HIGHLIGHT: ALASKA
Anchorage: Forty-one crew members and passengers of an Alaska state ferry will undergo testing for COVID-19 before disembarking the Tustumena in Homer after another crew member tested positive over the weekend. The crew member on the 198-foot ferry began exhibiting symptoms and tested positive Saturday in Dutch Harbor. The ferry set sail for Homer that night after 21 passengers who boarded in Dutch Harbor were put back on shore. No other tests on crew members or passengers were conducted on Saturday. In all, 35 crew members and six passengers were to undergo testing in Homer, state officials said Monday during a news conference. Crew members and passengers will be free to leave the ferry while waiting for test results if they head home or to their final destination, where they can quarantine for 14 days. They must also take private transportation to that location, and they cannot expose new individuals, like a cab driver, in getting to their final destination. All the passengers were Alaska residents, officials said.
ALABAMA Gadsden: Drive-thru testing, with next-day results, will be offered from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday in the outpatient parking lot at Riverview Regional Medical Center, The Gadsden Times reported. Patients must call (256) 442-5153 to make an appointment, print and complete the coronavirus testing form available at the hospital’s website, www.riverviewregional.com, and bring their insurance cards.
ARIZONA Phoenix: As COVID-19 numbers in Arizona climbed last week, the state health director sent a letter to hospitals urging them to “fully activate” emergency plans. Hospitals are also being asked to prepare for crisis care, and to suspend elective surgeries if they are experiencing a shortage of staff or bed capacity.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson backed off the possibility of allowing just some parts of the state to lift more coronavirus restrictions as the number of people hospitalized from the virus hit a new high.
CALIFORNIA Sacramento: Movie theaters can begin opening later this week if they limit theater capacity to 25% or no more than 100 attendees, under state guidance released Monday.
COLORADO Denver: State public schools will need to be flexible about reopening classroom instruction this fall by keeping remote learning options available for students at schools that have coronavirus outbreaks, Gov. Jared Pollis and Dr. Richard Herlihy, the state’s chief epidemiologist, told the education board Monday.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection reopened campgrounds Monday.
DELAWARE Wilmington: Gov. John Carney has extended Delaware’s state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic through the end of June. The emergency was first declared mid-March and must be extended every 30 days.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell criticized D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser for restricting church services while allowing protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.
FLORIDA Tallahassee: U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the top Senate Democrat, called on the Department of Labor to investigate Florida’s glitch-ridden unemployment system, asserting that the state mismanaged claims and failed to deliver timely benefits after massive job losses from the coronavirus pandemic.
GEORGIA Augusta: Georgia appears to be slowing to about 600 new cases of COVID-19 a day over the past few days, with a smaller amount of deaths, but Augusta saw a big influx of new cases and two new deaths, according to new data.
HAWAII Honolulu: Maui County’s unemployment rose to 35% in April, the highest rate in the state, largely because of the massive impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the tourism industry.
IDAHO Twin Falls: Gov. Brad Little and lawmakers have announced a plan allowing cities and counties to tap into $200 million of federal coronavirus relief money to pay police and other public safety workers as long as property taxes are also reduced.
ILLINOIS Chicago: The International Manufacturing Technology Show that was scheduled to be held at McCormick Place in September has been scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Most of the state’s casinos can reopen as soon as next week under coronavirus safety plans they have submitted, an Indiana Gaming Commission official said Monday. The 13 state-regulated casinos have been closed since midMarch when widespread shutdowns started to slow the virus spread.
IOWA Des Moines: The Des Moines Farmers Market said that an online platform has been created in partnership with UnityPoint Health-Des Moines for people to order products from vendors and pick them up or have them delivered. More than 100 vendors are participating in the platform, according to a news release from the farmers market.
KANSAS Topeka: Kansas counties “shouldn’t feel pressure” to loosen restrictions if they aren’t seeing a decline in new coronavirus cases or new hospitalizations, Gov. Laura Kelly said, with cases increasing faster in the four most populous counties than the state as a whole.
KENTUCKY Hodgenville: The Abraham Lincoln Birthplace is increasing visitor access and services this week with guidance from government health officials about the coronavirus pandemic.
LOUISIANA Shreveport: After spending roughly $18,600 on workrelated travel in 2019, Mayor Adrian Perkins’ 2020 travel has been slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic to less than $10,000.
MAINE Portland: A federal appeals court is expected to hear an appeal from an evangelical church that challenged a ban on large gatherings by Gov. Janet Mills.
MARYLAND Annapolis: A county health official is urging people who participated in recent protests against police brutality to get tested for the new coronavirus.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum on the lives of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Tribe soon after the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620, is reopening this week.
MICHIGAN Lansing: The Michigan Gaming Control Board approved minimum reopening guidelines for commercial casinos, though they remain closed amid the coronavirus pandemic under an order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
MINNESOTA St. Cloud: A flyover, a virtual fireworks display and a brief live fireworks salute will mark July 4 festivities and replace the usual fireworks and gatherings at Hester and Wilson Parks.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Gov. Tate Reeves said the state still faces danger from the coronavirus pandemic, and people should not harass or make fun of those who follow public health recommendations to wear masks in public.
MISSOURI Springfield: In a tweet Monday night, the National Rifle Association said its annual membership meeting will be held Sept. 5 at the Springfield Expo Center. The meeting was previously scheduled for April 18 in Nashville, Tennessee, but was rescheduled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
MONTANA Helena: Nine new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Montana between Saturday and Monday, increasing the state’s total count to 548, the state health department said.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Two members of the Nebraska National Guard who helped police during recent protests have tested positive for the new coronavirus, and the Guard plans to test all of its personnel still on duty in Omaha and Lincoln.
NEVADA Reno: A 35-year-old Reno man awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to stealing hundreds of surgical masks from a Veterans Affairs hospital amid the coronavirus pandemic.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire has sued Gov. Chris Sununu and Secretary of State Bill Gardner, saying that the required 3,000 signatures needed from registered voters to get candidates on the ballot for the 2020 elections is unreasonable during the coronavirus pandemic.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: Effective immediately, limited indoor gatherings and outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people can resume in an easing of rules meant to slow the spread of the new cornavirus, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: New Mexico’s lead specialist for tracking and combating infectious disease is leaving the state Health Department amid the coronavirus pandemic. Michael Landen retired as state epidemiologist to be closer to relatives in Virginia, where his parents live, said Health Department spokesman David Morgan.
NEW YORK Albany: The sevencounty Hudson Valley region entered Phase 2 of the state’s fourphase reopening Tuesday, which includes allowing in-person retail stores and hair salons to open their doors and letting outdoor dining at restaurants and bars.
NORTH CAROLINA Altamahaw: Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson said he won’t cite a local stock car speedway for violating the state’s prohibition against mass gatherings because of COVID-19 after another large crowd gathered there for races.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State health officials said Tuesday that 22 more people have tested positive for the new coronavirus in North Dakota, but no additional deaths have been reported.
OHIO Toledo: The state’s two big amusement parks will open in early July, but initially to season pass holders only. Kings Island near Cincinnati will open on July 2 and Cedar Point in Sandusky will start its season on July 9, the parks announced on Tuesday. Both will only be open to season pass holders to start, with other guests welcomed at a later date.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: There were 158 new coronavirus cases and five additional deaths because of COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported Tuesday.
OREGON Salem: Crater Lake National Park, Oregon’s only national park, reopened Monday following an extended closure to limit the spread of COVID-19. The park began a phased opening that includes Munson Valley Road, West Rim Drive and North Entrance Road, weather permitting, parks officials said.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Five more coronavirus testing sites are opening in underserved areas of Pennsylvania. Beginning Wednesday, drive-thru testing sites will be open in Walmart parking lots in Mill Hall, Punxsutawney, Bradford, Cranberry and Warren.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Bryant University and the town of Smithfield have canceled this year’s Fourth of July holiday fireworks display and concert, the school said Tuesday.
SOUTH CAROLINA Spartanburg: The city won’t be able to follow through on an earlier commitment to award raises to its police officers because of lost tax revenue from the coronavirus pandemic.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday took to social media to vaunt her response to the coronavirus pandemic and pitch herself as a leading conservative governor.
TENNESSEE Oneida: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Tennessee and Kentucky has reopened parts of the park, coordinating with health officials during the coronavirus pandemic.
TEXAS Austin: The state will push for increased coronavirus testing in minority communities that have been hit hard by expanding walk-up and drive-through testing sites, Gov. Greg Abbott said. The Republican also said Texas will be poised to react to any surge in cases that might come from exposure in large public demonstrations that have been held since the death of former Houston resident George Floyd in Minneapolis.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Former Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has tested negative for COVID-19, several days after his campaign revealed one of its staffers had the new coronavirus. Huntsman is one of four Republican gubernatorial candidates on the June primary ballot.
VERMONT Winooski: A spike in coronavirus cases in this small city has hit tightly knit immigrant communities where a language barrier might have prevented some from knowing how to prevent the spread or get tested, some immigrant community members said Tuesday.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam said students will return to school this fall but with strict new social distancing guidelines aimed at preventing the spread of the new coronavirus.
WASHINGTON Vancouver: Firestone Pacific Foods has started reopening after a coronavirus outbreak infected 132 people and forced the fruit processor to halt operations.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Gov. Jim Justice said outdoor concerts at fairs and festivals will be allowed to resume next month as he continues to lift coronavirus restrictions in the state. Justice said the open-air concerts at fairs and festivals can be held starting on July 1.
WISCONSIN Madison: Campgrounds closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic can reopen starting Wednesday, but it won’t be business as usual. Campers will have to make reservations ahead of time, won’t be able to purchase firewood on site and all buildings, observation towers, playgrounds, concessions and rentals will be closed. But bathrooms will be open, as well as trails, boat launches, beaches and outdoor recreation areas.
WYOMING Casper: The troubled nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Forever, said Saturday that it was further reducing its staff and suspending the operations of its educational arm, the Yellowstone Forever Institute, the Casper Star-Tribune reproted.