50 States From USA TODAY Network and wire reports
ALABAMA Montgomery: A federal judge has refused to temporarily block the state’s mask mandate and other pandemic-linked health orders.
ALASKA Juneau: The state has released a plan to divide $50 million in federal coronavirus relief funding payments among fishing industry workers affected by the pandemic.
ARIZONA Phoenix: A state lawmaker ill with COVID-19 who is on a ventilator in an intensive care unit is showing signs of improvement, his wife announcedWednesday. “Ventilator usage reduced from 100% to 40%. Slowly reducing sedation; he is following basic commands,” Rhonda Cagle tweeted about Democratic Rep. Lorenzo Sierra of Avondale.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: The Department of Health reported the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 rose by nineWednesday to 538 – a record high for the state. About 27% of hospital beds and 10% of intensive care unit beds are available, according to the department.
CALIFORNIA Sacramento: The state’s embattled unemployment benefits agency saidWednesday that it has cleared about 246,000 of more than 1.6 million backlogged claims following a two-week “reset” in which it stopped taking new applications so it could improve its technology. But the agency said it would be January before it clears the backlog.
COLORADO Greeley: Two women who were hired to screen employees after a coronavirus outbreak at a beef plant say the owners did not take protocols seriously and were negligent. The two say in affidavits that JBS USA Holdings provided screening equipment that did not function properly, forced employees to pay for tests and encouraged noticeably sick employees to continue working.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: The state’s third reopening phase was set to begin Thursday. But some restaurant owners say they won’t be able to reach the new 75% capacity limit for indoor dining because they don’t have the space due to the rule that tables be at least 6 feet apart. And many theaters and concert venues have decided not to open this week, as shows already have been canceled, and many say they can’t make money with half-full facilities.
DELAWARE Dover: More than a month intoWesley College’s school year, COVID-19 testing is still not available on campus. The school, which is primarily teaching courses in person, has one school nurse.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIAWashington: Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday that D.C.’s public health emergency order has been extended until Dec. 31, WUSA-TV reports.
GEORGIA Atlanta: White House chief of staff Mark Meadows hosted a large wedding for his daughter May 31 at the Biltmore Ballrooms Atlanta that appeared to violate a state order and city guidelines, with no masks or social distancing seen in photos, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
HAWAII Honolulu: State officials hope to reboot tourism next week by loosening pandemic restrictions, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all arriving travelers. But the Oct. 15 launch of the pre-travel testing program is causing concern for some who say gaps in the plan could further endanger a community still reeling from summer infection rates that spiked to 10%.
IDAHO Boise: The way the state’s residents live and work is being changed forever by the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Brad Little said Wednesday. The Republican said in a speech that it’s important for employers and workers to be flexible and innovative and to “respond to challenges thoughtfully as they arise.”
ILLINOIS Springfield: Gov. J.B. Pritzker expressed confidenceWednesday that Congress will put together another coronavirus relief package despite President Donald Trump’s instructions to shut down talks until after the election. The budget the Democratic governor signed last spring left a $5 billion gap for what lawmakers hoped by late summer would be a second stimulus. “Every state is going to need support from the federal government even though the president has apparently thrown the talks into disarray now that he’s on a cocktail of steroids coming out of the hospital,” Pritzker said.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Local health officials warnedWednesday about a growing number of COVID-19 illnesses in the Evansville and South Bend areas as the state health department reported rates of new infections and hospitalizations across Indiana much higher than two weeks ago, when Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb decided to lift most statewide rules.
IOWA Johnston: Gov. Kim Reynolds onWednesday evoked President Donald Trump in saying, “We can’t let COVID-19 dominate our lives,” even as cases surge in the state. There were 444 people being treated for the coronavirus in hospitals as ofWednesday, a record number.
KANSAS Topeka: Top Republican legislators signed offWednesday on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s request to extend a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic as the state set another record for COVID-19-related hospitalizations.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: Day care facilities will receive a one-time grant of $130 per child from federal coronavirus funds to help pay wages and other expenses, a state official saidWednesday.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: Service workers who were laid off because of the coronavirus are earning a living again by helping others in the city survive the pandemic. Unemployed bartenders, musicians and casino employees have been recruited to train and work with Resilience Force. The national nonprofit puts people to work in disaster recovery programs that focus on Black and other minority communities.
MAINE Portland: The state is moving Tuesday to the next stage of reopening from closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Janet Mills announced this week.
MARYLANDWestminster: The coronavirus pandemic is contributing to more people choosing to have cremations instead of funerals. The Carroll County Times reports Maryland’s cremation rate has gone from about 35% in 2010 to more than 50% in 2020.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Brigham andWomen’s Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard are teaming up for a six-month study of 10,000 people to help them better understand the prevalance of COVID-19 in the area and identify potential surges in the fall and winter, they said in a joint statement.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II calledWednesday for GOP legislative leaders to enact and enforce a mask requirement inside House and Senate chambers at all times, saying he fears for the safety of his family and others when lawmakers do not wear a face covering.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jason Lewis left the campaign trail for the second time in less than a week Wednesday after learning he had been in contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus. Lewis had just returned to the campaign trail Monday after greeting President Donald Trump last week.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Those entering a school, aWendy’s or aWalmart in the state must wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but those entering packed polling places don’t. Mississippi Secretary of State MichaelWatson says masks can’t be mandated at the polls because it’s a federal election.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: The state on Thursday reported an increase of more than 1,500 confirmed COVID-19 cases and the highest number of hospitalizations for confirmed or suspected cases since the pandemic began.
MONTANA Bozeman: Yellowstone National Park officials say 16 employees tested positive for COVID-19 in September, marking a significant uptick in cases.
NEBRASKA Grand Island: Public schools in the city report they’re having a hard time finding substitute teachers to fill vacancies in the wake of the pandemic.
NEVADA Las Vegas: Gov. Steve Sisolak has tested negative for the coronavirus a day after a positive COVID-19 test came back for one of his staff members, his spokeswoman saidWednesday.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Nashua: Seven people connected to a church have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Health officials ask anyone who attended a multiday prayer session and other events at Gale City Church last month to get tested.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: The state added 1,300 new coronavirus cases overnight, the highest level since late May, Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said most of the positive cases in hard-hit Ocean County stem from Lakewood, predominantly among white men ages 19-49 and possibly related to religious services or celebrations in late September.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped to 426 statewide in the second-highest daily tally of the pandemic, state health officials saidWednesday.
NEW YORK New York: Hundreds of businesses in neighborhoods where COVID-19 cases have spiked were supposed to be closed Thursday by order of the governor, but questions remained about how effectively officials would be able to enforce shutdown rules in areas where they’ve been met with resentment.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper tested negative for the coronavirus last month and has never had a positive result, his office confirmedWednesday. His Republican challenger, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, said Monday on Twitter that he “tested negative a few days ago.” He urged reporters to question Cooper’s health, claiming he has spent “the past 207 days in hiding” at the Governor’s Mansion.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: David Andahl, 55, a state legislative candidate who won the June primary over a longtime incumbent and was a target of Gov. Doug Burgum, died Monday due to complications of COVID-19, his mother said.
OHIO Columbus: A voting rights group keen on expanding access to ballot drop boxes is getting a second chance to make its case, after a federal judge agreed Thursday to reconsider his ruling. The dispute comes as drop boxes have become an appealing option for voters seeking to address worries about voting in person due to the pandemic and worries that voting by mail may not be reliable, a mistaken idea promoted by President Donald Trump.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The number of hospitalizations in the state due to COVID-19 surged above 700 onWednesday to a new record one-day high.
OREGON Salem: Several workplace outbreaks have contributed to Marion County’s rise in COVID-19 cases, according to the Oregon Health Authority. The OHA identified new outbreaks at Oregon State Hospital and Oregon State Correctional Institution in Salem onWednesday.
PENNSYLVANIAWest Manchester Township: Months after the coronavirus paused professional canine therapeutic interactions with patients and hospital workers, the Alliance of Therapy Dogs visited UPMC Memorial on Tuesday for a pet parade on the sidewalks, offering a chance for hospital workers to take a break with 12 furry visitors.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Some Providence College students resumed in-person classes Thursday for the first time since the school switched to a remote-only plan because of a coronavirus outbreak that affected more than 200 people.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The state Supreme Court ruledWednesday that a program created by Gov. Henry McMaster to allocate $32 million in federal pandemic aid to private and religious schools is unconstitutional because the public money would directly benefit the schools.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: A small hospital serving the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe has sent two coronavirus patients to an out-of-state hospital in recent days, the tribe’s health department saidWednesday, even as South Dakota’s top health officials insist the state has plenty of hospital capacity for COVID-19 patients. The Cheyenne River Sioux Health Department said it tried to find better-equipped hospitals, but 14 facilities told it they were also diverting COVID-19 patients.
TENNESSEE Memphis: The University of Memphis will begin staff reductions to offset a loss of $50 million due to the COVID-19 pandemic, President M. David Rudd told faculty and staffWednesday.
TEXAS Austin: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott onWednesday allowed bars to begin reopening for the first time since June. However, Dallas and Houston leaders quickly made clear they would still keep bars sidelined, pointing to recent upticks in cases.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The state surpassed the grim milestone Thursday of 500 coronavirus deaths as the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations continued to break records. The state ranks fifth in the country for new infections per capita, according to data from Johns Hopkins.
VERMONT Burlington: A low number of coronavirus cases means students in the city will soon be able to spend more time in in-person classes.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday that he’s putting an additional $220 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds toward the state’s public schools.
WASHINGTON Seattle: COVID-19 cases among students in more than a dozen sororities and fraternities at the University ofWashington have topped 200.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Two hospital nurses in the state have died from the coronavirus, officials said.
WISCONSIN Milwaukee: Health officials say the city will enforce its own coronavirus orders for bars and restaurants, which doesn’t necessarily limit the businesses to 25% capacity under Gov. Tony Evers’ new rules.
WYOMING Cheyenne: Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state reached a new highWednesday, raising concern that small hospitals could run out of intensive-care beds.