50 ★ States

ALABAMA Montgomery: Three state lawmakers tested positive for the coronavirus this week, a legislative spokesman confirmed Tuesday. ALASKA Anchorage: The Department of Corrections is allowing attorney-client visits to resume within its facilities after a yearlong suspension related to the pandemic.

ARIZONA Phoenix: Just over 1 million residents – about 1 in 7 – are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19, state officials announced Tuesday ARKANSAS Little Rock: The state on Tuesday made vaccines available to nearly 1 million more residents, expanding eligibility to a wide category of people that includes food service workers, the incarcerated and people with certain health conditions.

CALIFORNIA Sacramento: The family of a 61-year-old inmate who died of the coronavirus sued state corrections officials Tuesday, blaming a botched transfer of infected inmates to San Quentin State Prison that killed 28 inmates and a correctional officer last year.

COLORADO Fort Collins: A surge of COVID-19 vaccine shipments is expected starting next week, kicking distribution into high gear and opening more mass vaccination sites across the state in the process, Gov. Jared Polis said Tuesday. Meanwhile, after a rapid and steady decrease of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations this winter, progress is stalling. “We’ve reached a bit of a high plateau,” Colorado State Epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: State lawmakers have begun combing through the dozens of executive orders signed by Gov. Ned Lamont over the past year during the pandemic, trying to determine which should be extended and which need to be codified in state law. House Speaker Matt Ritter, DHartford, said legislative leaders plan to meet Thursday with the Democratic governor’s administration. DELAWARE Wilmington: Lawmakers introduced a bill Tuesday to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, heeding the growing call for the pay increase that neighboring states have already implemented. But the COVID-19 pandemic has only bolstered opposition from Delaware’s business-friendly community.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Restaurant workers have been added to the eligibility list for COVID-19 vaccines, WUSA-TV reports. FLORIDA Tallahassee: Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans Tuesday to shore up the state’s emergency management system, as well as give $1,000 bonuses to first responders, under a spending proposal to disburse some $10 billion expected under the latest congressional COVID-19 relief bill. The federal government is distributing money based on the number of unemployed residents – a method DeSantis contends penalizes Florida for its economic recovery.

GEORGIA Atlanta: The state’s failure to open mass vaccination sites earlier and its relatively slow expansion of eligibility for shots are to blame in part for its dismal COVID-19 inoculation rate, health experts say. Georgia ranks dead last among states in the percentage of its adult population that has received at least one dose, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

HAWAII Honolulu: Public schools in the state will bring more students back to campus in coming weeks under COVID-19 prevention guidelines agreed to by administrators, union leaders and health officials. IDAHO Boise: Legislation intended to shield businesses, schools and government entities from lawsuits if someone catches the coronavirus for an extra year headed to the governor’s desk Tuesday.

ILLINOIS Chicago: Public high school students in the city could return to class for limited in-person instruction starting next month under the outline of a plan district leaders unveiled Tuesday as negotiations with the teachers union over COVID-19 safety precautions continued.

INDIANA Indianapolis: A state Senate bill aimed at ensuring public schools receive full funding for all students, even those in virtual learning because of the pandemic, is headed to the governor after lawmakers fast-tracked its passage Tuesday.

IOWA Des Moines: The organizer of Hinterland Music Festival said Tuesday that the Aug. 6-8 gathering will go on after the cancellation of the 2020 show, with precautions that include mandatory masks, audience and camping limitations, and the option to buy virtual tickets.

KANSAS Topeka: The state will give COVID-19 vaccinations faster than planned so that all adults with medical conditions can seek shots next week, Gov. Laura Kelly announced.

KENTUCKY Frankfort: Students whose academic years have been disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic are a step closer to getting the option of a “do-over” year after the state House passed a Senate bill Tuesday evening, sending the measure to Gov. Andy Beshear.

LOUISIANA Lafayette: The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.6% in January – the lowest point since the onset of the pandemic but still high compared to 5.1% in January 2020, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.

MAINE Portland: The state’s push to deliver more COVID-19 vaccine includes longer hours and weekend service as Maine prepares to open eligibility to 660,000 members of the general public in six weeks.

MARYLAND Annapolis: The state is setting aside more priority vaccine appointments for residents in communities around mass vaccination sites, Gov. Larry Hogan said this week, as lawmakers press for improved equity in distribution.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A variant of the coronavirus first identified in Brazil has been found in the state for the first time, public health officials said Tuesday.

MICHIGAN Lansing: Republican state senators critical of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s handling of the pandemic are weighing whether to reject her appointee to run the health department, Elizabeth Hertel, voicing long-running frustrations with restrictions and concerns that Hertel represents more of the same. But the nominee has cachet with several GOP senators from her past jobs in the Legislature.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Health officials say teenagers are behind a slight increase in coronavirus activity. The risk for those 15 to 19 rose when in-person instruction and sports activities resumed this year.

MISSISSIPPI Jackson: State and county drive-thru vaccination sites were closed Wednesday, and thousands of appointments will need to be rescheduled, Mississippi State Department of Health officials announced Tuesday ahead of expected severe weather across the South.

MISSOURI Columbia: Plans for a full Missouri State Fair this August are back on after the event was canceled last year because of the pandemic, a spokeswoman for the state’s agriculture director confirmed Tuesday.

MONTANA Helena: Residents 16 and up will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines April 1, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Tuesday.

NEBRASKA Lincoln: In an effort to reach out to minority and refugee communities, the state Department of Health and Human Services and the Douglas County Health Department are partnering with the Mexican Consulate in Omaha for a Spanish-language town hall Thursday afternoon on Facebook Live to discuss COVID-19 vaccines.

NEVADA Las Vegas: People 55 and older can self-report to their pharmacist underlying conditions that make them eligible for vaccinations, state health officials said, voicing hope residents will be honest.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: The pandemic has highlighted a critical need to maintain or boost funding for schools, mental health treatment, child care scholarships and other programs, advocates told House budget writers Tuesday, offering testimony by phone or video.

NEW JERSEY Trenton: State officials are making a concerted effort to get seniors vaccinated almost two months after they became eligible but were hindered by an online system and competition for limited supplies. Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said staff began reaching out to those 75 and older two weeks ago to book shots. New Jersey now has a hotline for seniors to get appointments: 856-249-7007.

NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: A budget bill advancing toward a state Senate vote would boost public salaries, shore up spending on public education and provide at least $400 million on economic relief measures in response to the pandemic.

NEW YORK Albany: The state will lift the 11 p.m. curfew for casinos, bowling alleys, movie theaters, gyms and billiard halls April 5, but restaurants and bars will have to wait to learn their fate, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Republicans advanced a measure Tuesday that requires the governor to obtain formal support from other elected leaders to enforce long-term statewide emergency orders. A state House judiciary committee voted for the legislation, another response to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s orders since his March 2020 emergency declaration due to COVID-19.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The Legislature has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at shielding businesses and health care facilities from lawsuits over customers’ or employees’ coronavirus exposure.

OHIO Columbus: State Attorney General Dave Yost sued the federal government Wednesday over provisions in the latest pandemic relief package that prevent local governments from using aid to pay for tax cuts. “It basically mandates that the states maintain their existing tax structure during the pendency of this spending bill,” he said. “That’s fundamentally unconstitutional.”

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Prison inmates will again be allowed visitors, more than six months after visitations were suspended due to the coronavirus, the state Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state Department of Health is gearing up for a big influx of vaccine and wants providers to be ready for it and make sure they allow patients outside their networks to make appointments. But fewer providers will be included, officials said Tuesday.

RHODE ISLAND Smithfield: A recent increase in the town’s coronavirus infection rate is likely due to more cases among Bryant University students, according to state officials.

SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: The Republican leader of the committee that writes the state’s budget said he is waiting for more guidance before he makes any recommendations on how to spend the state’s share of the latest federal pandemic relief. Attorney General Alan Wilson has joined colleagues in 20 other states in a letter asking Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen for clarity on how the money can be spent, saying barring legislatures from using the money to cut taxes would be “breathtaking.”

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The state will begin COVID-19 vaccinations for its final priority group Monday, including critical infrastructure workers. State Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton urged residents to be careful Wednesday, saying that since January, the state has been seeing more than double the number of cases it experienced last summer.

TENNESSEE Nashville: In 1986, millions of people did something that feels a bit strange today: They held hands to raise funds to combat hunger and homelessness. Thirty-five years later, the revolutionary event will return in a virtual setting. Hands Across America is being revitalized by Franklin resident Jeff Prescott. Americans are asked to pledge $1 to receive a virtual “hand” to share on social media at 3 p.m. May 25 during a simultaneous virtual show of hands. The organization has an ambitious goal of raising $328 million.

TEXAS Austin: The state count of daily coronavirus cases is back above 4,000, with 4,838 reported Tuesday, state health officials said. Even so, the rolling average of new cases over the past two weeks has fallen by 39.7%, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers.

UTAH St. George: Zion National Park resumed daily shuttle service for the season Saturday amid a wintry storm and renewed COVID-19 restrictions. Ranger Gretchen Wise said the federal mask mandate hadn’t created much of a fuss. “We’ve practiced a lot at this point,” Wise said. “Not much has changed since last summer.”

VERMONT Montpelier: The University of Vermont is reviewing all recent student suspensions related to COVID-19 rule violations, the school president said, citing “anxiety, loneliness and stress” on campus. A petition calling for a change to the suspension and other guidelines has garnered thousands of signatures.

VIRGINIA Richmond: The state Health Department said Tuesday that some areas will expand vaccination efforts this week to people who work in fields that include energy, wastewater, construction, food service, higher education, transportation and legal services. Others should be able to expand within weeks.

WASHINGTON Seattle: The state extended COVID-19 vaccination eligibility Wednesday to grocery store workers, transit workers and first responders, health officials said, but with some in previous groups still vying for their turn, some worry it’ll get even harder to score a shot.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Leaders cautioned residents to continue taking the coronavirus seriously amid a slight bump in deaths and hospitalizations. “I’m worried that they’re starting to let their guard down a little bit,” said the state’s coronavirus czar, Dr. Clay Marsh.

WISCONSIN Madison: The state is “woefully behind” in cleaning up COVID-19 data, and a renewed emphasis on making sure case counts are accurate has resulted in swings in previously reported numbers, state health officials said Wednesday.

WYOMING Cheyenne: Health officials reported two more confirmed coronavirus-related deaths among state residents Tuesday, for a pandemic total of 693.