Medical reinforcements, canyon closure, defiance at churches: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: Lawmakers on Tuesday adjourned the 2020 legislative session until late April as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state passed 1,000. They met briefly in Montgomery in order to approve the break until April 28. People were screened for fevers before entering the Statehouse, and legislators sat spaced apart in the chambers. A few members wore masks covering their mouths and noses. Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh said lawmakers will likely pass “bare bones” budgets – without large spending increases or pay raises for teachers and state employees – because of the uncertainty about the impact of the virus on tax collections. “I don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I think it would be irresponsible with the economic situation and uncertainty we are in to put any increases on either budget,” he said. Marsh said he hopes a priority will be economic stimulus measures.

Alaska

Juneau: A worker on Alaska’s North Slope tested positive for COVID-19, BP announced Tuesday. But the state’s chief medical officer said the case is not counted in the state’s tally due to a quirk in reporting. The state has reported 133 total cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, including 14 new cases announced Tuesday. Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, said cases are reported according to where someone lives, and it was her understanding the worker lives out of state. BP confirmed a worker at Prudhoe Bay had tested positive, company spokeswoman Megan Baldino said by email. In a statement, she said the company is following procedures to minimize the risk of COVID-19 and eliminating nonessential activity on the North Slope.

Arizona

Flagstaff: The Grand Canyon closed indefinitely to visitors Wednesday, joining other national parks seeking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Staff at the Grand Canyon had been shutting down visitor services piecemeal as the federal government initially rebuffed its request to shutter completely. On Tuesday, visitors still had access to restrooms, a grocery store and bank at Grand Canyon Village, and trails along the popular South Rim. Interior Secretary David Bernhardt said he finally approved the park’s request at the recommendation of a county health official who said keeping the park open puts employees, residents and tourists at risk. The park reported earlier this week that a resident who worked at a lodge run by a concessionaire tested positive for COVID-19 and spent time in isolation. The Navajo Nation had also pleaded with the federal government to deny tourists access to the Grand Canyon to keep its confirmed cases of coronavirus among residents from rising.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The state may temporarily close some of its most popular parks over concerns that large numbers of out-of-state visitors are crowding them during the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday. He said he is looking at steps to curtail nonresident recreational visitors and has asked state parks officials for recommendations. Hutchinson cited complaints that have come from local officials and businesses in the Buffalo National River area who said many of the license plates they have seen came from out of state. Social media posts in recent days have shown large crowds along other hiking trails and sites. The governor said the social distancing guideline to stay at least 6 feet away from one another isn’t being sufficiently followed at the parks. “If you want to simply reduce the flow of out-of-state visitors, you’re going to have to close some of the attractions that’s bringing them here,” Hutchinson said.

California

Los Angeles: The state’s extraordinary efforts to keep people home have bought the time needed to prepare for an expected peak surge of coronavirus cases in coming weeks, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. A spike of new cases has not come as quickly as expected, though Newsom was reluctant to say whether that means the impact on the state won’t be nearly as dire as initially feared. Two weeks ago, Newsom said more than half the state’s 40 million people could be infected under a worst-case scenario. “To be truthful and candid, the current modeling is on the lower end of our projection as I talk to you today,” Newsom said at a news conference. “Very easily tomorrow I could say something differently, and that’s why one just has to be very cautious about this.” However, a Southern California nursing home has been hit hard by the virus, with more than 50 residents infected. Cedar Mountain Post Acute Rehabilitation in Yucaipa has been told to assume all of its patients have the COVID-19 virus, San Bernardino County Department of Public Health Director Trudy Raymundo said. As of Tuesday, 51 residents and six staff members had tested positive. Two patients have died.

Colorado

Colorado Springs: Social distancing restrictions at the Air Force Academy have been relaxed after it reported two cadet suicides in less than a week following attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Emails obtained from the academy show the Colorado Springs base had received complaints about how the policies made the school prisonlike for about 1,000 seniors who remained on the campus, the Gazette reports. Academy leaders had sent cadets from the lower three classes home to finish the year online and kept the remaining senior class on campus, spreading them out across emptied dormitories. They were ordered to stay on campus and stay separated from one another while taking online classes and eating takeout meals from the school’s dining facility. Cadets are now able to venture off campus for drive-thru food, wear civilian clothing on Fridays and congregate in small groups compliant with state guidelines, academy leaders said.

Connecticut

Hartford: A second state prison inmate has tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday as tensions rose inside correctional facilities where prisoners are increasingly concerned about the coronavirus. The Corrigan-Radgowski prison in Uncasville was locked down Tuesday after a 24-year-old male inmate, who began developing symptoms Thursday, was confirmed to have the virus, the Department of Correction said. Another inmate and a correction officer at that prison had previously tested positive. Officials are still waiting for test results on nine other inmates at Corrigan-Radgowski, including the 24-year-old’s cellmate. Meanwhile, former death row inmate Eduardo Santiago said he and other inmates inside the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield are worried staff members may be bringing the virus inside. Santiago said officers continue to pat down and otherwise have physical contact with inmates. He said no staff members are wearing masks, and social distancing is not being enforced. “It’s a powder keg,” he said in a telephone interview. “Everyone is looking at every CO like they’re a walking bomb. They are yelling at the COs and at the counselors to get the hell off the block.”

Delaware

Dover: Too many people are ignoring orders to stay at home and keep their distance from one another as the state tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus, the state public health director said Wednesday. Dr. Karyl Rattay expressed frustration at the lack of cooperation officials are seeing, even among people who are most at risk of serious complications and death. “We keep hearing stories about individuals who are in the 70s, 80s, getting together for parties. And the reality is, then we’re seeing people succumbing to illness after those events together,” she said. Rattay also said too many businesses that remain open are not making sure that people stay at least 6 feet from each other. “The governor and the Division of Public Health are extremely concerned that many businesses are not being compliant with social distancing. We want to say that we intend to crack down on this,” she said. Rattay encouraged people to tell public health officials about any social distancing violations at any businesses.

District of Columbia

Washington: Colleges across the D.C. area have decided to cancel commencement ceremonies because of coronavirus concerns, WUSA-TV reports. Graduation for students at American University will still go on, but the ceremony will happen online. It appears AU is the first college in the region to commit to an online service. Other schools across the region, such as Howard University, have already canceled graduation altogether. George Washington University invited its graduates to walk across the stage next spring, the University of Maryland College Park is considering a virtual celebration, and the University of Virginia is looking into its alternatives. AU is also offering pass/fail options for seniors and inviting students back to campus for a special ceremony in December.

Florida

Titusville: A gender reveal party mixed with explosives sparked a 10-acre fire Saturday in Brevard County, WESH-TV reports. The county has prohibited open burning because of an increase in fires, and officials are urging people to follow the rules and avoid calls that can strain medical resources during the coronavirus pandemic. “Something as seemingly innocent as a gender reveal can turn into a large-scale disaster,” said Mark Schollmeyer, the county’s Fire Rescue Chief. A violation of the burn ban comes with a fine of up to $500 and jail time.

Georgia

Savannah: Mayors pressed Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday to impose greater restrictions statewide in hopes of slowing the new coronavirus. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told a news conference that mayors on a conference call to discuss the virus response a day earlier had largely agreed the Republican governor needs to take more robust action. Kemp has closed schools, banned gatherings of 10 or more people, shut down bars and nightclubs, and ordered people in fragile health to stay home. But he’s resisted calls for a statewide order for all Georgians to shelter at home, saying those decisions are best left to local governments. The result has been a patchwork of ordinances that can vary widely even between neighboring communities. “I understand that he wants to take it slow. I understand that he wants to maintain arrows in his quiver,” Johnson said. “But the fact of the matter is these cities need some consistency. Because right now, we’re all over the place.”

Hawaii

Honolulu: Observatories on the state’s tallest mountain have shut down operations in response to the governor’s stay-at-home order aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The shutdown of telescope operations on Mauna Kea is expected to affect more than 500 technicians, astronomers, instrument scientists, engineers and support staff who work at the Big Island summit and at observatory bases below, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Democratic Gov. David Ige signed a proclamation ordering state residents to remain at their homes from March 25 through April 30, exempting workers deemed essential. Most of the work at the Mauna Kea observatories is federally funded, so few if any employees are likely to be laid off or furloughed, said Doug Simons, director of Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

Idaho

Boise: The state has recorded 525 confirmed cases of coronavirus and nine deaths as of Wednesday, according to the government’s count on the state’s official website.

Illinois

Springfield: Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday extended his statewide stay-at-home order for three weeks as the nation struggles to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Pritzker set a new deadline of April 30 for keeping people inside except for reporting to a job deemed essential or to take care of necessities, including getting food or going to a health care provider. The new coronavirus has led to the deaths of at least 99 people in Illinois out of more than 5,994 infections. With 26 additional deaths reported Tuesday and 937 new cases, the number continues to grow, Pritzker said. “Our greatest risk of hitting capacity isn’t right now but weeks from now,” he said. “The virus is spreading and growing. So are its risks. We must not let up now.” The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, a bipartisan legislative fiscal analyst, said Tuesday that it’s possible the economic impact of COVID-19 could mean a drop in state tax revenues of $8 billion – about 20% of the state’s typical annual income.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Initial unemployment insurance claims surged to 120,331 in the state last week, and more than 1 in 20 Hoosier workers have now lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, the state reported. The new claims released Tuesday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development represent a more than 50-fold increase from just 2,312 two weeks ago, The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports. The agency’s Hoosiers by the Numbers data site reported that 3.7% of Indiana workers lost their jobs in a single week as the pandemic idled restaurants, bars and other nonessential businesses. Gov. Eric Holcomb has told nonessential businesses to close and ordered Hoosiers to stay at home from March 24 through April 7 except to buy food or prescriptions, obtain health care or perform other essential tasks in attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. All told, 176,251 Indiana residents have lost their jobs since the pandemic became a national crisis. That’s about 5.37% of the 3,278,102 Hoosiers who were employed in February, according to the agency.

Iowa

Iowa City: The state’s three public universities have announced grading options as the COVID-19 pandemic forces students into online education instead of classroom instruction. As University of Iowa and Iowa State University undergraduate students returned from spring break, they were being allowed to take the letter grades their instructors record or choose a pass/nonpass option. The Gazette reports the new option could help students who, for example, don’t do as well as they believe they could have without the coronavirus-related disruptions. University of Iowa graduate students will be allowed to take letter grades or choose a “satisfactory/unsatisfactory” grading option. Iowa State announced its graduate college is working on a similar temporary grading option. The University of Northern Iowa already had a “credit/no credit” option but has announced that “due to the extraordinary circumstances,” the campus has modified and expanded its use.

Kansas

Wichita: Gov. Laura Kelly took steps Tuesday to address what she described as hundreds of thousands of calls to the state labor office by making it easier for Kansans to receive unemployment benefits as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continued to grow. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said it had confirmed 428 cases Tuesday, up from 369 a day earlier, and it identified a Kansas City church conference two weeks ago as a point of exposure for multiple people. Johnson County reported a third death from the virus, pushing the state’s total to 10. Kelly announced Kansas would temporarily waive the one-week waiting period for people to receive unemployment benefits and waive the requirement that they seek employment. “It’s right that we are working hard on the medial challenges this virus represents, but we also must work on the economic fallout created by this disease,” Kelly said.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state’s impact from the coronavirus pandemic worsened Tuesday with 114 new cases and seven more virus-related deaths, Gov. Andy Beshear said. It was the highest number of cases and deaths reported in a single day in the Bluegrass State. The governor braced the state for the potential for even worse days to come from the pandemic. “Now, we knew this was coming,” Beshear said during his daily briefing. “And we know there are going to be days where we have more than 114 new cases.” He initially said the state’s death toll from the virus had risen by six, but midway through his news conference he announced an additional death. Kentucky’s total coronavirus cases approached 600, and its death toll from the virus reached 18. Beshear listed 28 counties that had reported cases Tuesday, a sign the virus has reached Kentucky’s less populated counties.

Louisiana

Central: Buses and cars filled a church parking lot for another service Tuesday evening as worshippers flocked to hear a pastor who is facing misdemeanor charges for holding services despite a ban on gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic. A few protesters turned out, too, including a man shouting through a bullhorn against those gathering at the Life Tabernacle Church, where pastor Tony Spell has been holding services. Another demonstrator held up a sign reading: “God don’t like stupid.” Afterward, people began leaving the church, some chatting outside the front doors and many appearing not to be adhering to social distancing recommendations to remain at least 6 feet apart. Hugs and handshakes were shared freely as people said their goodbyes and departed. Hours earlier, Spell was issued a summons for holding services previously at the church in violation of the governor’s order banning gatherings. “Come out, Tony. Come tell us why you’re endangering people’s lives,” the man with the bullhorn shouted Tuesday evening. Flanked by some of his congregation, including children and older people, Spell emerged from the church later Tuesday night and said he doesn’t consider keeping his doors open any different from keeping the doors of Walmart open. He also compared going to church to going to the hospital, but for spiritual healing.

Maine

Augusta: The state recorded two more deaths from the new coronavirus, officials said Wednesday, as the governor’s new “stay-at-home” order was poised to go into effect. The order by Gov. Janet Mills, taking effect at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, prohibits Mainers from traveling outside their homes for all but “essential personal activities.” The two new deaths were both women in their 80s in Cumberland County, bringing that county’s toll to five, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control. Two other deaths were announced the day before in York and Kennebec counties. All told, more than 340 people have tested positive for the virus in Maine, he said. Shah also announced Wednesday that the state is obtaining new testing kits from Abbott Laboratories to bolster the state lab’s testing capabilities.

Maryland

Annapolis: The state’s top legislative leaders said Tuesday that they were not ready to agree to a recommendation by the state elections board to have all ballots for the June 2 primary cast by mail, a measure that was suggested to protect poll workers from the coronavirus. Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones expressed their concerns about such a recommendation in a letter to Gov. Larry Hogan, who has the final say. The primary was originally scheduled for April 28, but Hogan postponed it until June 2 because of concerns about the virus. Ferguson and Jones, who are both Democrats, wrote that in-person voting is as essential as allowing some businesses to continue to serve customers during Maryland’s pandemic-driven state of emergency. In their letter, they cited concerns raised by the Legislature about “significant research that shows minority voters are less likely to vote by mail, and that transient and low income populations are less likely to participate or even receive ballots.”

Massachusetts

Boston: A sports arena is being converted to a field hospital for COVID-19 patients and should be ready just as the number of cases in the state is expected to peak, officials said. The 250-bed field hospital, which will occupy 50,000 square feet of first-floor convention space at the DCU Center in Worcester, will be for the “least sick” COVID-19 patients who do not require intensive care, Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, said Tuesday. UMass Memorial Health Care will manage the field hospital, which will allow local hospitals to care for the sickest patients without getting overwhelmed. Dickson said he hopes to have it operational by the end of next week. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that the state anticipates a surge of cases in mid-April.

Michigan

Lansing: The state is sending half of the 400 ventilators it received from the federal government to Detroit-area hospitals facing a surge of coronavirus patients, a state health department official said Wednesday. The remaining 200 breathing machines will be set aside for seven regions across the state that have fewer COVID-19 patients at this time, said Lynn Sutfin, an agency spokeswoman. Hospitals in Oakland, Macomb and St. Clair counties are due to get 100 ventilators. Another 100 will go to hospitals in Wayne, Washtenaw and Monroe counties. Residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb account for 81% of Michigan’s roughly 7,600 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has identified ventilators as a critical need.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Officials were scrambling Tuesday to set up 2,750 more hospital beds across the state to handle the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases in the coming weeks. It’s part of Gov. Tim Walz’s promise to Minnesotans not to waste the time he’s trying to buy with his stay-at-home order to allow the state’s health care system to gear up as the number of cases in Minnesota builds toward a peak in hospitalizations expected between mid-May and mid-June, according to the state’s rough modeling. The number of occupied intensive care beds is a critical marker. The state currently has just over 260 adult ICU beds available. A team has been identifying potential alternate care sites statewide that could be quickly converted into temporary hospitals for noncritical patients, said Joe Kelly, the state’s emergency management director.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state Department of Corrections is temporarily stopping in-person check-ins for people on probation, parole, house arrest or other forms of community supervision, as part of an effort to control the spread of the new coronavirus. The department said in a news release Tuesday that instead of going to an office, people under supervision should check in by phone, email or video chat between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. weekdays. The change is in effect from Wednesday until at least April 17. Deputy Commissioner Christy Gutherz said in the release that people are not required to speak with their assigned agent. They must provide their name, Mississippi Department of Corrections identification number, address, phone number and other relevant information. “You must call,” Gutherz said. “If you don’t, you will be considered as non-reporting.”

Missouri

Kansas City: The coronavirus pandemic is ravaging nursing homes in the state as the number of sickened and dead continues to grow. Health officials announced Tuesday that a resident in his 90s at the assisted-living facility Morningside of Springfield East died of the virus, bringing the number of deaths at that facility to five. Meanwhile, the number sickened at Frontier Health and Rehabilitation in St. Charles grew to a dozen residents and two staff members, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. At least 12 other ill staff members were staying home awaiting testing, a company spokesman Craig Workman said Tuesday. Frontier, which houses about 113 mostly elderly patients, was the first senior-living facility in the St. Louis area to confirm that a resident or staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The home quarantined some residents in one wing of the building, while other residents were hospitalized, and sick staffers remained at home. At least four other senior-living facilities in the region have confirmed COVID-19 cases.

Montana

Helena: Disability Rights Montana is asking the state Supreme Court to order the release of some prison and jail inmates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The ACLU of Montana filed the emergency petition Tuesday on behalf of the rights group and asked for a hearing or for the court to appoint a special master to oversee a reduction of the number of people in custody during the ongoing pandemic. “With a virus this contagious and this lethal, the state has an obligation to act immediately,” Bernadette Franks-Ongoy, executive director of Disability Rights Montana, said in a statement. “Without swift action, the ripple effect of an outbreak in correctional facilities will endanger everyone, hitting people with disabilities especially hard.” The petition argues that subjecting non-dangerous prisoners with disabilities to an outbreak of COVID-19 amounts to deliberate indifference to prisoners’ health and safety.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state has confirmed the coronavirus death of a fourth resident. The Nebraska Health and Human Services Department said in a news release Tuesday night that the total number of confirmed Nebraska cases had risen to 177. More than 3,000 people have tested negative. Earlier Tuesday, Gov. Pete Ricketts issued an executive order to loosen restrictions on hospitals and other health care facilities so that they can respond to a possible surge in patients suffering from COVID-19. Ricketts also imposed tougher social distancing rules on Adams, Clay, Nuckolls and Webster counties in southern Nebraska, bringing the statewide total of such county orders to 34. The orders require restaurants and bars to close their dining areas and only offer takeout or delivery. In counties that aren’t affected, those businesses may keep their dining areas open but can’t have more than 10 people inside at once. The restrictions are designed to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Nevada

Reno: Gov. Steve Sisolak issued a travel advisory Tuesday urging self-quarantines for visitors and returning residents as the state’s coronavirus death toll nearly doubled from what it was three days prior. Sisolak’s new advisory urges visitors and Nevadans returning from travel to self-quarantine for 14 days to help contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. With some exceptions, he said they should not visit public places or come into contact with anyone outside their household unit. “Nevada has always been a welcoming place for travelers, but now is not the time for tourists to flock to public spaces,” Sisolak said. “We need everyone – Nevadans and travelers – to take preventive measures to help flatten the curve and protect the most vulnerable among us.” The advisory doesn’t apply to health care, public health, public safety, transportation or food supply essential employees, he said.

New Hampshire

Concord: A man who lived in a group home for adults with disabilities has died because of complications from COVID-19, and several other residents and staff members have tested positive. Officials with the Crotched Mountain Foundation in Greenfield said Wednesday that the 46-year-old man who died Sunday had significant disabilities and a history of respiratory complications. Two other group home clients and three staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Meanwhile, the head of a state watchdog group is urging neighbors, delivery people and others to keep an eye out for abused and neglected children. Moira O’Neill, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, said home confinement and disrupted routines likely have increased common stresses known to contribute to child abuse, such as economic insecurity and limited access to medical and mental health help. Referrals to the Division of Children, Youth and Families hotline have been halved in recent weeks with children “out of school and out of sight,” she said.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state’s income tax deadline will move from April 15 to July 15, and the state budget deadline will move from June 30 to Sept. 30, in response to the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Phil Murphy and legislative leaders announced Wednesday. “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused hardships, financial strain and disruptions for many New Jerseyans and New Jersey businesses,” the leaders said. Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin will move any necessary legislation and supplemental appropriations to get the state through the rest of the fiscal year, the leaders said. All three men are Democrats. The change in the income tax filing deadline mirrors what the federal government announced last month. The details of the budget are unclear. Murphy had proposed a $40.9 billion spending plan that called for increased spending for schools, public pensions and New Jersey Transit, but the economic impact the virus will have on state finances looks dire given a sharp rise in unemployment claims.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The state’s death toll from the coronavirus pandemic increased to five with the case of a man in his 40s, as state officials on Tuesday said expanded testing will begin in an effort to target cases in which people have no symptoms. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the latest fatality, saying the total number of cases in the state increased to at least 315. About two dozen people remained hospitalized. State health officials said the Bernalillo County man who died was found unresponsive at home last week. He had an underlying medical condition. Social distancing continues to be an important tool to keep more people from contracting the virus, but relaxing the parameters regarding who gets tested will help, Lujan Grisham said. “The whole purpose is to make sure we’re doing the right surveillance,” she said. Lujan Grisham said the federal government has granted the state’s request for a U.S. Army field hospital to be set up, and federal officials are looking at other sites around New Mexico where temporary medical clinics can be established to add capacity for the health care system.

New York

New York: The work is exhausting and dangerous, the situation bleak. But an army of health care workers heeded New York’s call for help reinforcing hospitals overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic. So far, at least 82,000 people have volunteered for the state’s reserve force of medical workers – a group that includes recent retirees returning to work, health care professionals who can take a break from their regular jobs and people between gigs, according to health officials. Few have made it into the field yet as hospitals and state regulators vet enlistees and decide how to deploy them. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday that’s about to change. By Thursday, hospitals expect to hire about 1,500 volunteers to rescue a medical workforce that needs relief, particularly in New York City. Health care workers who have hit the ground already, many brought in by staffing agencies, discovered a hospital system in danger of being overwhelmed. “I have never seen so many human beings in an ER at one time in my entire life,” said Liz Schaffer, a nurse from St. Paul, Minnesota, who had her first shift Tuesday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A deputy died while hospitalized in intensive care for treatment of the coronavirus, the sheriff said Wednesday. Montgomery County Sheriff Chris Watkins said Deputy Sypraseuth “Bud” Phouangphrachanh died Tuesday night at a hospital in Pinehurst. The 43-year-old deputy was married with five children, had served as a school resource officer and had been with the sheriff’s office for 14 years. Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the state, an employee at Maury Correctional Institution in Greene County, which can hold 1,500 offenders, has tested positive for COVID-19, the state Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice said. The employee had been off the job since getting tested last week and self-reported the diagnosis Monday, according to a division statement. Visitations already had been suspended at state prisons for more than two weeks. No state prisoner has tested positive, division spokesman John Bull said Wednesday.

North Dakota

Minot: A police officer was quarantined at home after testing positive for the coronavirus, and five other officers who were in contact with that officer were self-isolating. Chief John Klug said Wednesday that the officer who tested positive did not need hospitalization. Minot Mayor Shaun Sipma’s office said the officer began self-isolation last Thursday after developing symptoms, and a test later confirmed that the officer was positive, the Minot Daily News reports. A Minot firefighter also was self-isolating after being exposed to residents who recently returned from another state, Fire Chief Kelli Kronschnabel said. The coronavirus also continues to affect the state’s economic health, as a major producer in North Dakota’s oil patch announced Wednesday that it had filed for bankruptcy protection. Denver-based Whiting Petroleum attributed its financial troubles to the coronavirus and an oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Ohio

Columbus: A woman whose brother, mother and father died of coronavirus is pleading for people to stay at home and follow social distancing guidelines, while President Donald Trump has issued a disaster declaration for Ohio and ordered federal help for state and local recovery efforts. The Health Department said it’s received Ohio’s allotment of personal protective equipment from the national strategic stockpile. That includes more than 100,000 gowns, nearly 500,000 gloves and more than 670,000 masks. But Health Director Dr. Amy Acton said the supplies don’t meet the state’s needs and urged that supplies be conserved and new items donated. In Grove City in suburban Columbus, the woman whose family members died this week begged people to do their part to minimize the virus’s spread, according to WSYX/WTTE-TV in Columbus. A GoFundMe page has been created to support the family.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The number of Oklahomans infected with the coronavirus has increased by 154, and the number of COVID-19 deaths increased by seven, the Oklahoma State Department of Health said Wednesday. There are now at least 719 cases and 30 deaths across the state, with at least one case now reported in 48 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties and 219 people hospitalized with the virus, the department said. As of Tuesday, 565 cases and 23 deaths were reported. The additional deaths reported in Oklahoma, Greer, Kay, Mayes and Osage counties include one woman and one man ages 50-64 and two women and three men older than 65. As the virus spreads, some Oklahoma companies, including a Mathis Brothers mattress factory in Oklahoma City, have begun sewing masks for use in hospitals as additional protection from the virus.

Oregon

Salem: A blue semi-truck pulled into the parking lot of the Marion Polk Food Share on Monday morning, completing its 13.5-hour drive to deliver 21 tons of food to local pantries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City. The drop-off is one of 13 occurring across the Mid-Willamette Valley. Oregon is one of 47 states to which the church is sending food during the coronavirus outbreak and the resulting closures and layoffs. The donated food will contribute to the Food Share’s COVID-19 current strategy for getting food to its clients: curbside delivery of prepackaged boxes to reduce exposure. Marion Polk Food Share President Rick Gaupo said the best way for the community to support Food Share through the COVID-19 outbreak is providing financial support. The program is scaling back on accepting individual food items and volunteers because of health concerns.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: All residents must stay home as much as possible to help slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday as he dramatically expanded the footprint of the quarantine to include the entire state. The Democratic governor added 34 counties to his existing stay-at-home order, meaning everyone in all 67 counties is now asked to stay put unless they have a legitimate reason to go out. With coronavirus infections continuing to rise dramatically in the state – nearly 1,000 new confirmed cases were reported Wednesday – Wolf called a statewide quarantine “the most prudent option.” “We appreciate the shared sacrifice of all 12.8 million Pennsylvanians; we are in this together,” Wolf said in a statement. Pennsylvania had been an outlier until now. Wolf was the last Northeastern governor to issue a statewide order to stay at home.

Rhode Island

Pawtucket: Two mayors are asking that a hospital that closed in 2017 be reopened to help the state deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and Central Falls Mayor James Diossa sent a letter to Care New England this week saying Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket could be used as a testing site, respiratory center or isolation center. The mayors said many residents of their cities can’t make it to other hospitals or testing sites around the state. Gov. Gina Raimondo said Tuesday that the state is looking at 15 to 20 sites, including Memorial Hospital. Care New England’s CEO, Dr. James Fanale, said his organization is working with the state to figure out the best geographic locations for coronavirus care sites. Care New England closed Memorial in 2017, citing low patient counts and steep financial losses.

South Carolina

Columbia: As businesses considered nonessential close statewide to fight the coronavirus, health officials are coming under increased scrutiny over information the state isn’t gathering or releasing about the spread of the virus. For a brief time last week, the Department of Health and Environmental Control released the number of COVID-19 cases in each ZIP code. But less than a day later, officials replaced it with a simple listing of each ZIP code with at least a case. State health officials also are not tracking how many health care workers are infected and have been reluctant to share the addresses of known cases with emergency dispatchers. Local authorities want that information to better protect first responders and conserve protective gear in short supply. DHEC officials say eventually it all comes back to their desire to get the public to understand that for every diagnosed COVID-19 case, a shortage of tests means there are a lot of people with the virus undiagnosed, and so people need to act like anyone they encounter is infected and protect themselves. “There are unrecognized cases everywhere,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell said.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem on Tuesday signed nine emergency bills passed by the Legislature to address the outbreak of the coronavirus. Lawmakers passed the bills just hours before Noem’s signing. They met in a marathon session that stretched from Monday into Tuesday, voting remotely through a conference call system. The measures make a slew of changes like postponing local elections from mid-April until June, waiving state requirements on schools due to the coronavirus, and adjusting the state budget to distribute $93 million in federal aid. All the legislation goes into effect immediately but is also temporary, expiring at various points this year. Noem also said Tuesday that she’ll continue her current guidance for business restrictions after lawmakers rejected her request to let the state health secretary impose mandatory measures. Noem has faced criticism from the state’s largest group of doctors for not doing more, but she has said it’s not clear in state law that she has the power.

Tennessee

Sevierville: Officials want tourism businesses to stop soliciting tourists in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The mayors of five cities in Sevier County urged leisure businesses to halt guests through mid-April, the Sevierville Police Department said in a post on Facebook. WBIR-TV reports that just a few weeks ago, tourists packed Sevier County even after some big attractions closed down and the public was told to practice social distancing. Gov. Bill Lee issued a statewide “safer at home” order Monday mandating the closure of all nonessential businesses while urging residents to remain at home whenever possible for the next two weeks. Lee had also ordered bars and restaurants to close with some exceptions March 23 after county officials urged the state’s Department of Health to issue orders for the dining industry. Since then, crowds on the streets of Sevier County have thinned, and many businesses have shut down.

Texas

Austin: More than two dozen University of Texas students have tested positive for the coronavirus after taking a spring break trip to Mexico, public health officials said. A group of about 70 people who are in their 20s took a chartered plane to Cabo San Lucas about 10 days ago, the Austin Public Health Department said Tuesday. So far, 28 people in the group have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness linked to the coronavirus, and dozens more are being monitored, the health department said. The department said four people with confirmed cases did not have any symptoms. “The virus often hides in the healthy and is given to those who are at grave risk of being hospitalized or dying,“ Austin-Travis County Interim Health Authority Dr. Mark Escott said. The students were part of a group trip to Mexico that had not been canceled by the travel company.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A woman who was in hospice care in a long-term facility became the fifth person to die in the state after contracting the coronavirus, health officials said Tuesday. The woman died in the Weber-Morgan County area, and no one else has tested positive in connection with her, state epidemiologist Angela Dunn said. Authorities said she was younger than 60. Meanwhile, a case of the virus reported in central Utah means there’s at least one in every health district statewide, Dunn said. Nearly 900 people in Utah have the virus. Like much of the country, Utah has a shortage of protective masks. There are 27,000 in the state, compared to the more than 2 million needed, Gov. Gary Herbert said. So the state is looking for alternatives, including whether it’s possible to cleanse and recycle masks used by health care workers, he said.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state is ordering large retailers that sell critical items such as food and prescription drugs to stop the sale of nonessential products. Whenever possible, stores such as Walmart, Target and Costco must stop the sale of nonessential items and require online or telephone ordering, delivery and curbside pickup. “Large ‘big box’ retailers generate significant shopping traffic by virtue of their size and the variety of goods offered in a single location,” Agency of Commerce and Community Development Secretary Lindsay Kurrle said Tuesday. “This volume of shopping traffic significantly increases the risk of further spread of this dangerous virus to Vermonters and the viability of Vermont’s health care system.” Among the items that cannot be sold in person include clothing, consumer electronics, books, furniture and sporting equipment.

Virginia

Falls Church: The Virginia Department of Corrections announced late Tuesday that three offenders had tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first confirmed cases among inmates in a state correctional facility. The inmates are incarcerated at the Virginia Correctional Center for Women in Goochland, the department said in a statement. Three employees and one contractor have also tested positive, the department said. One of those employees works as a correctional officer at Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake, and one employee works in the Norfolk Probation and Parole office, according to the statement. The other two work at the Goochland facility, one as an officer in training and one as a contract nurse, the department said. All corrections facilities “are operating on modified lockdown in order to minimize contact between groups of offenders from different buildings,” the statement said.

Washington

Seattle: Officials said 130 Washington National Guardsmen were preparing Wednesday to support food banks across the state, including in King, Pierce, Chelan and Franklin counties. Karina Shagren, a spokeswoman for the Washington Military Department, said the hope is to have soldiers and airmen in place starting Friday and that they will be used to fill critical staffing needs. Shagren said many food banks are operated by volunteers who fall into the at-risk categories, so members of the National Guard will ensure food banks have the personnel necessary to keep them up and running and ensure they’re able to continue to provide food to those who need it. Meanwhile, UW Medicine, which runs Harborview Medical Center and hospitals and clinics around Seattle, has announced changes to its mask policy after employees objected to its directive that disallowed or discouraged health care workers from using surgical masks when they were not interacting with coronavirus patients.

West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice on Tuesday acknowledged that his directive to have police monitor roads and check in on travelers from coronavirus hotspots might be unconstitutional, but he said it will continue for safety reasons. Justice has issued an executive order mandating that people entering the state from places hard-hit by the virus must quarantine for two weeks or face an obstruction charge, saying authorities will watch roads and conduct home checks to make sure people comply. “If they don’t quarantine themselves for 14 days, you know, I’m going to take a big time issue with it, and I may lose at the end of the day, but I’m going to try to protect our people,” Justice, a Republican, said in response to a question about the legality of the directives. The instruction triggered constitutional concerns almost immediately, with the leader of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia saying the order was overly broad and could violate constitutional rights on unreasonable searches and seizures.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers released another package of proposals to address the coronavirus pandemic Wednesday as a new poll showed broad support for the actions he’s taken already to close schools and businesses and limit gatherings to slow the spread of the disease. The Marquette University Law School poll showing Evers with 76% support for his handling of the pandemic so far came just after Republican leaders criticized his administration for not presenting more data, including how many people have been hospitalized with COVID-19. Shortly after their comments, the state Department of Health Services reported for the first time that 26% of confirmed COVID-19 patients had been hospitalized. Republicans and Evers were working toward an agreement that could be voted on by the Legislature as soon as next week. Republican leaders said they had agreed to temporarily waive a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, something Evers had pushed for.

Wyoming

Casper: The Legislature will likely hold its first special session in more than 15 years to allocate emergency federal funding to address the coronavirus pandemic and possibly other matters, House Speaker Steve Harshman said. “Nothing is certain in this life, but if you read the tea leaves, I believe it’s becoming more of a necessity all the time,” Harshman, a Republican from Casper, told the Casper Star-Tribune. Wyoming stands to get a $1.25 billion share of a $2.2 trillion federal emergency relief package President Donald Trump signed Friday. Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, said many lawmakers have told him a special session is important, but “we’re still in the early days” of deciding if it’s necessary. The Legislature last met in a special session in 2004 to endorse a constitutional amendment to limit medical malpractice damage claims. Voters rejected the measure that fall.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Medical reinforcements, canyon closure: News from around our 50 states