50 ★ States
ALABAMA Montgomery: State health officials are urging people to serve up a heaping side of precaution at Thanksgiving. Officials say people should skip large family gatherings. “We all want to see our family at holiday time, and yet this is a special year,” State Health Officer Scott Harris said. “Many things maybe could be done virtually, which is not nearly as much fun but certainly safer.”
ALASKA Anchorage: The spread of the coronavirus at the state’s largest prison, Goose Creek Correctional Center, has accelerated beyond an initial outbreak, with 110 inmates testing positive as of Monday.
ARIZONA Phoenix: With the state reporting a daily average of 1,900 new COVID-19 cases over the past week, Gov. Doug Ducey has urged residents to be careful. “Gatherings of families and friends from outside your household are no safer than going to the grocery store,” he said.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: The state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations again hit a new high Tuesday, as Gov. Asa Hutchinson resisted calls for new restrictions on businesses or gatherings. An outbreak of the virus among state legislators also grew to 11 with another lawmaker testing positive.
CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: The city will study the feasibility of using its enormous convention center, idled amid the coronavirus outbreak, as a temporary shelter for the increasing number of people living on the streets. The pandemic has forced more people into homelessness, City Councilman Curren Price said.
COLORADO Denver: The state Department of Public Health and Environment has routinely deleted emails related to the coronavirus pandemic even though the state archives has asked that they be saved, a newspaper has found. The Denver Post reports it discovered that emails sent and received by state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy were deleted after the Post requested documents.
CONNECTICUT New Canaan: More than 350 students and 20 teachers in this wealthy suburb are in quarantine after a new round of coronavirus testing turned up 15 infections, according to the local school district.
DELAWARE Dover: Attorneys for a cleric say they’ve reached a settlement with Gov. John Carney over the coronavirus restrictions he imposed on worship services. The Rev. Christopher Allan Bullock filed a lawsuit in May claiming Carney’s restrictions were unconstitutional and discriminatory. Lawyers said Wednesday that the settlement requires the governor to treat houses of worship in a neutral manner in any future emergency.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: D.C. reported 206 new cases of the coronavirus Wednesday – its highest single-day total since late May, WUSA-TV reports.
GEORGIA Atlanta: The state is again hitting a new peak in public high school graduation rates. Because of the pandemic, many high school students did not have to take end-ofcourse exams last year, which would have counted for 20% of their overall grade. Most students take the courses that require the exams before their senior year, so it’s unclear whether the lack of tests influenced Georgia’s graduation rates.
HAWAII Honolulu: Bankruptcies declined in October for the eighth time in 10 months as state unemployment reached a national high of 15.1% and as tourism was in the beginning stage of reopening after a major economic downturn amid the pandemic.
IDAHO Boise: A judge has dismissed a case against a Rathdrum woman who was cited for holding an April yard sale that authorities said violated the state’s coronavirus-related stay-at-home order.
ILLINOIS Springfield: The state set another single-day record for coronavirus infections Tuesday, pushing the total number of people who have tested positive since the pandemic began past 500,000. Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned that hospitalizations are nearing their spring peak.
INDIANA Indianapolis: The state is continuing its record-setting increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations and new infections, health officials said Tuesday as the state once again surpassed 4,000 new cases and reported 63 more deaths.
IOWA Des Moines: Two more state prisons are reporting coronavirus outbreaks, at prisons in Clarinda, where 377 inmates and 16 staff members are positive, and Rockwell City, where 254 inmates and four staff are positive, an Iowa Department of Corrections report shows.
KANSAS Topeka: The state’s largest public school district, in Wichita, has scrapped plans to allow its middle and high school students to attend some in-person classes, and three counties have imposed new pandemic-inspired restrictions.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: Kentuckians should avoid large Thanksgiving gatherings to protect extended family and friends from a surging COVID-19 outbreak, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. Instead, in-person get-togethers should be limited to people from one household, he said.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Shoppers will see state sales taxes suspended for two days this month, under a bill signed into law by Gov. John Bel Edwards. House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, sponsored the measure to help residents and businesses recovering from hurricanes Laura and Delta and coping with the pandemic.
MAINE Augusta: State lawmakers plan to hold their first legislative sessions at the Augusta Civic Center instead of the Statehouse as coronavirus cases grow.
MARYLAND Annapolis: The state is reducing indoor operations for bars and restaurants from 75% to 50% in response to rising coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: An increase in the number of COVID-19 cases could force the state to once again open field hospitals to care for a possible overflow of patients as intensive care units fill up, Gov. Charlie Baker warned Tuesday.
MICHIGAN Lansing: The state on Tuesday posted a record number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases, near 6,500, and reported 59 deaths – its deadliest day in six months.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: State health officials reported a record 56 new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, Gov. Tim Walz said. He told Minnesota Public Radio the daily report shows positivity rates above 20%.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Gov. Tate Reeves said Tuesday that he, his wife and their three daughters are in isolation after the youngest tested positive for the coronavirus.
MISSOURI O’Fallon: Twenty-eight employees of the Jackson County Election Board have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks, and a director believes they most likely got infected from voters, but health officials aren’t convinced.
MONTANA Billings: The state’s chief epidemiologist said the coronavirus has stressed medical services to the brink, and he predicted no improvement this winter. “We’re kind of preparing for the worst here,” Jim Murphy said. “We have pretty spooky numbers for COVID, going into a fall respiratory season.”
NEBRASKA Omaha: The state continues to set records for COVID-19 hospitalizations. The steady increase in cases raises the concern that hospitals could soon be overwhelmed, said Dr. James Lawler, an infectious diseases specialist at Nebraska Medicine. “In three weeks’ time ... we will no longer be able to deliver optimal and effective care,” he said.
NEVADA Carson City: Although the coronavirus is spreading at record rates, the state will not need to tighten restrictions if individuals commit to preventive measures like mask-wearing and working from home, Gov. Steve Sisolak said Tuesday. He provided a deadline: If Nevada doesn’t show signs that it’s containing the virus in two weeks, he will be forced to tighten prevention measures. “If you don’t have to go out, don’t go out,” Sisolak said.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Amherst: Officials say an Election Day voter at a polling place tested positive for the coronavirus, but the town had safety precautions in place.
NEW JERSEY Jersey City: The family of the state’s first law enforcement officer to die from COVID-19 has filed a claim to sue Hudson County, saying he did not receive any masks or other personal protective equipment while working at the county jail. Bernard Waddell Sr., a corrections officer, was forced to work within close proximity to inmates he believed were infected, said family lawyer Paul da Costa.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Santa Fe Public Schools is ending a shortlived soft opening of in-person learning as the coronavirus pandemic hobbles the state.
NEW YORK New York: Restaurants, bars and gyms across the state will have to close at 10 p.m. starting Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. He said people will also be barred from hosting private gatherings with more than 10 people.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The state will remain paused in its current reopening plan for an additional three weeks, with indoor gathering limits reduced from 25 people to 10 people starting Friday.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The state continues to lead the nation in daily new coronavirus cases per capita, with 1 in 83 residents testing positive in just the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. Health officials reported 12 new deaths from coronavirus complications Wednesday, down from a record 30 Tuesday.
OHIO Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine planned to give a statewide address Wednesday night, his second time making a public appeal about the severity of the coronavirus’ spread to residents since the pandemic began in March.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The number of people hospitalized with confirmed and probable coronavirus shattered the previous one-day record by nearly 200 on Wednesday, and more than 2,100 new cases were reported, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported.
OREGON Salem: Gov. Kate Brown and state health officials warned Tuesday of the capacity challenges facing hospitals. The Oregon Health Authority recorded a record 285 confirmed COVID-19 patients in hospitals Tuesday – a 57% increase in just the past week and an 83% increase in the past four weeks.
PENNSYLVANIA Philadelphia: The city’s public school students will continue to attend classes virtually for the foreseeable future, district officials announced Tuesday.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Employees of the state Senate are being told to work from home after three workers tested positive for the coronavirus, state officials said.
SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: Officials in the state’s largest school district say the number of students who received an F in at least one class tripled this year. Greenville County Schools’ Associate Superintendent of Academics Jeff McCoy said report cards show a much larger proportion of virtual students receiving failing grades than in-person students.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The mayor cast the tie-breaking vote that defeated a proposed mask mandate Tuesday. “I believe the small uptick we’ll see in compliance is not worth the community division that this will create,” Mayor Paul TenHaken said.
TENNESSEE Nashville: Gov. Bill Lee said Tuesday that he’s looking to include “meaningful” teacher pay raises in next year’s budget despite facing financial crunches brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
TEXAS Austin: The state has become the first with more than 1 million confirmed coronavirus cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Texas recorded 10,865 new cases Tuesday, setting a new daily record, state officials said.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A group of teachers has organized an event to encourage educators across the state to call in sick Thursday and use the day off to get tested for the coronavirus amid a surge in confirmed cases. “There are no testing requirements for teachers or students currently,” Granite School District teacher Lindsay Plummer said.
VERMONT Montpelier: The state on Tuesday suspended a program that allowed people from across the Northeast to visit Vermont without quarantining if they come from a county with a low rate of coronavirus infection. Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday that the number of counties eligible has continued to shrink. As of Tuesday only two counties between Maine and Ohio were listed as green.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday announced plans to significantly increase statewide coronavirus testing capacity and to launch a media campaign in southwest Virginia, which has seen a sharp rise in cases in the past month. The moves came three days after Virginia reported 2,103 new cases – its biggest single-day increase.
WASHINGTON Seattle: Two hospitals near the city are struggling with COVID-19 outbreaks. The Auburn Medical Center reported at least five employees and eight patients tested positive for the coronavirus, after an outbreak on a fourth-floor unit. At St. Michael Medical Center in Bremerton, at least six people have been infected since early November.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The state reported a new high of 642 coronavirus cases Wednesday and seven deaths as the pandemic continued its march into rural enclaves.
WISCONSIN Madison: Gov. Tony Evers renewed his pleas Tuesday for people to stay home in an unusual prime-time speech hours after the state set new records for coronavirus infections and deaths. He said projections show if nothing changes, deaths could double by January.
WYOMING Gillette: The son of a state representative who opposed COVID-19 public restrictions said his father was positive for the coronavirus when he died. Roy Edwards, 66, died Nov. 2 at Wyoming Medical Center in Casper after being hospitalized for more than a week with illness that was not immediately disclosed, The Gillette News Record reports. He was reelected the day after he died.