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US: States plead for more federal help with virus as winter closes in
With more shutdowns looming and a vaccine months away from wide distribution, governors across the U.S. are pleading for more help from Washington ahead of what is shaping up to be a bleak winter. Between now and June 2022, state and local governments could be facing a shortfall of $400 billion or more by some estimates.
OH: Ohio governor orders 3-week curfew
For at least three weeks starting Thursday, Ohioans will be under a curfew, with some exceptions, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced.
MD: Maryland governor announces new restrictions
Republican Gov. Larry Hogan ordered an early closing time for Maryland’s bars, banned fans from stadiums and set new limits on hospitals and nursing homes in hopes of slowing a troubling wave of coronavirus cases.
CA: Californians must mask up outside their homes under new expanded mandate
Faced with a startling spike in coronavirus cases, California health officials issued a new mandate requiring residents to wear face coverings whenever they’re outside their homes, with few exceptions.
LA: Louisiana loses New Orleans parades
For the first time in 42 years New Orleans will not have parades during the upcoming Carnival season. It’s the latest and arguably most significant aspect of southern Louisiana life to take a back seat to slowing the human toll of the coronavirus pandemic.
DE: Delaware imposes new pandemic restrictions
Starting next week, Delaware is restricting all indoor public gatherings to 30% of a venue’s fire code capacity, with a 50-person cap. Restaurants will be allowed additional outdoor seating, but people dining indoors will be required to wear masks until their food is served and whenever servers come to their table.
HI: Hawaii governor issues new mask mandate, but most rules remain the same
Hawaii Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, issued a statewide mask mandate, following criticism that existing rules—which were set by individual counties—were confusing. Ige’s latest emergency proclamation requires everyone in the state to “wear a face covering over their nose and mouth in public.”
IL: Illinois governor lowers capacity for retail shops and shuts down casinos
Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced targeted restrictions for retail shops and a shutdown of casinos as part of the state’s latest effort to slow the surging coronavirus. Just ahead of the busiest shopping season of the year, retailers will be under a 25% capacity limit, down from the current 50%.
NY: New York Senate Democrats inch toward supermajority
As absentee ballots continue to be counted, races across New York state are tipping in Democrats’ favor. Democrats expect to secure two more Senate seats after ballot counts Tuesday, inching the party closer to a 42-seat supermajority.
VT: Vermont imposes hospital lockdown
As Vermont sets new records for daily COVID-19 case counts, the state has re-imposed stringent restrictions on hospitals and will set up new testing centers across the state and bolster its contact tracing teams. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, and his administration painted a grim picture of the spread of the virus in Vermont.
CO: Colorado governor unveils new coronavirus-related restrictions to prevent lockdowns
The new mandates announced by Democratic Gov. Jared Polis are intended to give Colorado counties with a worsening COVID-19 situation another chance to improve before returning to an all-out stay-at-home order. Roughly half of the state’s counties were teetering on the edge of having such bad rates of cases and hospitalizations that they would meet the criteria for a lockdown.
MI: Michigan Republicans reverse vote, certify Detroit results
Two Republicans who had blocked certification of Michigan’s Wayne County election results, which include Detroit’s, reversed course and voted to certify. The bipartisan board also asked the state to audit discrepancies in the vote.
ME: Maine resists tighter restrictions as cases rise
Maine continues to resist further pandemic restrictions as the number of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reaches record levels and as other states have put in place some of their strictest measures since the spring.
WI: Wisconsin governor releases M COVID-19 relief package
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has a new $541 million plan aimed at providing relief for Wisconsin residents during the coronavirus pandemic, but top Republicans who control the state legislature signaled they aren’t on the same page and haven’t drafted any of their own bills.
NE: Nebraska governor will not interfere with cities imposing mask mandates
Nebraska Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts said that his administration will not interfere with cities passing mask mandates as long as they act within the law.
NH: Now in the majority, Republican lawmakers weigh reopening New Hampshire Statehouse for business
Republicans and Democrats in the New Hampshire House of Representatives will choose their parties’ leaders this week. A key early question for those elected will be how to conduct business during the ongoing pandemic. The Statehouse has been largely closed to lawmakers since March.
OK: Oklahoma House, Senate to require masks in state Capitol
After Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt said he will issue an executive order requiring state employees and visitors to state buildings to wear masks, legislative leaders said they will institute the same policy in the Capitol.
UT: Utah bill would create a criminal defense for drivers who hit, kill protesters
A driver who accidentally runs over and kills or injures a protester during a riot might not face criminal charges if the motorist was fleeing in fear of their life at the time, under the provisions of a state bill advanced by Utah lawmakers.
NV: Election lawsuits fly in Nevada ahead of vote certification
A voting watchdog group organized by a conservative Nevada activist claimed fraud and asked a judge to nullify the Nov. 3 election and two Republicans who lost Las Vegas-area races went to court to demand re-votes. The state Republican Party also said it would file a new lawsuit.
MN: Minnesota school districts try to keep support staff on payroll
It’s unclear what Minnesota’s mid-year transition to online schooling means for many of the paraprofessionals who work one-on-one with special education students, the staff who provide hot meals on-site and the drivers who bus students to school each day. In many cases, it means reassigning staff.
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