Unwanted masks, homeless count, pork processor cleared: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: As the state continues to fight through the coronavirus pandemic, it is now dealing with workers who are refusing to return to their jobs. Employers have reported 3,336 people to the state for refusing to return to work since January, al.com reported. About a third of those workers were taken off the unemployment rolls and the rest have lost benefits while they are under review, the news site said. “(Bosses) have called the employee back to work and the employee has refused,” said Tara Hutchinson, spokeswoman for the Alabama Department of Labor. “So (workers) either have not come or told the employer, ’I’m not coming back.’ ” The volume of “refusal to work” cases being reviewed is unusually high because of the pandemic, she said. The federal CARES Act allows workers impacted by COVID-19 to stay on unemployment under some circumstances. Employees who have the disease or are caring for someone with it cannot lose their unemployment benefits. Caring for a child whose school is closed or dealing with the COVID-19 death of a primary breadwinner are other exceptions under the federal legislation. However, those who simply feel unsafe returning to work are not protected. “A general fear is not a valid reason (to stay home),” Hutchinson said. After the labor department is notified of a “refusal to work” by an employer, it contacts the employer and employee to learn details of the situation and to determine whether to end benefits. The state has so far denied benefits to 909 workers who opted not to return and has stopped benefits to review 2,317 more cases, the news site said.

Alaska

Juneau: A man suing the state over plans to distribute federal coronavirus relief aid is asking a judge to block disbursement of a portion set aside for small businesses after Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration reinterpreted the rules. Eric Forrer, contends the money should be spent according to “defined standards,” according to a court filing from his attorney, Joe Geldhof. The filing seeks a court order that would either halt the disbursement of money set aside for businesses until lawmakers approve a “valid expenditure” or block spending of the funds that do not adhere to the “express terms” of a proposal previously ratified by the Legislature. The filing misidentifies the bill number, a typo Geldhof acknowledged. Forrer has maintained the ratification process itself was problematic, citing constitutional concerns. Last week, the state Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development announced eligibility changes to the $290 million program intended to provide additional aid to businesses feeling the economic fallout from the coronavirus. The changes include allowing businesses that received $5,000 or less in certain federal relief funds to become eligible for the state’s grant program, provided they meet other requirements. Alaska received more than $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid, $290 million of which the state designated toward a small business program. The program, proposed by the Dunleavy administration and later ratified by the Legislature, excluded businesses that had secured federal program funding directly available to them under a federal coronavirus relief law. Glenn Hoskinson, a special assistant to Alaska’s commerce commissioner, said when the proposal was first drafted, the first round of the federal loan funds had been depleted and the second round hadn’t been made available. Hoskinson said by email the department also was not aware then that businesses were getting partial amounts of funds requested from the federal programs. Hoskinson said last week the Department of Law was looking at how or if the commerce department could amend the eligibility criteria.

Arizona

Phoenix: The Arizona Motor Vehicle Division said it is having difficulty keeping up with routine business during the coronavirus pandemic and the agency is asking its customers for patience. The MVD’s parent agency, the state Department of Transportation, said Tuesday the division’s customer service operations are experiencing delays as MVD faces employee absences because of illness and quarantine requirements. Specific impacts cited by the agency include diminished call center operations that mean it can take calls over 30 minutes to reach a representative. Also, the agency said some customers reported that registration tabs take longer than expected to arrive in the mail. ADOT Director John Haliekowski said in a statement that officials are “working hard to find new ways to safely and effectively serve the public.” According to the statement, the updated status of a customer’s vehicle registration or reregistration is recorded as soon as payment is made and that law enforcement agencies have access to MVD’s updated database. The agency also said drivers whose licenses expire between March and September of this year have had the expiration date extended by six months and don’t need to renew until the new date.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Three Pulaski County residents on Tuesday asked a state judge to declare that fear of contracting COVID-19 is a valid excuse for voting absentee. The lawsuit also seeks to require the state to conduct a public information campaign about the new rules if their request is granted. If the state doesn’t act now to allow COVID concerns as an excuse or allow no-excuse absentee voting, the lawsuit said, “then it will be too late and Arkansas voters will be forced to choose between their health and their fundamental right to vote.” State law only allows absentee ballots because of illness, physical disability or the voter being unavoidably absent. Gov. Asa Hutchinson waived the requirement for a primary runoff in April because of the pandemic, but has not said whether he will do the same for this year’s election. Secretary of State John Thurston, named as the defendant in the case, said county election officials have told his office they believe the current system will be adequate in the November election. “Our office will continue to work with each county to provide supplies and resources to ensure that the upcoming presidential election is safe and secure,” Thurston said in a statement.

California

Los Angeles: An $800 million plan was unveiled Tuesday to house 15,000 homeless people in Los Angeles County who are considered most vulnerable to the new coronavirus. The county’s Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority presented a three-year COVID-19 recovery plan to the county Board of Supervisors to provide temporary housing with a goal of finding permanent places to live for those on the streets. The money was expected to come mainly from government funding but details would need to be worked out. The U.S., California and local economies have been hammered by the impact of monthlong lockdowns and business shutdowns aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. In April, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Project Roomkey, a mainly federally funded program to provide the capacity to house and, if necessary, isolate people on the street who were most at risk of becoming seriously ill from COVID-19 because of their age or existing health problems. The county aimed to provide for 15,000 people but managed to house about 6,000, including 4,000 who were placed in leased hotel rooms. But some of those leases expire next month. The new proposal would provide various housing measures, including rental subsidies, through next June along with various services. Over the next two years, efforts would be made to move people into permanent housing.

Colorado

Fort Collins: Larimer County health officials have developed a tool to help residents keep track of COVID-19 cases in the county. Using data collected from various sources, a dashboard on the county’s COVID-19 information website presents a risk score for the disease. As of Tuesday, the score was “medium” based on indicators such as recent numbers for positive cases, testing results and hospitalizations. The dashboard does not represent a “data dump” of all the information available to county and state health officials but shows early warning indicators from the county’s suppression plan for the virus, health department spokesperson Katie O’Donnell told the county commissioners Tuesday. “It’s more focused on the measures that we’re watching to make sure that our hospitals are able to take on a COVID surge should we have one,” O’Donnell said. Data provide by local health care systems include the number of patients hospitalized with COVID and percentages for the usage of hospitals and intensive care units. Hospital data will be updated three times a week, and other data will be updated daily. County residents have done a good job of “flattening the curve” of the pandemic, but the coronavirus has not gone away, officials said. Precautions such as wearing face coverings, washing hands regularly, social distancing, increased testing, and close-contact tracking will help to slow the spread of the virus. The dashboard can be viewed at larimer.org/covid-dashboard. Information on the numbers of positive COVID cases, deaths and outbreaks in the county also can be found on the site.

Connecticut

Hartford: The Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles on Tuesday partially reopened four of its branches to begin offering in-person licensing and new vehicle registration services by appointment only, the latest in a series of steps toward resuming operations at one of the state’s busiest agencies. Road testing also resumed Tuesday, in partnership with private driving schools, to reduce a backlog of approximately 1,000 road tests that developed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have now been rescheduled through June 30. “Who would have thought everybody was missing DMV so much,” joked Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, as he stood outside the Waterbury branch where DMV customers with prescheduled appointments waited in their cars until being notified electronically to come inside the building. Branches in Bridgeport, Enfield and New Britain also partially reopened Tuesday for new registration and license services. New registration services will begin June 30 at the Wethersfield, Willimantic, and Danbury branches. All in-person services, including out-of-state license and registration transfers, and commercial driver’s license upgrades, now require an appointment which can be made online. Meanwhile, additional locations reopened Tuesday for learner’s permit knowledge tests. Offices in Wethersfield and Cheshire previously opened May 11 as part of a pilot program. Now, the tests will also be offered at offices in Willimantic, Old Saybrook, Norwalk, and Danbury by appointment only.

Delaware

U.S. Army Pfc. Krystal Rivera, a motor transport operator with the Delaware Army National Guard’s 1049th Transportation Company, handles jugs of milk during a drive-thru mobile pantry at Woodbridge High School in Greenwood on June 22.
U.S. Army Pfc. Krystal Rivera, a motor transport operator with the Delaware Army National Guard’s 1049th Transportation Company, handles jugs of milk during a drive-thru mobile pantry at Woodbridge High School in Greenwood on June 22.

Greenwood: The Delaware Army National Guard’s 1049th Transportation Company helped the Food Bank of Delaware distribute food to the needy amid the coronavirus pandemic at drive-thru mobile pantries on Monday. About 25 soldiers and airmen from the National Guard joined volunteers during a drive-thru mobile pantry at Woodbridge High School in Greenwood distributing food amid COVID-19. The unit also helped to distribute food at St. George’s Technical High School in Middletown on June 19. The Delaware Air National Guard’s 142nd Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron and 166th medical group also assisted with drive-thru testing at Central Middle School in Dover on June 17 and the National Guard Medical Attachment aided in drive-thru testing at Long Neck Middle School in Millsboron and, with Epworth Food Rescue, at Epworth United Methodist Church in Rehoboth Beach on June 16.

District of Columbia

Washington: The District reported an additional 34 cases of the novel coronavirus and four additional deaths on Wednesday, WUSA-TV reported. That brings the District’s total to 10,128 cases and 541 lives lost. The District is in Phase 2 of reopening, meaning restaurants and nonessential retail can open indoors at 50% capacity and gyms and yoga studios can reopen with restrictions.

Florida

Tallahassee: The Florida Division of Emergency Management is testing all employees at the State Emergency Operations Center for COVID-19 after a vendor, who recently had been in the building, tested positive for the virus. “All individuals who were in close contact were tested (Tuesday), and all tested negative,” said Jason Mahon, communications director for the division. Mahon said the vendor was last been in the building last week. “However, in an abundance of caution and as a good exercise for what the Division might face during a hurricane activation, everyone in the building will be tested,” he said. Mahon did not specify who or what the vendor did at the building, or how many employees are being tested. The operations center in Tallahassee serves as the central clearinghouse for disaster-related information and requests for deployment of assistance, according to its website. The EOC was activated and placed on Level 1 when Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on March 9, nine days after declaring a public health emergency after the state made public the first two cases of people in the state who contracted the virus. Level 1 is the highest level of activation of the State Emergency Response Team, and means the EOC is fully staffed around the clock.

Georgia

Atlanta: State lawmakers could see their pay cut by 11% under a proposal advancing in the Senate. Lawmakers said they want to give up part of their pay to show they are sharing in the suffering of state agencies, K-12 schools, universities and others that are likely to face 10% budget cuts after state tax revenue fell during the coronavirus pandemic. Senators voted 43-3 on Tuesday to pass House Bill 1094, sending it back to the House for more debate. The bill would cut lawmakers’ yearly salary of more than $17,350 by 11% in the budget year beginning July 1. Lawmakers would still get their full daily expense pay. Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan’s pay of nearly $92,000 a year would be cut by 14%. “It is making a statement that we’re all in this together,” said state Sen. Jeff Mullis, a Chickamauga Republican who earlier presented a bill to study raising salaries. Mullis said the pay cut could leave more money to pay legislative staffers. Duncan publicly volunteered to take the cut earlier, when budget reductions were pegged at 14%. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Blake Tillery, a Vidalia Republican, has said that House budget negotiators have agreed, in general, to cut spending in their chamber. Representatives have yet to take a vote on a direct pay cut to themselves, though. Lawmakers are expected to wrap up talks on spending nearly $26 billion in state revenue by Friday.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The federal census of Hawaii’s homeless residents has been delayed until late September because of the coronavirus pandemic, an official said. U.S. Census Bureau spokeswoman Jeanette Duran said the count of the state’s homeless population was moved to Sept. 22 through Sept. 24, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Tuesday. The count was previously scheduled for March 30 through April 1 but was postponed because of state health restrictions. The census conducted every 10 years has the potential to affect Hawaii’s share of $800 billion in federal spending over the next 10 years. The government continues to recruit workers to count homeless people across the islands in encampments, shelters and “laundromats and soup kitchens,” Duran said. Census takers, who are paid $24 an hour, will have personal protective equipment and follow social distancing guidelines to help produce an accurate count of homeless residents, Duran said. The federal government’s census is expected to represent “simply a snapshot of the (homeless) population,” Duran said. In the last nationwide homeless census in 2010, Hawaii led the nation with the largest percentage of homeless people under the age of 18 at 37%, Duran said.

Idaho

Boise: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Idaho officials to decide by Friday afternoon whether to put an education funding initiative on the November ballot or allow an additional seven weeks for electronic signature gathering. U.S. District Court Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued the order after granting a preliminary injunction to Reclaim Idaho, a group that backs citizen initiatives, to temporarily alter the state’s laws for signature gathering. The education funding initiative seeks to raise $170 million for K-12 education by raising Idaho’s corporate tax rate and increasing taxes on individuals making $250,000 a year or higher. Reclaim Idaho in a lawsuit filed earlier this month said that Republican Gov. Brad Little’s statewide stay-at-home order in late March because of the coronavirus pandemic didn’t include exceptions for ballot initiative signature gathering. The group in the lawsuit against Little and Secretary of State Lawerence Denney, also a Republican, said that violated the First Amendment-protected process of signature gathering, a form of political speech. Winmill in granting the injunction said Reclaim Idaho was likely to win the case and, except for the pandemic, likely would have gathered enough signatures for the initiative to appear on the November ballot. “This decision is a surprising exercise of judicial activism,” Little and Denney said in a statement. “We plan to appeal this decision immediately.” Under Winmill’s ruling, if Idaho doesn’t agree to put the initiative on the November ballot, it will have to extend signature gathering another seven weeks and allow electronic signatures, something never before allowed for ballot initiatives.The state attorney general’s office had argued that granting the injunction would be an intrusion by the judicial branch into the state’s election process.

Illinois

Springfield: Illinois public schools and colleges will open this fall despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with help from the the state to provide 2.5 million face coverings to K-12 students to help prevent transmission of the virus, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday. Pritzker was joined by a group of education administrators in Chicago to announce COVID-19 safety guidelines for community colleges and universities. Illinois has received $569 million in federal pandemic relief funds. The bulk of that will go directly to elementary and secondary schools to handle local needs in response to the outbreak. The Illinois State Board of Education will use $54 million of it to help schools buy laptops and tablets, internet connectivity, virtual coaching for teachers and professional development. “Classroom learning provides necessary opportunities for our students to learn, socialize and grow,” Pritzker said in releasing guidelines for safe classroom learning. “The benefits of in-person instruction can’t be overstated.” On Monday, Pritzker announced that the spread of the illness remains controlled enough to allow the state to move into the fourth of his five-stage Restore Illinois plan for reopening schools and business and lifting some restrictions on social interaction. In schools, staff and students will wear face coverings, and gatherings of more than 50 people will be prohibited. People are advised to social distance by least 6 feet whenever possible. Schools are also expected to ensure that people entering their premises are free of symptoms and increase disinfection of buildings.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state’s moratorium on utility disconnections, enacted amid the coronavirus pandemic, will expire July 1, leaving hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers who are more than two months behind on their bills uncertain of what the coming months will bring. Unless Gov. Eric Holcomb extends or amends his executive order in the coming days. In mid-March, several utilities across the state voluntarily suspended disconnections in light of the pandemic that forced businesses to close and left many without jobs. That was solidified by a March 19 executive order in which Holcomb deemed utility providers an essential service and prohibited them from disconnecting service to any customer. As the deadline looms, it remains uncertain if the moratorium will be extended — and, if so, for how long. Not everyone agrees on how to proceed. The state’s utility regulatory commission is studying the pandemic impacts to determine if an extension is necessary. Indiana’s major utility providers are offering to extend it by a month. And the state’s consumer advocates said that’s not long enough. The utilities have not provided any information that shows they are financially unstable because of fee waivers and the disconnection suspension, said Kerwin Olson, executive director of the consumer-advocate group Citizens Action Coalition.

Iowa

Iowa City: State regulators said they found no workplace safety violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, which employed several people who died after contracting the novel coronavirus. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed its inquiry into the Tyson plant in Waterloo earlier this month without sanctioning the meat company. County officials and workers have alleged that in March and part of April, workers did not have adequate personal protective equipment to stop the spread of the virus and were not social distancing. The company said it has taken numerous safety steps since then, including requiring masks, screening for symptoms, and frequent testing. Black Hawk County has said that more than 1,000 of the Waterloo plant’s 2,800 workers had tested positive for the virus or antibodies by early May. The Associated Press has confirmed that at least five workers have died after getting the virus, most recently a 44-year-old maintenance worker who died on Memorial Day after a lengthy illness. The other deaths have included a 65-year-old laundry department worker, a 58-year-old Bosnian refugee, a 60-year-old Latino father and a refugee from Congo. Iowa health officials have not released the number of meatpacking workers who have died because of the virus in Waterloo or at other plants. Iowa OSHA said it inspected the Waterloo plant April 20 after Democratic lawmakers filed a complaint alleging that unsafe working conditions caused the outbreak, which devastated the broader community. Within days, the plant suspended operations and reopened about two weeks later with new safety protocols. Iowa OSHA Administrator Russell Perry said in a letter dated June 11 that his agency found “no violations of the Iowa occupational safety and health standards on the date of the inspection.”

Kansas

Topeka: The city is looking to cut more than 30 jobs next year to deal with a $5 million budget deficit resulting from efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. City Manager Brent Trout on Tuesday proposed cutting 32 full-time position and reducing at least one position to part time in 2021. The mayor and City Council will consider the proposal before completing the budget in August. Public works director Jason Peek recommended reducing his department’s workforce alone by 14 jobs, the Capital-Journal reported. The proposed cuts come as reduced sales tax revenues caused by businesses shutting down or cutting back to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have left the city struggling to balance its budget for this year. Trout has already furloughed 147 nonunion employees and eliminated jobs held by deputy city manager Doug Gerber, neighborhood relations director Sasha Haehn and emergency management coordinator Jim Green to deal with the current year’s deficit. The city anticipates using between $1.9 million and $7.2 million from its reserve fund to balance this year’s budget.

Kentucky

Spectators sit on the grass and look on from the Big Four Bridge during  the second Waterfront Wednesday of 2019 in Louisville, Ky. This year's concert season was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Spectators sit on the grass and look on from the Big Four Bridge during the second Waterfront Wednesday of 2019 in Louisville, Ky. This year's concert season was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Louisville: The 2020 WFPK Waterfront concert season was canceled Wednesday because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to officials. The free concert series at Louisville’s Waterfront Park has showcased local and up-and-coming national artists annually since 2002. But the pandemic, which has led to the cancellation of countless other events and music festivals this year, has not gone away and has forced organizers to pull the plug on this year’s Waterfront Wednesday series. Waterfront Park and WFPK said the series will plan to restart in the spring of 2021.“WFPK Waterfront Wednesday is a thriving institution that has brought the community together for two decades,” WFPK Program Director Stacy Owen said in a news release. “We take pride in presenting this concert series at a high level of quality, which would not be possible at this time. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to the Big 4 Lawn for WFPK Waterfront Wednesday when the time is right.”

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Louisiana K-12 schools and colleges would receive sweeping protections against civil lawsuits from students and teachers who contract an infectious disease, including COVID-19, under a bill that won overwhelming support Tuesday from the state House. The measure by Republican Rep. Buddy Mincey, a former Livingston Parish School Board member, would keep people exposed to an infectious disease at a school or school facility from being able to sue for damages unless they can prove the high legal standard of “grossly negligent or wanton or reckless misconduct.” The protections would be given to public and private K-12 schools; charter schools; and public and private colleges and universities. Mincey said the limitation from liability was critical to allow schools to offer in-person classes in the upcoming school year without fear of lawsuits because of COVID-19. He said classes on a campus, rather than through distance learning, are better for students. “If we don’t provide reasonable liability protections for our schools … my fear is they’re going to say, ‘I’ll see you online,’” Mincey said. The bill is retroactive to March 11, around the time of Louisiana’s first positive coronavirus test. But it wouldn’t only apply to the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus. It would apply to any declared state emergency for an infectious disease. The House voted 82-17 for the proposal, sending it to the Senate for debate despite concerns it could put teachers and students at greater risk of exposure because campuses will be shielded from most lawsuits. “I’m just in favor of erring on the side of fighting for our children,” said Rep. Gary Carter, a New Orleans Democrat who opposed the measure. “I think this legislation reduces the protection of our children for the benefit of our schools.”

Maine

Portland: Maine’s public university system plans to avoid a tuition increase related to its response to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Wednesday. The University of Maine System began considering its fiscal 2021 budget on Wednesday. The proposal includes a long-planned 2.5% tuition increase, but it does not include any additional tuition or fee increases caused by the pandemic, said system spokesman Dan Demeritt. The cost of responding to the pandemic at Maine’s public universities will likely be more than $20 million in the coming budget year, Demeritt said. He said the pandemic will “have a big impact on operations and revenues this academic year,” but the system will still be ready for students in the fall.

Maryland

Joseph Moore, who represents the White Marlin Open, speaks before the City Council of Ocean City, Md., on Tuesday to ask the council to issue a letter supporting the fishing tournament scheduled for August.
Joseph Moore, who represents the White Marlin Open, speaks before the City Council of Ocean City, Md., on Tuesday to ask the council to issue a letter supporting the fishing tournament scheduled for August.

Ocean City: Organizers of the White Marlin Open went before the Town Council on Tuesday to ask the town to issue a letter supporting the event as staff continue to work with local and state officials to get the necessary approvals for the August fishing tournament. Event organizers wanted to have the support of the council if the COVID-19 safety guidelines continue to change, said Joseph Moore before the council’s work session on Tuesday. Tournament planners don’t intend to cancel the 2020 event and will comply with all COVID-19 safety guidelines, said Moore. “If for instance, another agency has to weigh in on approval, we want them to know that we have gone to the mayor and council of Ocean City to get their support,” Moore said. The organizers of the White Marlin Open asked Ocean City leaders to issue a “letter of support” for the event because its a “significant economic driver for the town of Ocean City,” according a letter Moore sent to Mayor Rick Meehan. During the council meeting, Moore went into detail about how organizers will keep spectators safe during the event. “We have filed an application with the Ocean City Parks and Recreation Department requesting the use of the base side of Third Street ballfield for the purpose of having a virtual view of the White Marlin Open to limit the number of people who would come otherwise to Harbor Island,” Moore said.

Massachusetts

Boston: The leadership of a home for aging veterans in Massachusetts where nearly 80 residents sickened with the novel coronavirus have died made “substantial errors and failures” as the disease began to spread, likely contributing to the high death toll, according to an independent investigation released Wednesday. The superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was not qualified to manage a long-term care facility and he and his leadership team made decisions that were “utterly baffling from an infection-control perspective,” the report said. Among them was a decision to move veterans from one dementia unit into another, both of which housed veterans who already had the virus. “Rather than isolating those with the disease from those who were asymptomatic – a basic tenet of infection control – the consolidation of these two units resulted in more than 40 veterans crowded into a space designed to hold 25. This overcrowding was the opposite of infection control; instead, it put those who were asymptomatic at even greater risk of contracting COVID-19,” the report said. The investigation was conducted by former federal prosecutor Mark Pearlstein, who was hired by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. “This report lays out in heartbreaking detail the terrible failures that unfolded at the facility, and the tragic outcomes that followed,” Baker said in an emailed statement. “Our emergency response to the COVID-19 outbreak stabilized conditions for residents and staff, and we now have an accurate picture of what went wrong and will take immediate action to deliver the level of care that our veterans deserve.” The home’s superintendent, Bennett Walsh, has defended his response and accused state officials of falsely claiming they were not notified quickly enough about the spread of the virus. He was placed on administrative leave March 30 and the CEO of Western Massachusetts Hospital, Val Liptak, took over operations. An email seeking comment was sent to Walsh’s attorney Wednesday.

Michigan

Lansing: The state would create dedicated facilities for coronavirus-infected patients who are not sick enough to be hospitalized or placed in a nursing home under a bill approved Wednesday by the state Senate. The Republican-sponsored legislation is a response to Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s policy that allows people with COVID-19 to be put in nursing homes if they are isolated from residents without the virus. Under the measure, people could not stay in a nursing home or be admitted there unless they have recovered from the virus or the home can provide a designated area for them. Initially, the bill would have prohibited the transfer of COVID-19 patients into nursing homes, but the language was relaxed. The Senate sent the legislation to the House on a 24-13 vote, with two Democrats joining all Republicans in support.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: The 2020 Twin Cities Marathon will switch to a virtual event because of the coronavirus pandemic, marathon organizers said. Entrants in the 39th edition of the Minneapolis-to-St. Paul race can run any 26.2-mile route any day in October. Twin Cities in Motion, which stages the marathon, said it will shift the rest of its 2020 races to a virtual format because of pandemic-related restrictions on large gatherings. Runners will submit their times online, and race finishers still will receive their T-shirt and medal, the Star Tribune reported. The marathon was scheduled for Oct. 4. As many as 30,000 runners were expected to participate in marathon weekend events. Twin Cities in Motion does not expect Minnesota’s limits on large group gatherings to loosen up much before October, said the group’s president, Mike Logan. Race organizers hoped they could conduct the event safely but came to believe that was not possible after consulting with public health authorities and the race’s medical directors, Logan said. Other marathons in recent months, including Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, also have switched to a virtual format.

Mississippi

Jackson: As the state saw its highest single-day increase in coronavirus cases Tuesday, Dr. Thomas Dobbs, the state health officer, said he is not “remotely surprised” and expressed concern for the future. “We’ve been seeing this trend evolving over weeks,” Dobbs said in an interview with the Associated Press on Tuesday night. “ As people have tried to embrace normal, but unsafe normal, it is permitting the virus to spread. We’re really going to end up paying the price for it.” The Mississippi Department of Health reported 611 new cases and 11 deaths Tuesday. Dobbs said the uptick is driven by community transmission of the virus from younger, asymptomatic people to their older relatives. “If you drive around and look at how younger people are having social gatherings, they’re crowding into bars, it’s just not safe,” Dobbs said. “People are not complying, people are not wearing masks. It’s not a joke. Really bad things are going to happen.” Dobbs said a big concern of his is the stress the new cases are putting on Mississippi’s heath care system. He said it’s already testing the state’s hospital bed capacity.

Missouri

Columbia: The Missouri Supreme Court on Tuesday sent a lawsuit seeking widespread absentee voting during the coronavirus pandemic back to a lower court for review. Judges ruled that Cole County Circuit Court Jon Beetem was wrong to dismiss the case and made a mistake by weighing in on the merits of the lawsuit at that stage. At issue is how voting will work this year as public health officials urge people to social distance to avoid spreading COVID-19. Under a new law, people considered at-risk of the coronavirus – those age 65 and older, living in a long-term care facility or with certain existing health problems – can vote absentee without needing to have their ballot notarized this year. Anyone else can cast a mail-in ballot but would need to get it notarized. An executive order allows virtual notarization through the August primary. But civil rights groups said that’s not enough to protect voting rights during the pandemic. The ACLU of Missouri and the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition sued, arguing everyone should be allowed to vote absentee without a notary. Supreme Court judges didn’t weigh in on that argument.

Montana

Helena: Montana has reported 136 new cases of COVID-19 in the past week, including a nursing home resident in Billings and a firefighter in Missoula. The state has reported 248 cases, or nearly one-third of its known 766 cases, since June 1, when it entered its second phase of reopening the economy. Twenty-three cases were discovered from among more than 1,100 tests run on Tuesday. State officials have said increased testing and lifting restrictions put in place to prevent the spread of the virus were expected to lead to increased case numbers, in part because of catching asymptomatic cases. However, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased from one on June 5 to 17 on Tuesday. The state has 174 people known to be infected with COVID-19, 571 people are considered recovered and 21 people have died. Avantra Billings confirmed Wednesday that a resident tested positive after questions from The Billings Gazette. “The facility is unsure where our resident came into contact with a carrier of COVID-19,” regional director of operations Michael Speidel said. The resident was admitted to Avantra from a hospital on June 17 and transferred back to the hospital Monday, where the person tested positive for COVID-19. “We are nonetheless taking full precautionary measures at the facility.” No one else working or living at the facility has tested positive, Speidel said. A new case confirmed Monday involved a Missoula firefighter, city officials said. The health department has identified the firefighter’s potential contacts, including law enforcement and ambulance personnel, and they will be quarantined at home.

Nebraska

Omaha: The Douglas County Board has allocated more than $13 million of federal coronavirus relief funding to the county health department, which serves Nebraska’s largest city of Omaha. Among the funding approved Tuesday is $1.3 million for a mass vaccination program in the region as soon as a vaccine is available. Another $4.9 million would be made available if needed for that effort. Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour said it makes sense to allocate the money now for mass vaccination – even though there is no vaccine for the virus – so that health officials can hit the ground running as soon as a vaccine is available. The department can begin preparing by buying medical equipment and supplies and having money available for extra nurses, doctors and other staff when a vaccine becomes available, Pour said. The money could also be used to set up drive-through vaccination clinics and mobile neighborhood vaccine vans.

Nevada

Reno: Leaders of a rural Nevada church are asking a federal appeals court to overturn the state’s COVID-19 cap on the size of religious gatherings that they said treats them more severely than casinos and other secular activities in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley in Lyon County wants the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to temporarily invalidate Nevada’s 50-person limit on church services while the court considers whether to strike it down altogether. A federal judge in Las Vegas refused for the third time last week to grant the church a temporary injunction suspending the cap and subjecting religious gatherings to the same rules limiting crowds to 50% of capacity at casinos, restaurants, bars, gyms and theme parks. Calvary Chapel wants to allow 90 people in the 200-capacity sanctuary east of Reno. “The church asks for no special favors,” its attorneys wrote in Monday’s appeal. “It just desires to hold gatherings at 50% capacity with social distancing and safety precautions the same as many businesses where large groups gather in close proximity for extended periods of time. Unless this court intervenes, Nevada will continue putting a thumb on the scales against the free exercise of religion.”

New Hampshire

Concord: Housing industry experts in New Hampshire are warning that evictions could spike later this summer when tenant protections and enhanced unemployment benefits resulting from the coronavirus pandemic lapse. New Hampshire’s eviction moratorium expires July 1 and the federal eviction ban under the CARES Act stops on July 25. The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits under the CARES Act ends July 31. That poses challenges for tenants, the Caledonian-Record reported. Many have lost jobs during the pandemic and relied on state and federal assistance. “We’re very much in a position of waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Ben Frost of the New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority during a call on housing needs led by U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan on Monday. “It seems like August is when we’re likely to see this perfect storm come together. You can see the radar, you can see it coming.” Nearly half of the renters in New Hampshire were spending 50% or more of their income on housing before the outbreak. New Hampshire plans to distribute $35 million in CARES Act funds for housing relief, half the “conservative estimate” that the state Housing Finance Authority recommended.

New Jersey

Trenton: Aquariums, libraries, museums and some indoor recreation can reopen July 2, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. Masks will be required and capacity must be limited to 25%, the Democratic governor said during a news conference. The indoor recreation businesses cleared to reopen are bowling alleys, batting cages and arcades, the governor said, though they must also limit capacity to a quarter and require masks for patrons and workers. Gyms and fitness centers can reopen July 2, but only for individual training sessions, he said. Murphy also said New Jersey Transit’s rail and light rail will resume weekday service July 6. Murphy’s announcements came the same day the Democratic governors of New York and Connecticut joined him to require people traveling to those states from others with high coronavirus rates to isolate for two weeks. There were roughly 300 new positive cases reported in New Jersey since Tuesday, Murphy said, putting the overall figure at 170,000. The death toll grew by 48 to 12,995.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque denies that extra scrutiny was given to pregnant Native American patients amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit some tribal communities in the American Southwest particularly hard. In New Mexico, just over half of the cases are among Native Americans. State officials called for an investigation after the online publications New Mexico In Depth and ProPublica reported that several unidentified clinicians at the hospital alleged that pregnant Native American women were singled out for COVID-19 testing and separated from newborns after delivery while their test results were pending. The clinicians said regardless of symptoms, the women were designated as under investigation for coronavirus based on their appearance and whether their ZIP code was on a list of those that included tribal communities around the state. State investigators who conducted a survey on behalf of the federal Medicaid agency found what was described as “noncompliance” with certain conditions that govern patient rights and participation, said David Morgan, a spokesman for the state Health Department. Although the hospital is awaiting the report from federal officials, Lovelace spokeswoman Serena Pettes said there was no secret policy for screening pregnant women at the hospital. “Every patient, visitor, provider and staff member are screened for COVID-19,” she said.

New York

Albany: Malls, movie theaters and gyms will not be cleared to reopen when areas of the state progress to Phase 4 as early as Friday. The businesses had been hoping Gov. Andrew Cuomo would allow them to open their doors after a three-month shutdown bought on by the coronavirus pandemic. But the decision, first reported by the Times-Union of Albany, leaves business owners uncertain of when they will be able to welcome back customers. A spokesman for Cuomo on Wednesday cited recent surges in states that have allowed a wide range of businesses to reopen. “There are some things that don’t fit neatly into a phase that are going to require further study and we’re going through that right now. This includes evaluating what’s going on in other states to avoid going backwards,” spokesman Richard Azzopardi wrote in an email. Areas of the state are phasing in reopenings on different timetables. The Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes and North Country could move to Phase 4 on Friday, which would allow an easing of restrictions on higher education and “low-risk” arts and entertainment. New York City entered Phase 2 this week. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced late Tuesday that the city’s municipal beaches will open for swimming, with lifeguards, on July 1. Until now, people have only been allowed on the sand.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that people across the state must wear masks or other face coverings in public to fight the spread of COVID-19, and he extended other restrictions by three more weeks to fight a surge in coronavirus cases. Cooper issued an executive order that people must wear face coverings in public when it’s not possible to maintain physical distance. The order also mandates face coverings for employees of businesses including retailers and restaurants, as well as state employees in the executive branch. Violations of Cooper’s executive orders are punishable by misdemeanor. He also said restrictions limiting capacity at retailers, restaurants and public gatherings will remain in place for three more weeks. The order comes as the state reported its second-highest one-day jump in virus cases at around 1,700. About 900 people are hospitalized, also representing the second-highest mark in that category. Cooper said the state has sufficient hospital capacity, but that could quickly change if virus trends don’t improve.

North Dakota

Fargo: Gov. Doug Burgum said Tuesday that several counties in the state are close to reaching the fifth and final stage of a reopening plan that would allow businesses to resume normal operations under standard precautions to minimize risk of the novel coronavirus. Burgum said the state’s color-coded risk assessment plan ranks the state as a whole in the fourth or green stage, which is generally considered low-risk but limits bars and restaurants to less than 100% capacity. He said officials will make another assessment next month on how many counties have qualified to move into the fifth or blue stage. “We may get to a spot before the end of the summer where the whole state can move in one swoop from green to blue,” Burgum said at his first COVID-19 briefing in a week. “The primary situation in terms of what may be holding them back … has to do with the percentage of occupancy indoors and outdoors in restaurants and the size of gatherings at large events.” The governor said several restaurants have developed new business plans along with city officials to include more outdoor seating, including placing tables on sidewalks. “There are very few things that are (still) affected. Full seating inside a bar and restaurant is one of those things,” Burgum said. “A number of people are reporting that they are doing great takeaway business. Even this last weekend, I heard some restaurants in the state were doing business on Saturday like it was Valentine’s Day or some other huge event.”

Ohio

Cincinnati: The number of coronavirus cases is surging faster than ever in Hamilton County and Cincinnati, prompting leaders to urge the public to wear masks and not gather in large groups. “We suspect people have gotten relaxed,” said Hamilton County Board of Commissioner President Denise Driehaus. “The suspicion is people have let their guard down.” Hamilton County recorded its highest single-day total of new COVID-19 cases on June 18 with 132 new cases. Between June 16 and June 19, Hamilton County had more than 100 new cases a day. The county only had one day with 100 new cases in the four months prior. The city of Cincinnati has seen a striking upswing in the illness caused by the novel coronavirus within the last week, culminating with a 100%-plus jump in new cases in one day. The city’s dashboard count tracking the virus showed COVID-19 cases increasing from 45 on Sunday to 97 on Monday, then dropping again, but still high with 40 new cases reported on Tuesday. Although increased testing accounts for some of the spikes, it doesn’t account for such large increases, Driehaus and Hamilton County Public Health Commissioner Greg Kesterman said.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: State health officials on Wednesday reported a record one-day spike in the number of positive COVID-19 cases, with 482 positive tests reported in the last 24 hours. That’s the third day in the last week the state reported record one-day increases, including the previous high of 478 new cases on Sunday and 450 on Thursday, according to State Department of Health numbers. The agency also reported an additional COVID-19 death on Wednesday, a Garfield County woman in the 36-to-49 age group. That brings Oklahoma’s statewide death toll to 372 and the total number of confirmed positive cases to more than 11,510. The actual number of people who have contracted the virus is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.

Oregon

Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, talk after the Joint Committee on the First Special Session of 2020 took a brief recess at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.
Rep. Christine Drazan, R-Canby, and Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, talk after the Joint Committee on the First Special Session of 2020 took a brief recess at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem.

Salem: Lawmakers, most wearing masks and trying to maintain social distance, began a special session Wednesday to crack down on police brutality and throw a lifeline to those suffering financially from the novel coronavirus. “This is a catastrophic disaster session,” Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, told a news conference on Zoom, saying racial discrimination, police brutality and “a monster disease that won’t let us out” must be dealt with. Draft measures would mandate rent protections during the coronavirus emergency and prohibit a lender from treating a borrower’s failure to make loan payment as a declaration of default. They would also prohibit law enforcement officers from limiting the ability of a person to breathe, create a statewide online database of discipline records, prevent an arbitrator from reducing punishments for officers, ban the use of tear gas on protesters and allow the state attorney general to investigate and prosecute when officers kill or seriously injure a person. Some pushback was expected from law enforcement groups. “My hope is that decisions will be made based upon facts, evidence and data, not on emotions, politics or perception,” Jim Ferraris, president of the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police and police chief of Woodburn, told a joint panel Tuesday..

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Confirmed coronavirus cases in Pennsylvania now exceed 83,000, and there are 54 new reports of coronavirus-related deaths, many if not all of them who were residents of nursing homes or personal-care homes, the state Department of Health said Wednesday. The department reported 495 new infections. The 54 new deaths brings the statewide total to 6,515. The department’s death toll for nursing homes or personal-care homes rose by 57 on Wednesday as the agency reconciles information it has gathered from various sources in recent days, it said. The total death toll in those facilities is now 4,467, or nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s total deaths attributed to the outbreak. The number of new infections reported over the last week, 3,373, is virtually the same as the number for the previous seven-day period, 3,382. Both of those figures are slightly higher than the seven-day period before that, through June 9, when the state reported 3,031 new infections. However, the percentage of positive tests has steadily dropped, from 6% for the seven days ending June 9 to 4.5% over the last seven days. Of those residents infected since early March, 77% have recovered, the department said. The number of infections is thought to be far higher than the state’s confirmed case count because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick.

Rhode Island

Providence: The coronavirus pandemic is expected to cost the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority up to $80 million in lost ridership revenue over the next five years, agency officials said. The state’s bus operator had been losing riders even before the pandemic, which triggered a huge shift to working from home. Fixed-route bus ridership fell 67% last month compared with May 2019, according to figures presented to the RIPTA board of directors, the Providence Journal reported. April ridership was down 72% year over year. The agency expects to get $91 million in federal stimulus money to make up for the losses.

South Carolina

Charleston: Nancy Mace, the Republican nominee in a heavily contested U.S. House race, said she has been diagnosed with COVID-19. Mace sent an email to supporters saying she learned some members of her campaign were potentially exposed to the virus last week and she took a rapid test Tuesday that came back positive. Mace said she is going into quarantine with her children for two weeks or until she tests negative for COVID-19. Mace said she tried to find every person she has been in contact with the past week and is asking volunteers and staff to get tested and start working remotely. Mace’s opponent in November, U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, also tested positive for COVID-19 in late March. The Democrat reached out to Mace on Twitter, saying he was thinking about Mace, her family and her campaign. “This virus is rough but my family and team are here if you need anything at all,” Cunningham said.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in South Dakota remained stable Wednesday, while the state reported one additional death and 66 new positive test results. The number of reported deaths stood at 84 and the number of people hospitalized for the disease remained at 85. So far, 6,419 residents have tested positive for the virus. Of the 66 new cases reported, 13 were in Minnehaha County and one in Lincoln County. Beadle and Pennington counties each recorded nine new cases. Brown County reported three additional cases. The 66 cases came from 1,091 new tests. The 66 new cases outpaced new recoveries by nine cases. The state has 781 cases, a number that has been trending downward. Hospitalizations are a key metric that experts are watching in the pandemic. Hospitalizations in South Dakota reached a high of 106 on May 26. Three percent of the state’s hospital beds were being used by a COVID-19 patient in Wednesday’s report, and 52% of beds were open. Intensive care unit beds were at 29% availability. COVID-19 patients occupied 7% of ICU beds.

Tennessee

Wilson County: A state of emergency was declared in Wilson County on Wednesday because of a recent increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The declaration also “strongly encourages” residents to wear masks when in public, according to a statement from Mayor Randall Hutto, whose initial statement said wearing masks in public would be a requirement. “We want people to stay safe as they resume activities,” Hutto said. “We are requiring people to wear masks when out in public. We ask all businesses to take this very seriously to keep their customers and staff safe by reconsidering the number of people in the area and by requiring masks in stores and businesses.” But early Wednesday afternoon, Hutto’s office said a requirement to wear masks cannot be enforced and that no arrests would be made for not wearing one. “We want to emphasize to take all precautions,” Hutto said. Wilson County’s last state of emergency went through May 18 before it expired, according to the mayor’s office. Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey identified Wilson County as a hot spot Tuesday because of the county’s recent uptick in COVID-19 transmissions. The county had 649 confirmed or probable COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, according to the state. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Wilson County had gone up seven straight days through Tuesday, according to the mayor’s office.

Texas

Dallas: A North Texas man was arrested Tuesday after a federal indictment accused him of applying fraudulently for $3 million from the federal coronavirus relief fund. Federal prosecutors said Fahad Shah, 44, of Murphy was arrested on three counts of wire fraud, one count of making false statements to a bank and four counts of money laundering. A federal indictment accuses the suburban Dallas man of fraudulently applying for $3 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans. The indictment said he got more than $1.5 million that he used to buy a Tesla and make personal investments and home mortgage payments. It was not immediately clear if Shah was kept in custody or released. A telephone number listed to him has been disconnected and he could not be reached for comment.

Utah

Salt Lake City: A state official has apologized after a family was sent masks featuring a gun, the American flag and the phrase “don’t tread on me” as part of a program offering free face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic. Ben Hart, the deputy director of the governor’s office of economic development, said it was a mistake and that the design was one of about 150 that were identified as potentially controversial, KUTV-TV reported. “It was one of the masks that we were pulling out. These are masks that we have not been distributing; it slipped by us,” Hart said. The office has sent out 1.8 million free masks in the first two months of the program, with another 500,000 expected to be sent out soon, Hart said. Christine Passey-Spencer of Salt Lake City received the masks this week after ordering them from a state website two months ago, she said. “It doesn’t seem possible that it came from the state of Utah,” Passey-Spencer said, adding that she is upset that any sort of political imaging would be put on masks distributed by the state. Michael Mower, Gov. Gary Herbert’s chief of staff, drove to her home Tuesday to personally deliver a pair of new masks, which she said she does appreciate, KSL-TV reported. The masks are intended to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

Vermont

Bennington: Bennington College, which closed its campus to the public in March amid the coronavirus pandemic, has reopened its outdoor public spaces, including walking trails, to visitors. Visitors are asked to allow at least 6 feet of space between them and others and to wear a mask while interacting with other people on campus, the Bennington Banner reported Monday. Parking is available at various sites for walkers and people using the tennis and basketball courts. The school is asking people to leash dogs and clean up after their pets. All campus buildings remained closed the public.

Virginia

Richmond: A moratorium on evictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic has been lifted by the Supreme Court of Virginia, paving the way for eviction proceedings to resume next week. The ban was originally put in place in March and was extended earlier this month. It is set to expire Sunday. An order issued by the state’s high court Monday said courts might resume hearing eviction cases on June 29. Tenant advocates said thousands of families that are struggling financially because of COVID-19 could be affected. “When you look at the unemployment numbers, those are astronomical, so I imagine that a lot of landlords may not have filed because courts were closed to evictions, and now they may step forward to do so,” said Elaine Poon, a managing attorney with the Legal Aid Justice Center. Poon said advocates are calling on Gov. Ralph Northam to issue an executive order to prevent landlords from moving forward on eviction proceedings in court. “We’re not asking for an indefinite moratorium. We’re asking for enough time to establish a robust rent relief program – one that is sufficiently funded and addresses all of the needs of Virginia,” Poon said. Northam asked earlier this month that the eviction ban be extended to give his administration time to announce a rent relief program. Northam’s spokeswoman, Alena Yarmosky, said Tuesday that the administration is in the process of completing the program and plans to roll it out on Monday.

Washington

Olympia: The state will require people to wear facial coverings in public settings, under a public health order announced Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee in response to ongoing COVID-related health concerns. The order, issued by Secretary of Health John Wiesman, takes effect Friday. The order requires face coverings when people are indoor in a public area, and outdoors in a public area when 6 feet of physical distancing can’t be maintained. Washington joins several other states that have statewide mask orders in place, including California, which issued its order last week. Yakima County, which has been among the areas hardest hit by the outbreak, has even more stringent requirements under a separate proclamation issued by Inslee that also takes effect Friday. In addition to being covered by the statewide mandate on masks in public, there will now be a legal requirement that prohibits people from entering a place of business – either indoors or outdoors – without first donning a mask. Under that same proclamation, businesses in the central Washington county are prohibited from allowing a customer to enter a business, or conduct business with a customer in any public space unless the customer is wearing a face covering. There are exemptions for children under the age of 2 and for people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Facial coverings for children between the ages of 3 and 5 are strongly recommended, but not required under the orders. People engaged in recreation alone or with household members and those eating out at restaurants wouldn’t have to wear masks as long as they are properly distanced from others. The statewide order builds on a previous one from Inslee, that – since June 8 – has required workers to wear facial coverings unless they don’t interact with others on the job.

West Virginia

Charleston: West Virginia is again down to one county with no confirmed coronavirus cases. Health officials in Webster County said Tuesday the county has recorded its first positive virus case. That leaves Doddridge County as the only one among the state’s 55 counties without a confirmed case. Doddridge County, located in the north-central part of the state, has a population of about 8,400 residents. It is one of a dozen counties with populations below 10,000. Webster County had reported a positive case last month but it was later determined the case belonged to another county. There are at about 2,600 coronavirus cases in the state with at least 92 deaths.

Wisconsin

Madison: Nearly every inmate and worker in a Wisconsin prison who tested positive for COVID-19 has recovered, the state Department of Corrections reported Monday. Of the 268 inmates who tested positive, 261 have recovered. There are six active cases and one who was released, the department said. Among prison staff, there were 66 positive cases and 63 have recovered. There are three active cases. Most of the cases among inmates, 228, were at the Waupun Correctional Institution. The state’s prisons were 22% above capacity as of Friday. Waupan, designed for 882 inmates but housing 1,204, was 36% above capacity. The recovery rates within the state’s prisons so far are better than in the general population. According to the state Department of Health Services, so far 3% of those who have tested positive have died. “The entire DOC staff and especially our Emergency Operations Center team took proactive steps to protect both staff members and the persons in our care,” said Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr in a statement. “These latest numbers reflect the tremendous job they have done, so far.” The state health department along with assistance from the Wisconsin National Guard has tested everyone at 22 of the state’s 37 prison facilities so far.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: An animal shelter halted pet adoptions and five restaurants sanitized facilities Wednesday amid a spike in coronavirus cases in the state capital. Active coronavirus cases in the Cheyenne area had fallen to zero after peaking over 40 in late April., but on Wednesday, the number was back up to 26. A street festival last weekend that drew hundreds downtown – including many people not wearing masks – heightened health officials’ concern that more yet could fall ill. The Cheyenne Animal Shelter will close for adoptions and surrendering of pets until at least July 5 after an employee tested positive, KTWO Radio reported. Employees caring for animals must have their temperatures taken upon arrival, wear masks when near others and take other protective measures, CEO Sue Castaneda said. Employees at five restaurants – Accomplice Brewing Company, Wyoming Rib and Chop House, Buffalo Wild Wings, Tortilla Factory and Red Lobster – tested positive for the virus, according to the Cheyenne-Laramie County Health Department. The restaurants were “deep cleaning” and working with health officials to identify infected employees, department Executive Director Kathy Emmons said. The number of active coronavirus cases across Wyoming topped 300 for the first time amid a statewide resurgence. Several counties reported new cases including four in Park County on eastern side of Yellowstone National Park, which until recently had just a couple of cases.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 50 States