USA TODAY International Edition
50 ★ States
ALABAMA Montgomery: The state was distributing its first COVID- 19 vaccine doses to prisoners Wednesday, the Alabama Department of Corrections announced.
ALASKA Anchorage: Former Gov. Sarah Palin says she tested positive for the coronavirus and is urging people to take steps to guard against its spread, such as wearing masks.
ARIZONA Phoenix: Gov. Doug Ducey announced Wednesday that workers are being added to meet high demand at state- run COVID- 19 vaccine sites. State health officials said Tuesday that they were experiencing long lines outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, citing multiple issues including the hot weather.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Lawmakers on Wednesday voted to prohibit the state from reimposing a mask mandate, a day after Gov. Asa Hutchinson lifted the requirement.
COLORADO Denver: The state Department of Corrections said it will give $ 500 to all employees who get fully vaccinated against COVID- 19.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: The state on Wednesday received its first credit rating upgrade in two decades. Moody’s Investor Services upgraded the state’s general obligation bond rating one notch, from A1 to Aa3, citing its “significant budgetary reserves and good financial performance through the pandemic.”
DELAWARE Wilmington: Coronavirus cases are rising again, and officials are again calling for the public “to lean into” mitigation measures. Public health experts say the state is in a race between vaccinations and the circulation of more transmissible variants fueling the latest surge.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Officials in the nation’s capital are watching the crowds as cherry blossom season begins in earnest. National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said local coronavirus metrics have been encouraging, but vigilance is still the order of the day in ensuring crowds don’t grow too thick at the Tidal Basin.
FLORIDA Miami: Nonprofits, organizations and officials are racing to vaccinate thousands of farmworkers who were denied priority access in the state but now have to travel north to harvest crops in other regions. Advocates are asking officials to quickly mobilize to areas such as Homestead and Immokalee and to be more lenient on ID requirements.
GEORGIA Atlanta: Gov. Brian Kemp is rolling back coronavirus restrictions starting next Thursday despite warnings from federal officials of a “fourth surge” if states keep relaxing precautions. Kemp signed an order Wednesday that ends a ban on large gatherings, eliminates shelter- inplace requirements, and reduces any remaining distance requirements at restaurants, bars, movie theaters and group fitness classes.
HAWAII Honolulu: A coronavirus outbreak tied to a church on Maui has resulted in at least 55 cases, said the Department of Health, which asked anyone who attended events at King’s Cathedral in Kahului to get tested, Hawaii News Now reports.
IDAHO Boise: A federal judge should require an 87- year- old to reveal whether he’s received a COVID- 19 shot since his January lawsuit seeking to put those 65 and older at the front of the line, state officials say.
ILLINOIS Springfield: Dr. Marc Shelton, chief physician executive for Hospital Sisters Health System, said he’s frustrated by apparent vaccine reluctance, and open slots remaining for shots at HSHS sites tell him people may be feeling complacent now that others are getting vaccinated.
INDIANA Clarksville: A nurse has been charged with practicing medicine without a license for allegedly removing a nursing home resident’s oxygen mask hours before he died from COVID- 19 last year. Connie Sneed was charged last week with the felony after she wrote on Facebook that she had asked the man if he wanted to “fly with the angels.”
IOWA Johnston: The state is facing an uptick in coronavirus cases and a hesitancy among much of the population to get vaccinated. A recent U. S. Census Bureau survey indicates about 800,000 Iowans will not commit to getting a COVID- 19 shot, roughly 36% of the adult population.
KANSAS Topeka: Top legislators on Thursday revoked an order aimed at encouraging counties to keep mask mandates amid the coronavirus pandemic, just hours after Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly issued it.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: State lawmakers are off to a “good start” in using a massive infusion of federal pandemic aid to create jobs and stimulate economic growth, Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday. The Democratic governor, who feuded with Republicans over efforts to rein in some of his executive authority, praised the Legislature for its decisions on how to use the aid.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: New rules designed to keep endangered and threatened sea turtles from drowning in some inshore shrimp nets are being postponed, and federal regulators are considering whether to expand the rules, officials said Tuesday. Coronavirus pandemic restrictions over the past year have limited in- person workshops and training opportunities for fishermen to install escape hatches called turtle excluder devices, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
MAINE Portland: The state is opening up eligibility for COVID- 19 vaccines to all residents 16 and older next Wednesday, 12 days earlier than previously planned, Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday.
MARYLAND Baltimore: The company at the center of quality problems that led Johnson & Johnson to discard 15 million doses of COVID- 19 vaccine has a string of citations for quality control problems at its Baltimore plant. The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly cited Emergent BioSolutions for problems such as poorly trained employees, cracked vials, and problems managing mold and other contamination.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The renowned Shakespeare & Company theater group plans to resume live, in- person performances this summer with a production of “King Lear” starring Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd that was originally slated for last year. Audiences will be required to wear masks, socially distance and adhere to public health guidelines, the company said.
MICHIGAN District: Schools across the state are in line for about $ 6 billion in COVID- 19 relief money, part of the largest federal investment in K- 12 education in U. S. history.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The state exceeded more than 2,000 daily coronavirus cases Thursday for the first time in months amid a continued upward trend.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 271 new coronavirus cases and 16 COVID- 19- related deaths Thursday. There were 15 outbreaks at nursing homes across the state.
MISSOURI Springfield: The Springfield- Greene County Health Department, Missouri State University and other area partners hope to vaccinate 10,000 people against COVID19 in a two- day event next Thursday and Friday on the MSU campus.
MONTANA Helena: Lawmakers have shepherded a bill to spend most of the state’s share of the latest federal COVID- 19 relief across its first major hurdle. The legislation passed by the House by a wide bipartisan margin Tuesday creates a process for making significant investments in infrastructure, broadband connectivity, social welfare and health care programs – along with direct allocations to cities, counties and tribes and numerous, smaller one- time spends in state agencies – over the next four years.
NEBRASKA Omaha: Gov. Pete Ricketts will get his first COVID- 19 shot Saturday at Nebraska Medicine. The 56- year- old governor had previously signed up for the vaccine online and was notified this week that he was eligible for an appointment.
NEVADA Las Vegas: Restaurant owners and a congresswoman hope the new federal COVID- 19 relief package will be another lifeline for those struggling to hang on in the industry hit hard by the pandemic. Democratic U. S. Rep. Dina Titus appeared Wednesday with several restaurant owners to tout $ 28.6 billion in grants included in the law signed by President Joe Biden.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Communities are resuming outdoor sidewalk and street dining that have grown popular amid the pandemic. Cities such as Portsmouth and Concord began serving outdoors Thursday, allowing restaurants to put tables and chairs on public areas such as sidewalks and parking lots.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: Gov. Phil Murphy has announced the launch of an online vaccine appointment finder. The site at covid19. nj. gov/ pages/ finder says near the top that it’s still “a work in progress.”
NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The state will expand vaccine eligibility next week to everyone 16 and older, health officials said Wednesday. New Mexico continues to lead the U. S. in vaccine distribution, with about 27% of residents 16 and older fully vaccinated.
NEW YORK Albany: As of Thursday, travelers are no longer required to quarantine after entering New York from another state or U. S. territory.
NORTH CAROLINA Gastonia: Gov. Roy Cooper toured vaccine clinics in the city Wednesday, repeatedly telling people getting COVID- 19 shots: “Go tell all your friends!” All residents 16 and up will become eligible next Wednesday.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Gov. Doug Burgum vetoed a bill Thursday that would allow the Legislature to meet and act on legislation before a session starts in January. The bill was inspired by a spate of orders Burgum issued, mostly in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
OHIO Toledo: The state’s vaccination rollout is moving toward outlining how private clinics can give COVID- 19 shots at workplaces, churches and schools. But for now, Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration has told health care providers to stop scheduling clinics that aren’t open to the public.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The Oklahoma City- County Health Department plans to offer 10,000 COVID- 19 vaccinations to all comers next Wednesday at State Fair Park.
OREGON Bend: Oregon Occupational Safety & Health has fined a coffee shop more than $ 27,000 for allegedly violating standards meant to protect employees from the coronavirus. State officials said Tuesday that Kevista, in Bend, willfully continued to potentially expose workers to the virus, despite a public health order that barred indoor dining.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state Department of Health tracks how many of its own vaccines are administered to non- Pennsylvanians but has no way of knowing how many of its own residents are getting their shots elsewhere. That could be one reason some border counties have such low vaccination rates.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Local police last year dealt with a huge increase in the number of calls for people going through a mental health crisis. “The pandemic threw things amok,” police chief Col. Hugh Clements told WPRI- TV. “People felt a lot of anxiety, a lot of depression ... there has been a lot of isolation.”
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The state Senate unanimously passed a proposal that would require schools to provide in- person classes five days a week starting as soon as April 12.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem is rejecting the idea of vaccine passports. Noem said this week via her social media platforms that she does not support making inoculation a requirement for access to certain events, flights and businesses, calling the idea oppressive and at odds with American values.
TENNESSEE Memphis: President Joe Biden’s administration and the state are building a community vaccination center outside the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, officials said. The site, expected to deliver up to 21,000 doses a week, should be up and running by next Wednesday, White House officials said.
TEXAS Harlingen: Firefighters and ambulance crews are bringing vaccines directly to the homes of the city’s most vulnerable. In Harlingen’s new Homebound Vaccination Program, a team of 15 firefighters is working with the South Texas Emergency Care Foundation to find and offer shots to homebound residents, the Valley Morning Star reports.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The state is launching a return- to- work program to help residents reentering the workforce, officials announced Thursday. Lt. Gov. Deirdre Henderson said the program will provide returnships, similar to internships, as opportunities for those who’ve been out of work during the pandemic to build their resumes and gain experience.
VERMONT Montpelier: The state expects to expand vaccine eligibility to out- of- state college students and second homeowners April 30 if supply allows.
VIRGINIA Richmond: All residents 16 and older will be eligible for COVID- 19 vaccined beginning April 18, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Thursday.
WASHINGTON Olympia: The state is opening up vaccine eligibility to everyone 16 and up starting April 15, Gov. Jay Inslee said Wednesday.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The state is working with the business and manufacturing sectors to set up vaccine clinics at sites of employment, where family members can also get shots. Gov. Jim Justice said pastors can request clinics for their congregations by calling the state’s vaccine hotline at 1- 833- 734- 0965.
WISCONSIN Madison: A conservative law firm wants state corrections officials to relax COVID- 19 protocols and allow volunteer ministers to visit inmates. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty sent a letter Thursday to Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr complaining about the no- visitor policy the department adopted in March 2020.
WYOMING Cheyenne: All residents 16 and up are now eligible to receive a COVID- 19 vaccine. More than 162,000 people in the state, over a quarter of the population, have received at least one dose so far.