Transit testing, ‘corona tent’ scares, election worker woes: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Birmingham: More people are hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 in Alabama than any time since August as the coronavirus pandemic worsens across the state, health officials reported Tuesday. Statistics from the Alabama Department of Public Health showed that 1,001 people were hospitalized with the illness, marking the first time since Aug. 31 that hospitalizations statewide passed the triple digits. While worsening, the total is much lower than in July, when about 1,600 people were treated daily in hospitals after a surge of cases that health officials believe was linked to the Fourth of July holiday. But cases have been on a steady rise since late September, and health officials say it’s unclear whether Alabama is headed to a new spike in cases that could stretch the capacity of hospital intensive care units or a more gradual increase. Nearly 2,900 people have died of COVID-19 in Alabama and more than 186,000 tested positive.

Alaska

Anchorage: A man who was the first among a few Alaska residents to face charges for violating a coronavirus quarantine order was killed in a shooting. Duane Fields, 48, died Oct. 21 at the Anchorage hotel where he lived and worked, Alaska Public Media reports. Fields helped another employee break up a fight before the start of his night shift at the Chelsea Inn, hotel owner Soo Seo said. One of the people involved left, then came back and shot Fields, Seo said. Federal prosecutors had charged Fields in May with ignoring a mandate to quarantine in Alaska upon his release from the federal Terminal Island prison in California’s Los Angeles County, where there was a large outbreak. Fields received compassionate release that reduced his sentence for a drug dealing conviction because he had cancer and was considered at high risk from the virus, for which he said he didn’t know he’d tested positive until days after he arrived back in the state.

Arizona

Phoenix: There are fewer teachers than ever in the state’s classrooms, according to a new survey from the Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association. Just a few weeks into the school year, about 28% of teacher positions in the state remained vacant compared with 21% vacant last year, the survey shows. That means about 3 in 10 classrooms are not led by a teacher with traditional qualifications. Schools have had to fill those open positions with long-term substitute teachers or others without teaching qualifications. Teachers across the state have said COVID-19 adds to the pressure to quit, especially when faced with the threat of returning to the classroom amid the pandemic. Some medically vulnerable teachers are particularly worried about contracting the virus while around students. Of 751 teachers who resigned or retired since the beginning of the school year, according to the survey, 326 did so specifically because of COVID-19.

Arkansas

Little Rock: A coronavirus outbreak in the Legislature grew by two Tuesday, pushing the number of lawmakers who have caught the disease in the past week and a half to nine, including a niece of Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Reps. Jeff Wardlaw and Gayla McKenzie are the latest to test positive for the virus, a House spokeswoman said. Arkansas’ outbreak is the second-largest among state legislatures, according to figures compiled by the Associated Press. The largest outbreak was in Mississippi this summer, when dozens of legislators tested positive. The Arkansas outbreak led to a halt in budget hearings last week, though they resumed Tuesday with new social distancing measures in effect. House Speaker Matthew Shepherd said the cases were concerning, but he didn’t call for another halt to the hearings, noting that the panel last week voted to allow members to participate remotely.

California

Sacramento: The state has seen an uptick in coronavirus-related hospitalizations and intensive care admissions in the past two weeks, prompting renewed warnings Tuesday from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s top health official even as newly confirmed cases remain well below the recent surge across much of the nation. While officials set up a panel that will determine who gets a vaccine once one is available, progress remained such that the state allowed seven more counties to advance to fewer business restrictions under its four-tier color-coded system. Still, three big Southern California counties including Los Angeles remain mired in the most restrictive purple category with widespread transmissions. Los Angeles County said Tuesday that contact tracing over the past three weeks found 55% of those who knew of a possible exposure to the coronavirus had attended an event or gathering where two or more people were sick.

Colorado

Denver: The city will enforce tighter restrictions for restaurants, retail and offices, reducing maximum capacity from 50% to 25%, amid rising coronavirus cases in the state. The new orders also limit indoor events to 25 people and outdoor events to a 75-person capacity, Mayor Michael B. Hancock said Tuesday. The last call for bars will be changed from 11 to 10 p.m., he said. Colorado is seeing a rise in new confirmed virus cases amid a record-breaking surge in cases across the country. Over 500 Coloradans are now hospitalized from the virus, Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday. Polis, a Democrat, has avoided enforcing statewide measures and said he’s leaving countywide coronavirus measures up to local governments and public health officials. He warned that Colorado’s hospitalization numbers would surpass May’s record figures by mid-November with the state’s current 7%-8% positivity rate. He said that could overrun the local health care system.

Connecticut

Hartford: The organization that oversees high school sports in the state says it may need to wait until mid-November before deciding whether or how to move forward with a winter sports season as the number of COVID-19 cases in Connecticut continues to rise. Gov. Ned Lamont said Tuesday that the rate of people found with the coronavirus had increased to 4.1% of those getting tested, the highest level in the state since early June. “That’s not unexpected, but it still wakes you up like a cold shower,” he said. Glenn Lungarini, the executive director of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, said Tuesday that his organization had hoped to release a full plan for winter sports Nov. 10, but may need to push that back to the following week given the uncertainty with the pandemic. Lungarini said officials are working through some potential road blocks for several sports, including a shortage of venues.

Delaware

Georgetown: A Sussex County Technical High School student and staff member have tested posted for COVID-19, according to officials. The school posted to Facebook on Tuesday evening informing families that the cases were separate and that anyone in close contact with the individuals who contracted the novel virus had already been notified. Both the student and staff member had been practicing proper mask-wearing and social distancing protocols, according to the post. They will not return to campus until they have been cleared. “Sussex Tech adheres to strict cleaning, social distancing, and hygiene protocols. This is our best defense against COVID-19 and its spread, along with delivering instruction in a modified remote format with the majority of our students learning remotely,” the post said.

District of Columbia

Washington: After falling early in the coronavirus pandemic, traffic on the area’s roads is partially bouncing back, WTOP-FM reports. A report from the National Capital Regional Transportation Planning Board shows vehicle volume in April was about half that of the same month in 2019. By July and August, traffic volume was only down about 20% below normal numbers, according to WTOP.

Florida

Daytona Beach: Several mothers were removed by law enforcement from a school board meeting Tuesday after they ignored repeated requests to wear masks during a discussion on whether the school district should extend its mandatory mask policy amid the coronavirus pandemic. No one was arrested, but seven people were trespassed, which means they can’t return to the property for one year. “I’ve never put a mask on my face, and I never will,” one of the women, Rachael Cohen, said in a Facebook video of the meeting. “It’s just absolute tyranny.” The Volusia County School Board adopted a mandatory mask policy that applies to students, staff and visitors on school district property, but it expires early next month. The school district made many attempts at diplomacy, but the group of women made it clear they were taking a stand against face coverings, said Cindi Lane, a district spokeswoman. It was “quite disruptive,” Lane said.

Georgia

Atlanta: Forty-six residents living in a long-term care facility have recently tested positive for the coronavirus following an outbreak at the facility, according to a spokeswoman for a company that runs the home. The outbreak happened at Atlanta’s William Breman Jewish Home, where 57 residents have now tested positive for the virus, and 10 have died since the pandemic began, according to the state’s health department. Three staff members also tested positive. “It’s a nightmare,” Miriam Karp told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday. Karp’s 91-year-old mother lives at the facility and was one of the residents who recently tested positive. “They had been doing well,” Karp said. “Why is this happening now, seven months later?” The home, which currently has 60 residents, had reported a dozen coronavirus cases from March to May. But the virus spread through the facility this month, leading to a surge in cases.

Hawaii

Honolulu: A recent spike in COVID-19 cases on the Big Island is the result of community spread, not a reopening of trans-Pacific or interisland travel, the mayor has said. Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim is aware of concerns among residents that coronavirus cases may have been transmitted by incoming travelers, but he said that is not the case, Hawaii Public Radio reports. Hawaii County reported 51 new cases Sunday, which was a single-day record for the island since the pandemic began. “First of all, none of them were travel-related,” Kim said. “All of these places that show the very high amount were strictly local residents.” The outbreak included a cluster of about 15 people at an apartment complex and another 23 cases at an affordable housing community. A majority of the county’s confirmed COVID-19 cases are on the eastern side of the island.

Idaho

Burley: Most of the courts in south-central Idaho have been prevented from holding jury trials because of high weekly confirmed coronavirus case numbers following an order that places virus case thresholds on when trials can resume. The state Supreme Court issued the order last month allowing jury trials to start again when counties meet the threshold for new cases, The Times-News reports. The high court previously suspended all trials in March, when the pandemic began. Jury trials can only be held if the weekly average of new cases in the counties is under 25 cases per 100,000 residents under the order, or if the rate does not increase the week after counties record 14 to 25 cases. Camas County is the only Idaho county that has low enough numbers now to hold jury trials.

Illinois

Chicago: Surging COVID-19 cases in the city prompted Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday to ban indoor dining and bar services and limit the number of people gathering in one place. However, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot says she isn’t sure Pritzker’s new restrictions are targeting the right people and worries they will adversely affect the city’s economy. The rules taking effect Friday will force diners and bar patrons outdoors and shut down service at 11 p.m. in the nation’s third-largest city. No more than 25 people may gather at one time, or fewer if that number would exceed 25% of room capacity. “We can’t ignore what is happening around us because without action, this could look worse than anything we saw in the spring,” Pritzker said. Lightfoot told PBS NewsHour that the greatest challenge the city faces is getting people to follow necessary health protocols at home, where social settings vary and are more difficult to regulate.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Gov. Eric Holcomb said Tuesday night that he would not support requiring residents to receive a COVID-19 vaccine once such immunizations become available. The question of mandating such vaccines was asked during a debate among the Republican governor and his two election opponents as Indiana has continued to face steep increases in coronavirus-related deaths and hospitalizations stretching back to when Holcomb lifted nearly all of COVID-19 restrictions last month. “It shouldn’t be mandated but should be encouraged when it is safe,” Holcomb said. Holcomb has faced criticism from some conservatives around the state that he has exceeded his authority with a statewide mask mandate and executive orders such as the stay-at-home order he issued in March. Holcomb’s stance comes even though Indiana law already requires 11 vaccines for public school students, including those for whooping cough, tetanus, measles and meningitis.

Iowa

Iowa City: Elections officials are worried about the state’s rising number of coronavirus cases, saying any illnesses or absences among key workers and volunteers could hinder their services through Election Day. A week before the election, Iowa was reporting a new high seven-day average of about 1,300 daily infections, record numbers of hospitalizations and a surge in deaths. County elections commissioners who have small full-time staffs and rely on experienced poll workers for help said they are hoping the virus does not sideline any of them. They have already replaced some volunteers, who opted out rather than risk exposure to the virus. Any unexpected absences or last-minute substitutes could lead to delays and long lines, particularly because social distance will be required, officials warn. Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz said she’s asked her employees and polling place workers to self-quarantine until Tuesday to avoid catching the virus.

Kansas

Topeka: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and top Republican legislators agreed Tuesday to try for now to encourage counties to adopt local mask mandates rather than consider a statewide rule as the state experiences its biggest surge in new coronavirus cases. Kelly had a private Zoom meeting with eight leaders of the GOP-controlled Legislature, six of them Republicans, and participants said afterward that they discussed encouraging greater mask use. The state health department reported Monday that the state’s rolling seven-day average for new cases set a record of 815 a day for the seven days ending Monday. Participants in Tuesday’s meeting said they agreed to work with the Kansas Association of Counties and Kansas League of Municipalities to encourage local officials to consider mask mandates in coronavirus hot spots. In a statement, Kelly called it “a strategy of engagement.”

Kentucky

Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear on Tuesday urged political candidates to lean toward virtual campaigning when possible and to follow strict guidelines if opting for in-person events as the state tries to stop a record-setting surge of coronavirus cases. With Election Day a week away, the Democratic governor was asked about people campaigning in the dozens of counties categorized as having the highest COVID-19 incidence rates. The question came after Beshear reported 18 more coronavirus-related deaths statewide and 1,786 new virus cases – the highest daily case total for a Tuesday. And the state approached another grim milestone: 100,000 cases since the pandemic began. Hundreds of thousands of Kentuckians have already cast mail-in ballots or voted early in person – accommodations made to avoid large Election Day crowds during the pandemic. Beshear has urged people to vote early because of the surging virus cases.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday vetoed the centerpiece bill of the state’s just-ended special session, a measure seeking to give lawmakers more authority in a governor’s emergency decisions, including the ability to jettison individual coronavirus restrictions. The Democratic governor’s decision was expected. But Edwards’ official announcement that he had rejected the bill was confirmation that lawmakers had held a nearly four-week special session – costing taxpayers an estimated $1 million – with little to show for one of their main agenda items. “This bill allows for legislators to cast votes on life or death decisions from their homes via text message,” the governor wrote in his veto letter. “This bill simply does not represent a serious approach to responding to a public health emergency.”

Maine

Levant: The chief executive officer of a farm that hosted an event featuring President Donald Trump on Sunday said he was unaware that the event would grow to be so large. Jonathan Kenerson of Treworgy Family Orchards in Levant said he was also upset by the lack of social distancing and mask use at the event. Some estimates placed the crowd at about 3,000. “We share the concerns of many over the size of the gathering, lack of social distancing and mask wearing during the event. We were told this would be a small, unpublicized, surprise, private, photo op which gave us no cause for alarm. Given that information, we accepted the visit, just as we would for any president,” he said in a statement.

Maryland

Annapolis: Some restaurants and food-service businesses hurt by the coronavirus pandemic will be eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in aid, officials announced Tuesday. The relief program was announced Tuesday by Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, The Capital Gazette reports. The grants will be funded with a $5 million allocation from federal coronavirus relief money, the latest in a number of new programs designed to support vulnerable county residents. The program also relies on an anticipated statewide program that would provide additional funding to local jurisdictions to support direct aid to restaurants, announced by Gov. Larry Hogan last week. Pittman said the relief for restaurants comes as cooler weather will make it more difficult for restaurants who have coped with limits on indoor gatherings by setting up outdoor seating spaces.

Massachusetts

Boston: The state’s recent surge in confirmed coronavirus cases is being driven in large part by an increase among younger people, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday. Whereas 15% of new cases in April were among people under age 30, now 37% of the new confirmed cases are people in that age group, the Republican governor said at a news conference at which he urged people to stop partying. “According to our most recent data, about 300 people per day under 30 have contracted COVID-19, have tested positive for it, with about 38,000 people in this age group diagnosed since March,” he said. More than half the new cases have been traced to social gatherings and household transmission, and there have been more reports of indoor parties as the weather has turned cooler, Baker said. He reminded people that outdoor trick-or-treating on Halloween is safer than an indoor party.

Michigan

Detroit: Teachers and school support staffers across the state are eligible for cash grants for the extra work they put in during the last school year because of the pandemic. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the state budget includes $73 million to fund the grants, available to educators in public schools as well as nonpublic schools that are nonprofit. “Our teachers and support staff have made incredible sacrifices this year to ensure our kids can get a great education while Michigan fights the COVID-19 pandemic,” Whitmer said in a statement. “They deserve all of the support we can give as we continue working around the clock to keep Michigan families safe.” Teachers who qualify for the grants are eligible for up to $500, and support staffers, like paraprofessionals, aides and other non-instructional staff, are eligible for up to $250. Substitute teachers do not qualify.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Statistics from health officials show the 10 counties with the fastest growth in coronavirus cases since the beginning of October are all in rural parts of the state, many of which border surrounding states. Adjusted for population, the rate of new cases across 56 counties in greater Minnesota tripled between early September and early October, compared with a doubling of the rate across the seven-county Twin Cities area, the Star Tribune reports. Kris Ehresmann, director of the infectious disease division at the Minnesota Department of Health, suggested it could stem from fewer people in more sparsely populated areas wearing masks, maintaining enough physical distance and following other public health guidelines to slow the spread of the virus. Other health experts suggest rural Minnesota residents are influenced by the example of neighboring states where public health responses haven’t been as aggressive.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state Department of Health reported 1,000 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and 19 coronavirus-related deaths. According to state records, the total number of positive cases in Mississippi stands at 117,617, and the total number of deaths is 3,302. As of Tuesday, the latest information available, 577 people were hospitalized with confirmed infections, 157 in intensive care units and 62 on ventilators. Those hospitalization figures were slightly down from earlier in the week but nevertheless substantially higher than the start of the month. The number of long-term care facility outbreaks stands at 132. Data released Wednesday shows the number of cases reported at long-term care facilities is 6,766 since the start of the pandemic. The number of deaths in long-term care facilities is 1,315.

Missouri

Jefferson City: Social media influencers might soon be popping up on residents’ Instagram and Twitter accounts with reminders of ways they can help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The state is asking some popular Missourians to participate in the program to promote social distancing, handwashing and mask-wearing on behalf of Gov. Mike Parson, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. Those who agree to participate will not be paid, said Maggie Kost, a spokeswoman for the Department of Economic Development. TikTok star Nickolas Ray, a Missouri native with 1.7 million followers, and Jenna Fischer, an actress from Missouri with 3.1 million Instagram followers, have been asked to participate. Other possibilities include former St. Louis Cardinals star Ozzie Smith and Kansas City Royals Manager Mike Matheny, Kost said.

Montana

Missoula: The community is imposing new restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19 as cases continue to rise. Under the new restrictions for Missoula, which will take effect Thursday, businesses will be limited to 50% capacity, groups will be capped at 25 people, alcohol service will stop at 10 p.m., and residents will be asked to stay at home voluntarily, the Missoulian reports. The new restrictions were announced as Gov. Steve Bullock has encouraged local jurisdictions seeing large outbreaks to take additional action to limit the spread of the disease. Missoula health officials have issued citations to numerous businesses for failing to follow local and statewide health mandates, including a mask requirement. The new restrictions will not apply to voting activities, although the Elections Office will still use 6 foot distancing, masking and disinfection tactics.

Nebraska

Omaha: The state’s prison system continues to struggle with the spread of the coronavirus among inmates and staff. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services has placed its Work Ethic Camp near McCook under quarantine after one inmate and three staff members tested positive for the virus, officials said in a news release Monday night. The inmate has been isolated, while the staff members are self-isolating at home, the release said. The news follows orders last week to quarantine the Community Corrections Center in Lincoln after several inmates there tested positive for the virus. The department’s website shows the total number of confirmed cases among inmates and staff in Nebraska’s prisons has topped 260 since the pandemic began. Two inmates have died.

Nevada

Reno: A dramatic surge in confirmed coronavirus cases in the Reno-Sparks area prompted the state coronavirus task force to call an emergency meeting with the Washoe County Health District to address the county’s plan to manage the outbreak. The number of reported active cases in the northern Nevada county topped 2,000 for the first time Tuesday, a 52% increase over the past two weeks. Active cases stood at 1,329 on Oct. 13. Active cases have now reached record highs for six consecutive days, from 1,516 last Thursday to 2,017 on Tuesday, the Washoe Health County Health District reported. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, was called after Washoe County was flagged for elevated risk of COVID-19 transmission for the fifth consecutive week. County health officials reported 592 new cases per 100,000 people in the past 30 days, about 400 cases over the state threshold.

New Hampshire

Durham: The University of New Hampshire is testing sewage on campus as part of its surveillance for the coronavirus. The sampling will be used in addition to twice-weekly nasal tests. “Sewage sampling can be a valuable surveillance tool because it can provide an early warning to possible infection hot spots on campus and help identify areas where the virus may be present but not detected in individuals because they aren’t showing symptoms,” said Paula Mouser, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering. Traces of the virus’s genetic material can be found in human sewage. The samples will be taken from manholes, each representing wastewater from a grouping of two to five dorms. There are 10 residence hall groups being tested, representing 4,400 students.

New Jersey

Newark: Businesses in the state’s largest city will impose pandemic restrictions beginning Tuesday after officials said recent data showed the city’s positivity rate had reached levels not seen since late May. Mayor Ras Baraka announced nonessential businesses must close at 8 p.m., restaurants must curtail indoor dining, and beauty salons, nail salons and barbershops can be open by appointment only. Gyms and health clubs must close for half an hour each hour for sanitizing. The restrictions will be reassessed in two weeks. Baraka said testing Oct. 11-18 showed Newark’s positivity rate at more than 11%, a level not seen since May 23. In one neighborhood, the rate topped 25%. The state’s positivity rate is roughly 5%. On Monday, fellow Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy said Baraka’s restrictions didn’t conflict with a state executive order that bars towns and cities from pursuing restrictions at odds with the state’s response.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: It could be well into next year before a coronavirus vaccine is widely available, but top health officials in the state said Tuesday that they have submitted their plan to the federal government for building the infrastructure, tracking systems and partnerships that will be needed for distribution. The focus will be on vaccinating health care workers and first responders, then nursing home residents and staff. Health officials, who were outlining the plan for lawmakers amid a surge in infections, acknowledged that supplies will likely be limited early on and that immunizations for the general public would come later. Legislators had questions about everything from cost and security to whether the state would have to compete for doses as it did for personal protective equipment at the onset of the pandemic.

New York

New York: The Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced Tuesday that it is embarking on a first-in-the-nation testing program to test thousands of workers weekly to guard against a second wave of the coronavirus. MTA Chairman Patrick Foye said the goal will be to test 15% of front-line workers each week. That would amount to roughly 6,000 bus and subway workers, Transport Workers Union Local 100 President Tony Utano said in an email. Overall, the nation’s largest public transit system has more than 70,000 employees. More than 120 MTA employees have died from COVID-19 this year. “This is exactly the type of screening program we have been asking for and it’s a huge step forward in terms of protecting TWU Local 100 members from a possible second wave,” Utano said. The testing will be done at field sites, including bus depots and subway and train yards, and at several medical assessment and operational health centers.

North Carolina

Charlotte: At least five people have now died in COVID-19 cases linked to events held at a church, health officials said. Mecklenburg County Public Health reports 143 cases of COVID-19 linked to convocation events at the United House of Prayer for All People in Charlotte on Oct. 4-11, The Charlotte Observer reports. The total includes 137 Mecklenburg County residents, four Iredell County residents, and one each from Gaston and Cabarrus counties, Mecklenburg health officials said Monday. Four of the people who died were Mecklenburg residents, and one lived in Gaston County, according to Mecklenburg officials. In addition, a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Madison Saints Paradise Independent Living has increased to at least 19 confirmed cases, including three staff members, health officials said.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The capital city is imposing a mask mandate as the numbers of coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalizations continue to mount in the state. The Bismarck City Commission voted 3-2 Tuesday night for the mandate that carries no penalties for violations. The initial proposal commissioners discussed included fines for businesses who did not enforce the mandate. But the penalties were removed after some commissioners said they would not vote for a mandate that penalized businesses, the Bismarck Tribune reports. Dozens of residents spoke at the meeting, including several doctors who supported a mask mandate and many people who felt that a mandate would infringe on their constitutional rights and freedoms. The White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, Dr. Deborah Birx, said Monday that she spent a day looking around Bismarck and found its COVID-19 protocols to be the worst she’s seen anywhere in the country.

Ohio

Cincinnati: COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are continuing to rise in Hamilton County, government and health leaders warned Wednesday. They called residents to limit their social contacts, such as gatherings inside homes to watch football games, as a way to bring rising COVID-19 infections under control in the county. If people hold such gathering indoors with people outside their family or normal “bubble” of contacts, the participants should voluntarily wear masks. Hamilton County is currently listed at the “red” warning level on the state’s COVID-19 threat map. But it has met enough indicators of the virus’s spread being high that it could go to the highest warning level of “purple” when the state releases its updated map Thursday. “We have so much spread right now” that whether the county shifts from red to purple “doesn’t really matter,” county Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said at the briefing.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Federal officials plan to send the state nearly 1.2 million rapid coronavirus tests that can diagnose an infection in as few as 15 minutes, the White House announced this week. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to send 1,190,000 Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 point-of-care antigen tests to the state, according to a press release from the White House. The tests will be distributed at the discretion of Gov. Kevin Stitt to support schools, nursing homes, critical infrastructure and first responders, the release said. Meanwhile, a blast of winter weather and an ice storm warning that were in effect for Oklahoma on Monday prompted the closure of several COVID-19 testing stations in Oklahoma City, local health officials said.

Oregon

Salem: Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday extended Oregon’s declaration of a state of emergency until Jan. 2 as COVID-19 cases continue to rise. The Oregon Health Authority reported 391 new confirmed and presumptive coronavirus cases Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 42,808. There were nine additional deaths, increasing the death toll to 664. “Extending the COVID-19 state of emergency is not something I do lightly, but we know all too well that not taking action would mean an even greater loss of life,” Brown said. “The second wave of COVID-19 has arrived in the United States, and this time it is hitting all of our communities.” The declaration is the legal underpinning for the executive orders the governor has issued, including her orders surrounding reopening Oregon, child care, schools and higher education operations. Extending the state of emergency declaration allows those orders to stay in effect.

Pennsylvania

Portersville: Cheeseman Fright Farm is among the Halloween attractions that have emerged from the shadows of a terrifying pandemic. On a rolling patch of Pennsylvania farmland, about 15 miles from the little town where “Night of the Living Dead” was filmed, a woman strides up to the hayride and beckons visitors to the dimly lit tent behind her. Her eyes are hollow. “Blood” streaks her nurse’s uniform. Across her forehead is a deep, oozing wound. “This is the corona tent,” she says. “I’m Nurse Ratched. We’re gonna test you all for the corona.” On the truck, the voice of a teenage girl slices through the darkness: “I TOLD you there’d be a COVID section.” By 8:45 p.m. on a recent Friday, a line 400 strong – some wearing face masks, some not – waited, at $20 a pop, to be carted off into the darkness and have creatures in various stages of decay leap out at them for the better part of an hour.

Rhode Island

Providence: The state Department of Health on Tuesday reported 288 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and four more virus-related deaths from the previous day. The positive cases from Monday were out of more than 8,000 tests, a daily positivity rate of 3.6%. The state also added 133 confirmed cases to previous days’ totals. The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Rhode Island has now risen over the past two weeks from nearly 1.8% on Oct. 12 to 3% on Monday, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Rhode Island has also risen over the past two weeks from almost 202 on Oct. 12 to more than 382 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins figures. Rhode Island has now recorded almost 31,500 known cases of the disease and 1,188 deaths.

South Carolina

Greenville: Students at Bob Jones University will return in person next semester on Jan. 13, the university announced Wednesday. Students have been attending the university in person since classes resumed this fall after the university went virtual for several months last spring because of the coronavirus pandemic. In an announcement, the university said it plans to forgo spring break, and instead students will receive “five days of rest” throughout the semester. Commencement is set for May 7, 2021. “In addition to the days of rest, the university will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18, and observe its annual Bible Conference Tuesday, February 16 through Friday, February 19,” the announcement said.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The state’s largest medical organizations on Tuesday launched a joint effort to promote mask-wearing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus as the state suffers through one of the nation’s worst outbreaks, a move that countered Gov. Kristi Noem’s position of casting doubt on the efficacy of wearing face coverings in public. The Republican governor has tried to downplay the severity of the virus. Shortly after the Department of Health reported that the number of hospitalizations from COVID-19 broke records for the third straight day Tuesday, people who represent doctors, nurses, hospitals, school administrators and businesses huddled to promote mask-wearing, social distancing and handwashing. They warned the state’s hospitals could face a tipping point in their ability to care for COVID-19 patients. “Masking is a simple act that each one of us can participate in, and it can save lives,” said Dr. Benjamin Aaker, president of the South Dakota State Medical Association.

Tennessee

Nashville: Areas of the state where people are not required to wear masks in public are seeing sharper increases of patients in the hospital in recent weeks due to COVID-19, even as hospitalizations grow across Tennessee, according to a new report. Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine made the conclusion this week by categorizing each of the state’s hospitals based on what percentage of its typical patient population lives in counties with a mask requirement. Republican Gov. Bill Lee is allowing counties to decide whether to require masks but has brushed off months of suggestions to require masks statewide. He has argued it’s a matter of people taking personal responsibility. The hospital group with less than 25% of its patients from areas that require masks continues to see the highest rate of growth in hospitalizations since early October, the study found.

Texas

Austin: A federal judge ruled that Texas’ statewide mask mandate must include polling places, but election officials on Wednesday did not rush to enforce the order that was handed down after more than 8 million people have already voted. U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam, who was appointed last year by President Donald Trump, said not requiring face coverings in Texas polling places created a discriminatory burden on Black and Latino voters, who are at higher risk of death and severe illness from the coronavirus. Texas is three weeks into early voting, but Pulliam said enforcing a mask order would not be disruptive. The ruling comes as COVID-19 cases are flaring again in Texas, which on Tuesday reported more than 5,500 hospitalized patients with COVID-19 – a more than 70% increase since the beginning of October. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately appealed the judge’s ruling.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A state tourism official said visitation numbers have recovered in some destinations after a steep decline induced by the pandemic. Utah tourism and travel industries had experienced an annual growth rate higher than 5% before public health restrictions were implemented in March. The pandemic has forced spending and employment in the industries to decline by 13% to 17% compared to this time last year, said Jennifer Leaver, senior tourism analyst at the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. But some attractions have reported a steady increase in revenue and visitors in recent months. Zion National Park, for instance, reported its most-ever visitors on record for September. “Utah has what people want,” said Vicki Varela, managing director of the Utah Office of Tourism. She also said mask mandates and compliance were fundamental to reviving the industry as a whole.

Vermont

Burlington: The University of Vermont says it has administered 100,000 coronavirus tests since the start of the fall semester. UVM President Suresh Garimella thanked students Tuesday “for all of their cooperation and efforts to protect our university and our community from COVID-19.” A total of 27 UVM students have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Oct. 25. The school has a cumulative test positivity rate of 0.03% going back to August, a spokesman has said. The mayor of Burlington, where UVM is located, also thanked students for their “commitment to wearing mask” that he sees as a neighbor. “It’s really been just an outstanding effort and one that is very much appreciated by the people of Burlington,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a statement. Garimella warned students not to let their guard down “with cases spiking throughout the nation, including here in Vermont.”

Virginia

Fairfax: A teachers’ union in the state’s largest school district urged members to call in sick Wednesday for a “mental health day” as they ponder how they will respond to a gradual return to in-person learning. Fairfax Education Association President Kimberly Adams said teachers need the mental health day because of the stress they face with a looming Oct. 30 deadline to say whether they will return to the classroom when called upon, seek a leave of absence, or resign. “We are drawing a line by protecting our members,” she said. The union has urged that school remain fully virtual for the entire 2020-21 school year because of safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. It represents about 4,000 teachers and staff in the Fairfax County school system – the nation’s 10th largest – which employs almost 25,000.

Washington

Olympia: A letter from the state Attorney General’s Office has halted the city’s plans to order a community of vehicle residents to relocate. More than half of the vehicles had already left the area by Tuesday afternoon, The Olympian reports. Tuesday was the deadline by which city officials had given vehicle residents to move. But the letter, dated Monday, said the Attorney General’s Office believes the vacate notices are a violation of Gov. Inslee’s eviction moratorium related to the coronavirus pandemic. City officials said they will not, for now, enforce the order. The governor’s eviction moratorium order, which was first issued in March and has been extended and modified, prohibits the serving of notices to vacate by landlords, property owners and property managers, and it prohibits local law enforcement from enforcing such orders.

West Virginia

Charleston: A federal judge has ruled in favor of Gov. Jim Justice in a lawsuit over his decision to close bars in student-heavy Monongalia County due to the coronavirus pandemic. The owners of 12 establishments sued the governor last month for ordering them to close after pictures were posted online of college students in Morgantown packing bars without masks. U.S. District Judge John Bailey issued an order Tuesday denying a motion for injunctive relief on behalf of the businesses, news outlets report. Bailey said the “right to do business” has not been recognized as constitutionally protected, and the claims “ignore the grave nature of why the Governor issued a state of emergency.” The judge noted that the businesses are currently allowed to operate since the order was lifted Oct. 13 but said even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t constitute deprivation that would entitle them to due process protections.

Wisconsin

Madison: Furloughs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will continue for the first six months of 2021 to offset losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but Chancellor Rebecca Blank offered hope for next year, telling employees Monday that “we expect to avoid the sort of dramatic cuts that many feared.” Blank told more than 21,000 faculty, staff and other employees in an email that the planned furloughs and a continued hiring freeze wouldn’t be enough to balance the budget that’s suffered a roughly $320 million hit since the pandemic began and that additional cuts will be announced in the next few weeks. However, a “substantial share” of the cuts will be achieved through attrition, a hiring freeze and other reductions already in place, she said. Still, because of the uneven impact of the pandemic across the campus, layoffs will be likely in some places to deal with significant budget shortfalls, Blank said.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: The state now ranks among the worst states for spread of the coronavirus as its residents grow weary of measures to protect themselves and as state officials refrain from reimposing public health orders to try to force compliance. Wyoming is in the top five states for new coronavirus infections per capita over the past week of surging cases nationwide, according to Johns Hopkins and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost 3,300 people in the state had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Tuesday and not yet recovered, up from about 500 in July, according to the Wyoming Department of Health. People hospitalized with COVID-19 in the state this week topped 100, more than double the number just two weeks ago. The state’s death toll increased by seven in the past week to reach 77. The recent deaths announced Monday included five residents of New Horizons Care Center, a long-term care facility in Lovell.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Transit testing, ‘corona tent’ scares: News from around our 50 states