Testing robots, toilet paper thefts, legal fights: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Gulf Shores: The state on Thursday ordered the closure of day cares, beaches and on-site dining in restaurants as it tries to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The measure expands restrictions that had been in place for six counties surrounding Birmingham to all 67 counties in the state, and it closes state beaches during the busy spring break season. The order requires all preschools and child care centers to close beginning Thursday. Alabama had already closed public schools until April 6. There are exceptions for day cares that exclusively serve hospitals and first responders. All beaches in the state, whether private or public, were told to close at 5 p.m. Thursday. All restaurants must end on-site dining, although takeout and delivery may continue. Officials in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach had struggled with larger-than-usual crowds after neighboring Florida cracked down on spring break partying.

Alaska

Juneau: Alaska received a statewide waiver from work requirements for food stamp recipients, the state health commissioner said Wednesday, as new coronavirus cases in Alaska also were announced. Commissioner Adam Crum told reporters the waiver would help give food security to those who are eligible and would be in place during “the duration of this response.” During a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Dr. Anne Zink, the state’s chief medical officer, announced three new cases of the virus that she said were travel-related. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered dine-in service at restaurants, breweries and bars be closed until 5 p.m. April 1, along with facilities such as gyms, theaters and bowling alleys. Delivery and drive-thru services are allowed. Places like grocery stores, food pantries and pharmacies will remain open.

Arizona

Phoenix: Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute hopes to dramatically increase available coronavirus testing by using robots that can process a high volume of samples simultaneously, with a goal of opening a drive-thru testing site for the general public as early as Monday. By using robots to process the samples, Biodesign Institute executive director Joshua LaBaer said, ASU can offer testing at a faster rate than state and hospital labs. Faced with a testing kit bottleneck, health care officials and the state have lacked the ability to conduct widespread testing to screen for the virus, even among those who may be exhibiting symptoms or who are at risk already. If successful, ASU believes it could provide a crucial service that could start to turn the tide in fighting this outbreak. Meanwhile, health officials reported more than a dozen newly confirmed cases Thursday morning, raising the total to 44 people with COVID-19, up from 30.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The city on Thursday temporarily prohibited in-person service at restaurants and bars as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continued to rise. Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott announced the closure will take effect at 8 a.m. Friday and said the move was approved by state officials. Scott announced the move shortly after state health officials said the number of coronavirus cases in Arkansas had risen to 46. “For now this is our new normal,” Scott said. He said the establishments will be allowed to provide takeout, curbside and home delivery services. He said the city will temporarily allow the restaurant and bar facilities to be used for other purposes such as specialty grocery stores, as long as the maximum occupancy doesn’t exceed 10 people.

California

Sacramento: As worries about the spread of the coronavirus confine millions of Californians to their homes, concern is growing about those who have no homes in which to shelter. Gov. Gavin Newsom estimates up to 60,000 homeless could end up infected. The state has more than 150,000 homeless people, the most in the nation, and as the rest of the state’s residents are being told to stay apart and to frequently wash their hands, the homeless are living just as they did before the outbreak. The virus is spread by coughing and sneezing and could easily sweep through homeless encampments, where people live close together, and hygiene is poor or nonexistent. There is one confirmed death of a homeless person in California so far. Newsom said the person died in Santa Clara County, just south of San Francisco. Newsom on Wednesday announced spending of $150 million on efforts to shield that population from the virus.

Colorado

Denver: The state is suspending in-person classes at all schools across the state, ordering longer ski resort closures and prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Jared Polis said Wednesday. Polis’ executive order said the new restrictions on schools would take effect Monday and last until at least April 17. The state had allowed individual districts to decide whether to stay open, but distance learning was encouraged. Denver and some other districts have already suspended in-person classes. Polis ordered the state’s ski resorts to remain closed through April 6. “The science and data tells us this will get worse before it gets better,” he said. “We are in this together, and the state is taking the necessary actions to slow the spread of this disease.” Health officials said Thursday that a man in his 60s has died, marking the state’s third coronavirus death.

Connecticut

New Canaan: A 91-year-old New Canaan man who was hospitalized with the coronavirus has died, becoming the state’s second victim of the virus, a local official announced. The New Haven Register reports that New Canaan Councilman Steve Karl announced the death at a Town Council meeting Wednesday night, asking for a moment of silence as the meeting was about to adjourn. The man’s death is the second in Connecticut from the coronavirus. A man in his 80s who had been a resident of a Ridgefield assisted living facility died Wednesday at Danbury Hospital, Gov. Ned Lamont announced. He said he’s urging everyone in Connecticut – regardless of their age or condition – “to take an active role in doing their part to reduce the spread of this virus throughout our communities so we can protect one another.”

Delaware

Dover: The Legislature is shut down until further notice because of the new coronavirus outbreak, but the state’s restaurant industry is toasting the governor’s modification to restrictions on operations. Democratic leaders of the House and Senate said Wednesday that the legislative session is indefinitely postponed as officials continue to assess the extent of Delaware’s exposure to the global pandemic. House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf and Senate President Sen. David McBride also said they are making plans in the event lawmakers must reconvene to pass legislation to address the effects of the virus. Delaware’s Supreme Court announced Wednesday that it was canceling all oral arguments that had been scheduled through the end of May. Meanwhile, Gov. John Carney issued a second modification to his emergency declaration to allow alcohol sales as part of restaurant takeout and drive-thru services, while prohibiting delivery sales of alcohol. On Monday, the administration suspended all on-premise alcohol sales as it restricted restaurant operations to takeout, drive-thru and delivery.

District of Columbia

Washington: Some D.C. restaurants are delivering alcohol to make up for lost profits resulting from the spread of the coronavirus, WUSA-TV reports. On Tuesday, the D.C. Council passed the COVID-19 Response Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 to help businesses and laid-off workers. One of the provisions allows local restaurants to deliver closed containers of beer, wine and spirits to customers as long as they also purchase one or more food items. Sticky Rice, a sushi restaurant on H Street, Northeast, pushed for the measure after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo brought forth similar legislation for his state. Sticky Rice’s assistant general manager Chris Bulbulia said his restaurant has already made alcohol deliveries. “It’s important to adapt, all the time, in the restaurant industry,” Bulbulia said. According to the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration, more than 250 D.C. restaurants and bars had registered to participate in alcohol deliveries as of Wednesday.

Florida

Tampa: A sheriff announced he’s ordered the release of 164 inmates who are accused of nonviolent crimes to help reduce the risk of the new coronavirus spreading in the jail. Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister said during a news conference Thursday that releasing the inmates will allow the detention deputies and jail staff to focus on higher priorities. “These defendants are the lowest public safety risk and were merely sitting in jail because they could not pay the amount to bond out,” Chronister said. “These defendants will still have to answer to the charges against them. It is my hope these individuals will to make the most of this opportunity to be with their loved ones, help them prepare, comfort them and quarantine with them.” He said if any of the released inmates commit another crime, they will be dealt with “in the strictest manner possible.”

Georgia

Atlanta: The state’s death toll from the coronavirus jumped to 10 on Thursday as health officials also reported a sizable increase in the number of confirmed infections statewide. The update from the Georgia Department of Public Health more than doubled the number of deaths in the state, which had stood at four Wednesday. The agency said confirmed coronavirus cases now total 287 – up from 197 the day before. While more than half the known infections were in metro Atlanta, confirmed cases and deaths continued to hit disproportionately hard in Dougherty County in southwest Georgia. Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany reported four total deaths Thursday, with the state reporting 20 confirmed infections in the county of about 90,000 people. Meanwhile, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday ordered all bars, gyms, movie theaters, performance venues and social clubs closed by the end of the day. And state Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican, announced late Wednesday that he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Two cruise ships won’t be allowed to disembark in the state after being turned away by other ports, even with no positive cases of coronavirus on either vessel, officials said Wednesday. State and cruise line officials previously said passengers would disembark at Honolulu Harbor. However, U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard said during a telephone town hall Wednesday that the state Department of Transportation “made the difficult, but correct, decision to only allow the Maasdam and Norwegian Jewel cruise vessels … to come into port solely to take on fuel and resupply, in Honolulu Harbor.” The Maasdam, operated by Holland America Line, had its port call canceled in Hilo and is set to arrive Friday to Honolulu Harbor, state officials said. It has 842 guests and 542 crew members. Norwegian Cruise Line said one of its vessels that was turned away by Fiji and New Zealand is expected to arrive to Honolulu on Sunday. The Norwegian Jewel, with about 1,700 passengers, refueled in American Samoa but was not allowed to disembark at the Port of Pago Pago.

Idaho

Boise: Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin has left the Statehouse and returned to Idaho Falls, leaving Senate President Pro-Tem Brent Hill to preside over the Senate and finish out the legislative session. McGeachin, a Republican and the first woman elected to Idaho’s second-highest statewide office, stopped presiding over the Senate on Wednesday afternoon. She said Tuesday that she was deeply concerned about not being present to help her adult children grappling with decisions involving their restaurant and other businesses in eastern Idaho that are being affected by the coronavirus. She also said she had elderly parents and worried about them. Democratic Sens. Maryanne Jordan and David Nelson left the Senate earlier this week, citing safety concerns about the virus. Republican Senate Majority Leader Chuck Winder has said he won’t condemn or criticize anyone for choosing to leave the Senate due to coronavirus concerns.

Illinois

Chicago: Anyone in the city with a confirmed case of COVID-19 or who is showing symptoms of the disease must stay indoors, health officials announced Thursday, formalizing advice they previously issued in the hopes of limiting the spread of the coronavirus. Patients cannot leave their homes, go to work, or visit any group setting except to seek medical care and “life sustaining needs,” including medicine or food, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Public Health. Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement that restricting the movement of patients and people with symptoms of COVID-19 “is the best way to prevent the virus from spreading further.” Anyone who violates the order could be cited by health officials or the police department. Officials on Wednesday reported 288 people in the state had tested positive for COVID-19. The patients range in age from 9 to 91, and one person has died – a Chicago woman in her 60s.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The governor on Thursday ordered all of the state’s public and private schools to remain closed through at least the end of April as part of the effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which has already forced many businesses throughout the state to close and led to a surge in requests for unemployment benefits. All Indiana public school districts had already decided to close or shift to online classwork, but Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb ordered them to remain closed until May 1 and extended the order to cover private K-12 schools. Holcomb said Thursday that he was “not there yet” when asked whether he would join parts of the country in requiring residents to stay home and go out only for essential purposes. Indiana will see “painful losses” from the coronavirus outbreak, and everybody needs to do their part to stem its spread, he said. The state health department on Thursday reported 17 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. That brought the state’s total count to 56 cases in 22 of its 92 counties. Indiana has had two COVID-19 deaths, one each in Marion and Johnson counties.

Iowa

Iowa City: Nine additional cases of COVID-19 were confirmed Wednesday in Iowa, bringing the state’s total to 38. The Iowa Department of Public Health said three of the cases are residents of Johnson County, two are from Polk County, two are from Dallas County, and the last two are from Washington and Winneshiek counties. The news follows an announcement that employees at Iowa’s public universities may get an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave under an emergency measure announced Wednesday to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Board of Regents President Mike Richards used his new emergency powers to authorize the universities and special schools to provide the extra leave. He also waived limits on employees’ ability to use accrued sick leave to care for family members and to provide child care for their dependents. In addition, he relaxed limits on an employee’s ability to donate or receive vacation time to be used as sick leave.

Kansas

Topeka: As most of the U.S. raced to get ahead of the coronavirus pandemic, conservative Republican lawmakers in Kansas moved Wednesday to limit their Democratic governor’s emergency powers, including the ability to establish quarantine zones if the need arises. Conservatives are angry with Gov. Laura Kelly’s order to close all of the state’s K-12 school buildings for the rest of the spring semester. They view it both as an overreaction that is fueling panic and as a sign that she’s willing to have state government move aggressively into people’s businesses and lives. Some of her most conservative critics also suggested Kelly’s bold action on the coronavirus suggests she might go after firearms and try to limit their sale. She’s never mentioned that she was considering anything like that and supported gun-rights measures as a legislator.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The governor has extended public assistance eligibility as a short-term cushion for people as the state copes with the economic fallout from the new coronavirus. The state’s count of virus cases has risen to 35, Gov. Andy Beshear said at his daily briefing Wednesday on the state’s response to the global pandemic. Meanwhile, the mayor of Kentucky’s largest city announced his wife has tested positive for the virus. Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer has tested negative and was already in self-quarantine after coming into contact with someone later diagnosed with the virus. Beshear announced that all recipients of public assistance programs will automatically have their eligibility extended for three months. That will spare them from having to reapply for benefits in coming months. People who have lost their jobs and their work-related benefits can immediately apply for health coverage through the state’s Medicaid program, the governor said. “I want everybody to be able to get the health care that they need,” he said.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: The number of people known to be infected with the new coronavirus jumped to 347 in figures the state posted Thursday, up from 280 a day earlier. The death toll stood at eight with the latest victim, a resident of St. James Parish. The latest numbers showed New Orleans still leading the state in the number of people testing positive for the virus. There were 231 cases there as of Thursday morning. Tulane Health System in New Orleans said in a news release that it planned to shut down an emergency room in the suburb of Metairie on Friday to move staff to its downtown New Orleans campus to deal with “a surge of COVID-19 and suspected COVID-19 patients.” Add in neighboring Jefferson Parish with 62 cases, and the cases in other surrounding parishes and the New Orleans metropolitan area had significantly more cases – 315 – than any other metro area in the South, an Associated Press analysis of state health department data shows.

Maine

North Haven: This island community has rescinded its order banning visitors and seasonal residents because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the community’s leaders are still asking people to limit travel. A new resolution from the North Haven Select Board “strongly” encourages people to stay where they are. It also says that people who live on the mainland with better access to medical care should refrain from the traveling to the island, where resources are limited. The order, posted on the town website Wednesday, says all travel to the island should be limited to “essential” purposes, which includes medical care. Town Administrator Rick Lattimer said it was never the Select Board’s intention to keep summer residents away. He said the goal is simply to have people stay put and understand the island’s medical resources are limited. The town of about 375 year-round residents has one medical clinic, and getting to the hospital requires a ferry ride to the mainland.

Maryland

Maryland: Gov. Larry Hogan ordered enclosed malls and entertainment venues to shut down by 5 p.m. Thursday and waived weight limits on trucks needed to move supplies as the number of coronavirus cases in the state continues to increase. The latest efforts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 came a day after the state’s first reported death from the disease. The state’s 107 reported cases also now include a 5-year-old girl, in Howard County, marking the first incidence of a child contracting the virus in Maryland. This is a “race against time,” Hogan said. He said he was amending his previous executive order, reducing the permissable number of people at gatherings to 10, in accordance with federal guidelines. “Despite all of our repeated warnings for weeks ... some people are treating this like a vacation or a spring break with parties and cookouts and large gatherings at some of our parks,” Hogan said. “Let me be very clear, if you are engaged in this type of activity, you are in violation of state law, and you are endangering the lives of your fellow Marylanders.”

Massachusetts

Boston: Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday ordered all early education centers and family child care providers to close effective March 23. Baker said the state is working to open special child care centers exempt from the closure to serve emergency workers, medical staff and other workers essential to fighting the COVID-19 outbreak. He said vulnerable children will also receive priority access. He said the state will also work to make space for people who must go to work but aren’t necessarily emergency workers. Baker has signed legislation that waives the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits. Meanwhile, to maintain social distancing of officers, the Springfield Police Department is placing one officer in each cruiser, instead of two. In responding to calls, two cruisers with one officer each will be dispatched to the scene, rather than one car with two officers.

Michigan

Detroit: The state signed off on $20 million in grants and loans to small businesses harmed by the coronavirus, while the number of cases and deaths tied to the outbreak rose Thursday. Michigan Strategic Fund board members said it wasn’t enough aid. But Michigan Economic Development Corp. officials said it’s just a start and was made possible by shifting money from other programs. About 117,000 businesses were directly affected by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order to close or greatly limit service at bars, movie theaters, fitness centers and restaurants to prevent the spread of the virus. Some could qualify for grants of up to $10,000. Hospitals, meanwhile, reported two more deaths, raising the number to three in Michigan. A woman in her 50s with other health complications died at McLaren Oakland medical center in Pontiac, while an 81-year-old man died at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. Both died Wednesday, along with a man in his 50s at a Beaumont Health hospital in Wayne County. The state’s medical executive, Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, said more deaths are expected.

Minnesota

St. Paul: New applications for unemployment insurance in the state for the week topped 50,000 on Wednesday as closures of bars, restaurants and other businesses to slow the spread of COVID-19 took a toll on the economy. The Department of Employment and Economic Development has been taking more than 2,000 applications per hour, compared with the usual 40 or 50, Commissioner Steve Grove said at a news conference with Gov. Tim Walz, who warned that the state faces a long road ahead. “It is an eerie and heartbreaking scene to see shuttered businesses and shuttered schools, but the encouraging part of that means is the better we do that, the sooner we get through this and the move lives that we save,” Walz said. The jobless numbers were expected to grow as some retailers that aren’t covered by the governor’s closure orders announced plans to close or cut their hours. Among those that closed Tuesday was the Mall of America in Bloomington.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state’s public schools will be closed until at least April 17 to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday. He said schools will continue to receive state money, and teachers will continue to be paid. He said he wants students to continue learning. “This is not a time to take a vacation,” Reeves said in a Facebook live presentation from the governor’s mansion. Reeves said he will also relax end-of-year testing requirements and school accountability measures. He said the state Board of Education will have “maximum flexibility” to waive rules. Mississippi reported 50 confirmed cases of the virus as of Thursday, up from 34 Wednesday. Some communities are temporarily shutting down bars and telling restaurants to close their dining rooms to try to slow the spread of the virus. Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued an order prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people. “The city of Jackson does not have the luxury of a wait-and-see approach to the coronavirus pandemic,” the order says.

Missouri

Kansas City: Anyone entering a Missouri Department of Corrections office or facility will undergo enhanced screening in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus, state officials say. The agency said the new procedure will require everyone – staff, volunteers, vendors and other visitors – to answer a series of health-related questions when entering a corrections-related office or facility, ranging from community supervision centers to the state’s 20 prisons, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The announcement came as the ACLU urged Gov. Mike Parson to commute the sentence of any inmate considered particularly vulnerable to the virus whose sentence would end within the next two years. The ACLU also urged police to stop arresting people for minor offenses. “Missouri has an obligation to its residents to stop the spread of COVID-19 and it cannot do so if it ignores the needs of over 30,000 Missourians currently incarcerated,” Luz Maria Henriquez, executive director of the ACLU of Missouri, said in a statement.

Montana

Helena: Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton plans to wait for more information about the coronavirus outbreak before deciding whether to change the state’s June 2 primary election date. In a video posted on Twitter, Stapleton said people have asked him whether the primaries should be canceled, postponed or conducted by mail because of the effort underway to stem the spread of the virus. He said he is taking a “deliberate pause” before giving any direction on how the election should be conducted. Montanans voting in the primary will choose their party nominees for president, U.S. Senate, governor and a slew of down-ballot offices. Ten people have tested positive in Montana for the coronavirus, most recently two men in their 20s in Gallatin County. Another Montana resident who hasn’t been in the state since November tested positive in Maryland.

Nebraska

Lincoln: There’s been a run on toilet paper as Americans hunker down and isolate themselves at home to avoid the spread of the new coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. Shelves are bare of toilet paper in many stores across the nation. But some people in Nebraska are finding it – and stealing it – at Interstate 80 rest stops. The rest areas are managed by the state Transportation Department. Some are staffed, and some are not, department spokeswoman Vicki Kramer told the Lincoln Journal Star. As a result of the thefts, she said, rest areas will be closed when an attendant is not present. The closures will be communicated to travelers through 511 information, Kramer said. Truck parking should remain open even if the rest area buildings are closed, she said. “We’re doing our best to keep them open, but we want to make sure when we do keep them open we have a safe location,” Kramer said. “With that becomes maintaining it and making sure it’s in a good condition.”

Nevada

Las Vegas: The city’s airport was running Thursday with reduced operations after an air traffic controller tested positive for the new coronavirus, temporarily closing the airport’s control tower, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Airplanes coming into McCarran International Airport were being guided by other nearby air traffic controllers, the FAA said in a statement. The closure of the airport’s control tower because of the virus was the second of its kind in the U.S., after the FAA on Tuesday closed the control tower at Chicago’s Midway International Airport after several technicians tested positive. Las Vegas visitors hoping to see the city’s famous casinos on Thursday were met with closures and barricades in front of some of them after the governor ordered gambling to stop Wednesday, along with the closure of nonessential businesses. The monthlong freeze on gambling shuts down not only the well-known casinos of Las Vegas and Reno but also slot machines and other devices found in groceries and convenience stores.

New Hampshire

Hopkinton: Three people who planned to attend political and religious events in the next few weeks are challenging a statewide emergency ban on gatherings of 50 people or more to prevent spread of the coronavirus. David Binford, Eric Couture and Holly Rae Beene filed a lawsuit Tuesday, the day after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu issued the order prohibiting large scheduled gatherings for social, spiritual and recreational activities. They argue that there is no emergency and that the governor is violating their constitutional rights. “We can choose to assemble if that is our desire. What cannot occur is one man in a position of power deciding to strip us of our rights in the name of safety and without due process,” Couture said in press release. A judge on Wednesday denied the group’s request for an immediate order halting enforcement of the ban and scheduled a hearing for Friday in Merrimack County Superior Court.

New Jersey

Trenton: Nine people in the state have died from the coronavirus, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday, including three who lived in nursing home facilities. The increasing death toll came as the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 700, a total Murphy said likely will rise into the “many thousands.” New Jersey’s health commissioner said coronavirus cases have been found in six nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The three deaths announced Thursday occurred at nursing homes in Hudson and Essex counties. “It’s a concern,” Murphy said. “This is an eventuality that I don’t know if we expected it, but we were prepared for it.” Murphy also said he signed an order postponing special elections across the state, including in Atlantic City, and New Jersey’s biggest city, Newark, has instituted an 8 p.m. curfew in response to the outbreak.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The state is bracing for the possible spread of coronavirus to some of America’s most remote, impoverished communities, as hospitals prepare to convert operating rooms into acute respiratory care units. Health officials are outlining medical triage strategies in the state that struggles to keep physicians in rural areas. Officials have declined to disclose the number of hospital beds and ventilator machines that could be made available quickly to treat severe coronavirus cases. A collaborative effort in New Mexico is intended to guide medical personnel in far-flung locations on responses to the virus, using a web-conference method. The initiative through Project ECHO at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center aims to prepare physicians, aides, nurse practitioners and others to make decisions about virus testing, quarantines and severe infections that can lead to acute respiratory problems, said Joanne Katzman, senior associate director at Project ECHO.

New York

Albany: Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened work-from-home rules Thursday as confirmed cases continued to climb, an expected jump as testing becomes more widespread. But he stressed that roadblocks and martial law for New York City were merely rumors. New York has confirmed more than 4,000 cases statewide. Cuomo is requiring businesses to decrease their in-office workforce by 75%, tightening a 50% restriction he announced Wednesday. “That means 75% of the workforce must stay at home and work from home,” he said. He said Wednesday that an executive order will exempt businesses providing essential services, including media, warehouses, grocery and food production facilities, pharmacies, health care providers, utilities and banks, and other industries critical to the supply chain. And he said he is not going to impose martial law as he sought to quell what he said was panic over the possibility that New York City would be locked down to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The governor said Thursday that the state has documented its first case of community spread of coronavirus as positive cases climbed to nearly 100 overall. Gov. Roy Cooper also said unemployment benefit requests had surged to 18,000 since he issued an executive order Tuesday loosening rules for claims as bars, restaurants and other businesses reduce operations due to social distancing and other virus-fighting measures. The state typically sees about 3,000 claims per week under normal circumstances. Cooper said the state health lab confirmed the case of community spread of COVID-19 in Wilson County east of Raleigh, meaning the person had not traveled to a coronavirus hot spot or been in contact with someone else already known to have the virus. “This is an expected but still unfortunate benchmark in this new pandemic,” he said. Overall, the state had 97 positive cases as of Thursday, up from about 60 the previous day, he said.

North Dakota

Fargo: Health officials said Thursday that the number of coronavirus cases in the state doubled in the prior 24 hours and that the state was prioritizing testing groups because of a shortage of nylon swabs. The state Department of Health confirmed eight additional cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, raising North Dakota’s total number of cases to 15. All of the new cases were reported from the Bismarck-Mandan area, including a man in his 70s. Four other men and three women made up the other seven new cases. One person diagnosed with the virus has been hospitalized. Because of the swab shortage, the health department is recommending that health care providers focus on patients hospitalized with respiratory illness, those living or working in congregate settings, and health care workers. People who think they may have COVID-19 but have minor symptoms should self-isolate at home, officials said. Individuals seeking medical attention should call before they go in.

Ohio

Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine has activated 300 members of the Ohio National Guard to help ensure needy communities get food, while the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said it received 111,055 unemployment insurance benefit applications online in the past four days. The state has nearly 90 confirmed cases of the virus, with 26 hospitalizations and no reported deaths. The state is limiting testing to those who are hospitalized and to health care workers. DeWine has activated the National Guard to package, transport and distribute food to needy communities, including rural areas. Grocery stores, including Cincinnati-based Kroger, have reduced hours to allow for overnight cleaning and restocking, as mornings often bring shopping surges. The central Ohio bus system suspended fares and asked riders to enter through the rear door. Clermont County in southwestern Ohio delayed jury trials for 30 days. Police in Wellston in southeastern Ohio joined several departments in taking non-emergency reports over the phone.

Oklahoma

Tulsa: A man in his 50s died after testing positive for the coronavirus, marking the state’s first death linked to the pandemic, health officials announced Thursday. The Tulsa County man tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and died Wednesday, the Tulsa Health Department said. “This is a tragedy for our community,” said the department’s executive director, Dr. Bruce Dart. “In these unprecedented times, everyone feels the weight of this loss. COVID-19 has impacted our community on a monumental level, but today I ask you to take a moment to pause and recognize that a family has lost their loved one. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.” Oklahoma has confirmed 44 cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, but officials warned Wednesday that the state was experiencing a shortage of testing kits. State epidemiologist Laurence Burnsed said Wednesday the state had about 300 testing kits and had already used 200 of them.

Oregon

Salem: A 250-bed medical station will be assembled at the Oregon State Fairgrounds to help address expected demand for treatment of the new coronavirus, Gov. Kate Brown said. Health authorities said Thursday that 13 more people have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus. That brings the state’s total to 88 cases. Three people have died. Brown said Thursday in a call with the news media that she doesn’t currently plan to issue a statewide order for people to shelter in place to slow the spread of coronavirus, but if Oregonians don’t take the social distancing measures seriously, she may have to consider such a step. Brown has already ordered a six-week statewide school closure, a ban on gatherings of more than 25 people, and the shutdown of bar and restaurant operations other than takeout and delivery for at least four weeks. Thousands of people, most in the hospitality industry, have lost their jobs overnight, and unemployment claims have soared.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The state reported another big jump in confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday as Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration sought to keep child care services open to families of health care workers and first responders on the front lines of fighting the spread of the coronavirus. The state Department of Health reported that cases topped 180, up 40%. The state had reported its first death from the disease Wednesday. Meanwhile, Wolf’s administration said it has created a waiver process for day care centers and group child care homes that serve families of health care workers and first responders. Waiver requests will be processed as quickly as possible, the Department of Human Services said, although child care providers have complained about not hearing anything back from the agency. Wolf ordered child care centers to close Monday, with narrow exceptions.

Rhode Island

Providence: Schools will be closed two more weeks, Gov. Gina Raimondo announced Wednesday. The state had canceled K-12 classes and moved up April vacation week to this week as schools prepared for teaching classes remotely. The Democrat says schools won’t reopen until after April 3 at least. Her administration also said Wednesday that about 20,000 Rhode Islanders have already applied for unemployment benefits amid the pandemic. Nearly 18,000 of those cited the new virus as the reason. And Raimondo is among the governors that have called for federal authorities to help states replenish their unemployment coffers as the virus’s economic impact widens. The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to Rhode Island small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. They can be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the outbreak’s impact, the agency said.

South Carolina

Columbia: In a nearly empty Statehouse with especially worried members voting from the balcony, the South Carolina House approved $45 million Thursday for state health officials to fight the new coronavirus. House Speaker Jay Lucas then called in Senate President Harvey Peeler, and they took the unheard of step to ratify the bill immediately and walk it personally to the governor’s office, where Gov. Henry McMaster was waiting to sign it. The three men were joined by other lawmakers, standing several feet apart, as they showed off the bill. Then all the lawmakers left, without any idea when the General Assembly might return as legislators go home to isolate themselves as best they can from COVID-19. Sixty cases had been reported in the state as of Wednesday afternoon.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The state has obtained more supplies to run tests for COVID-19, Gov. Kristi Noem announced Thursday. She said the state lab would be prioritizing tests for people deemed to be at high risk for the coronavirus. There are 385 tests waiting at the lab. Maggie Seidel, a spokeswoman for the governor, said the lab is counting how many tests it can run. It received a shipment Thursday morning, and officials expected another in the afternoon. Noem said she expects the new tests to show there are more cases of the coronavirus in the state. So far, there is no evidence of community spread, which is when officials can’t trace how or where a person caught the disease. “We thought we would have community spread in South Dakota by about March 13,” the governor said. The lab halted testing this week because it was running low on the enzymes and reagents that are used for chemical analysis. There is a nationwide shortage of those supplies.

Tennessee

Nashville: A death row inmate is seeking a stay of his execution in June due to the coronavirus pandemic. In a Tennessee Supreme Court filing Wednesday, attorneys for Oscar Smith wrote that the court can stay the execution for six months to let the outbreak run its course and let Smith’s legal team conduct crucial work representing him. The filing says it would be irresponsible and against the public interest for attorneys to conduct the necessary interviews, travel, meetings with Smith and other tasks as they pursue clemency and court challenges. “There is a tension between counsels’ obligation to Mr. Smith and to their own personal safety and that of their families and coworkers,” Smith’s attorneys wrote. Three other Tennessee executions are scheduled after Smith’s date this year.

Texas

Houston: Cars lined up for more than a mile outside a Houston hospital Thursday as the nation’s fourth-largest city began drive-thru testing for the coronavirus, but officials warned they don’t have enough kits or protective gear to meet demand. “I don’t want to create false hope that we are ready right now to have a radical increase in testing,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the top county official in Houston. Hours after the drive-thru testing began, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered schools closed for more than 5 million students and shuttered restaurant dining rooms. Texas has more than 140 cases, and health officials in Dallas confirmed the state’s fourth death related to the virus that causes COVID-19. About 2,500 testing kits were available at the drive-thru at United Memorial Medical Center, and only those showing symptoms would be screened for the virus, said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee. One of the first vehicles through contained a woman who could be heard loudly coughing. Health workers in protective gear removed her from the truck and put her on a stretcher, then wheeled her into a nearby tent.

Utah

Salt Lake City: All of the public colleges and universities in the state have either canceled or postponed graduation ceremonies amid the spreading coronavirus pandemic and increasing restrictions on large gatherings, officials said. Each of the eight schools has already closed campuses and moved classes online for the semester. The Utah System of Higher Education made the announcement Wednesday. “It’s gut-wrenching,” department spokeswoman Melanie Heath said. “But it’s something that we feel is responsible to do.” Utah State University in Logan has decided to cancel all graduation and convocation plans on its campus, while the other seven institutions will postpone ceremonies to an undetermined date. It is unclear when ceremonies will be held at the University of Utah, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Dixie State University, Utah Valley University, Snow College and Salt Lake Community College. Brigham Young University, a private university in Provo, also canceled its ceremony, and Westminster College, a liberal arts college in Salt Lake City, has delayed its ceremony.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state’s Department of Labor has put in place new measures to accommodate the number of workers filing for unemployment as businesses have closed or reduced hours due to concerns about the new coronavirus. The department announced Wednesday that it had established an online form to file initial unemployment claims and increased the number of staff fielding calls about those claims. It also established a supplementary phone number that workers could call, according to a news release. Vermonters can file claims both by phone and electronically. Full-service claim filing is available at 877-214-3330, and callers are urged to try that line first. Supplemental initial claims intake is available at 888-807-7072. An electronic form can be accessed online. More information, including updates to these systems, can be found at the Department of Labor’s website.

Virginia

Richmond: State health officials on Thursday confirmed at least the second case of a person infected with the new coronavirus in an assisted living facility, this one in the Washington suburbs. Elderly people, especially those with underlying health conditions, are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus that has upended daily life around the world. The Fairfax County Health Department reported Thursday morning that a resident of The Kensington Falls Church, an assisted living and memory care facility, tested positive. The man has been in isolation since he developed symptoms of respiratory illness Saturday, a statement said. Two staff members are awaiting test results, and the facility has implemented additional precautions, including monitoring residents and team members for symptoms, sanitizing, and limiting visitors, the statement said.

Washington

Seattle: Workers were building a field hospital on a soccer field in a Seattle suburb Thursday for people who become ill with the new coronavirus. King County officials plan to erect these hospitals in several sites around the county to help with the growing number of positive cases and possible pressure on the health care facilities in the region. Washington state leads the nation in COVID-19 deaths, with 67 by Thursday, and more than 1,100 people across the state have tested positive for the disease. “We believe it is critical that Shoreline do its part to help address this global crisis and provide for the health needs of those in the Shoreline community and those in the broader Puget Sound Region,” Shoreline officials said in a statement. The Shoreline field hospital is expected to provide up to 200 beds. King County, the hardest-hit region in the state, anticipates needing an additional 3,000 medical beds.

West Virginia

Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice loosened unemployment regulations Thursday for people whose jobs have been shuttered over concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. An executive order from the Republican governor directs commerce officials to ensure that people who had their hours reduced or are prevented from working due to the virus “shall be eligible for unemployment benefits to the maximum extent permitted by federal law.” It also waives a one-week waiting period for benefits and rules requiring people to be actively searching for work. The directives come as West Virginia sees a spike in unemployment claims as workplaces around the state close or dramatically scale back services amid the pandemic. Justice said 1,200 people applied for unemployment benefits Tuesday, compared to 5,300 during the entirety of February. West Virginia has two confirmed cases of the virus, health officials said. One case is in Jefferson County and the other in Mercer County.

Wisconsin

Madison: Absentee ballot requests for the state’s April 7 presidential primary hit record territory Thursday thanks to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, with local clerks processing more requests than at any point in the state’s history for a spring election. Elections officials, candidates, political parties and Gov. Tony Evers have been urging voters to cast absentee ballots so they don’t have to go to polling places during the coronavirus pandemic. Evers has banned gatherings of more than 10 people, but he said the election must go on as scheduled, even though some other states have postponed theirs. In addition to the presidential primary, there is a state Supreme Court race, a constitutional amendment to afford crime victims more rights, and hundreds of local mayoral, city council, school board and other elections on the ballot.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: State courts suspended all but the most pressing in-person proceedings Wednesday, while Gov. Mark Gordon overrode his own earlier remarks and fully endorsed federal guidelines to help control the coronavirus. Just a few hours after President Donald Trump and other administration officials announced the federal recommendations Monday, Gordon said he and his staff “don’t disagree” with them. It’s important to remember “that waitresses have to earn a living, that our waiters have to earn a living,” Gordon added at the news conference. On Wednesday, he said in a press release he supported the Trump administration guidelines, which among other things urge people to work and school children at home whenever possible and not gather in groups of more than 10. State officials have had a “rapid increase in concern” as the number of residents infected with coronavirus has risen, reaching 16 on Wednesday, but they get different views about how to respond, Gordon said.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Testing robots, toilet paper thefts: News from around our 50 states