Some N.Y. Memorial Day events OK’D
In city, online class to continue into summer
NEW YORK — COVID-19 patients will be allowed visitors in some New York hospitals, and small Memorial Day ceremonies will be allowed. In New York City, online schooling will continue through the summer for some 177,700 public school students.
New York will allow Memorial Day ceremonies with up to 10 people despite statewide lockdown rules, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
Ceremonies marking the Monday holiday with 10 or fewer people will be allowed by the state, but at the discretion of local governments, Cuomo said. Nonessential gatherings have been barred in New York since March, but the governor said honoring the sacrifices of military members is an “important tradition.”
Sixteen hospitals in New York state will allow visitors as part of a pilot program addressing the heartbreak of COVID-19 patients suffering while isolated from their families and friends.
Cuomo said visits under the twoweek pilot program will be time-limited. Visitors will need to wear protective equipment and will be subject to temperature and symptom checks.
New York City’s virus-disrupted school year will extend into the summer for 177,700 youngsters, or about 1 in 6 students in the public school system, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.
Instruction will be online in the summer as well, but de Blasio has said he hopes students will be able to return to school buildings in September.
In other developments:
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday unveiled his plan for spending $1 billion in federal funds to combat COVID-19 in Wisconsin. The money will be used to fund ongoing virus testing efforts, conduct contact tracing, purchase supplies, provide resources and prepare for a surge. The spending plan comes a day after Evers dropped plans to work with the Legislature to pass a new statewide rule to slow the spread of the virus.
The Oregon Supreme Court kept statewide virus restrictions in place by halting a judge’s order to end them in a lawsuit claiming the governor exceeded her authority when she shut down in-person religious services. Presiding Justice Thomas Balmer gave both sides until Friday to submit legal briefs.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle
Lujan Grisham on Tuesday defended her response to the coronavirus pandemic amid calls by Republican lawmakers who want her to remove enforced business restrictions. In a letter, Lujan Grisham responded to 13 state senators who want the governor to provide only safety guidelines.
A Catholic church in Houston has closed its doors after five of its leaders tested positive for COVID-19, including two priests who had helped celebrate public Masses, which had resumed earlier this month. The closure and positive tests come after a priest from Holy Ghost parish, 79-year-old Donnell Kirchner, died last week. He was diagnosed with pneumonia, but health officials are determining whether he might have contracted the virus before he died May 13.
Gov. Kristi Noem said Tuesday that South Dakota is seeing “fantastic” trends in the projected coronavirus rates. While Noem said she hates to see new hospitalizations or deaths from COVID-19, she told reporters in her daily briefing, “We do know we’re far below what our projections are, and that’s a good thing for our state.”
All parts of Illinois are on track to see coronavirus-related restrictions loosened and more businesses reopen before the end of the month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Tuesday. Illinois recorded 1,545 new cases of COVID-19, including 146 additional deaths. That brings the state’s total cases to 98,030, with 4,379 deaths, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported.