raising questions
The accuracy of coronavirus tests by TestUtah.com has come into question, with state data showing that the rate of positive results among people tested at its sites is less than half what it is for patients tested elsewhere in the state.
HI: Advocates seek more data on COVID-19 rate among Native Hawaiians
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs wants the state to provide more specific data about how the coronavirus crisis is affecting Hawaii’s Native Hawaiian community. So far, when the state has released demographic data about coronavirus cases Native Hawaiians have been included in the broader Pacific Islander category.
LA: Louisiana churches may host socially distanced services outdoors amid coronavirus rules
Louisiana churches are allowed to host outdoor, in-person services, but they must practice social distancing measures. After most Louisiana churches stopped indoors, in-person services more than a month ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, many have moved to online, virtual services.
OR: Oregon restaurants may be asked to keep customers’ names for reopening
Oregon restaurants may be asked to consider keeping the names, contact information and dates of visits for patrons as part of the state’s effort to reopen parts of the economy. That guidance might apply not only to restaurants but also other business sectors, such as retail and salons, according to the records.
ID: Governor initiates plan to reopen Idaho
Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, announced that the state will move forward with the first stage of its plan to reopen businesses. Almost all retail stores and houses of worship will open in the first stage, which will be May 1-15.
NC: North Carolina governor ‘hopeful’ restrictions can ease next week
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, said he is “hopeful” the state can ease some of the social restrictions he implemented last month. Cooper’s stay-at-home order is due to expire on May 8. Signs of improvements could move the state into the first phase of a three-phase gradual relaxing of the restrictions.
SC: South Carolina lawmakers to return in May
South Carolina lawmakers are coming back to Columbia soon to take action on millions of dollars for the state’s COVID-19 response and other critical matters, marking what could be a breakthrough in legislative negotiations that went sour in April.
OK: Oklahoma seeks to test 90K people, use 1K contact tracers
With Oklahoma set to begin its phased reopening, the state aims to beef up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing throughout the month of May. Commissioner of Health Gary Cox said he aims for 90,000 Oklahomans, or 2% of the state’s population, to get tested in May.
NJ: New Jersey to double testing capacity with 550K kits from feds after Trump meeting
New Jersey will at least double its daily number of tests for the coronavirus after the federal government agreed to send the hard-hit state 550,000 testing kits and 750,000 swabs, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy announced just a few hours after meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
MO: Tens of thousands of Missouri jobless await unemployment payments
The massive surge in unemployment insurance claims during the coronavirus shutdown has created a backlog of applicants in Missouri that, at times, may have stretched past 100,000, leaving residents frustrated and checkless.
MN: Minnesotans to get two more weeks of stay-at-home, but with new flexibility
A statewide stay-at-home order will remain in place for at least another two weeks in Minnesota, as state health officials try to thread the needle between protecting the public from the COVID-19 pandemic and allowing businesses and the economy to resume.
DE: Delaware’s unemployment claims drop for 2nd week
More than 7,700 residents filed for unemployment for the first time last week, according to a report from the Department of Labor. That’s less than the near-9,300 claims filed the week before. During the weeks before coronavirus was declared a public health threat in the state, Delaware was used to seeing around 500 unemployment claims per week.
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