Government

The Hill reports: North Dakota’s coronavirus mortality rate is the highest of any U.S. state or country, according to an analysis of data from last week conducted by the Federation of American Scientists. The analysis shows that North Dakota has a rate of 18.2 deaths per 1 million people. South Dakota, meanwhile, has 17.4 deaths per million, the third-worst rate …

MarketWatch reports: Sweden is switching from its voluntary lockdowns to a much more aggressive approach that will see public events of more than eight people banned. The Nordic country was one of the few countries that didn’t go into an enforced lockdown, and has rejected the need for masks. In October, it drew up guidelines for a voluntary lockdown in …

Phoenix’s ABC News reports: The Navajo Nation has begun a three-week lockdown for its citizens to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. “This virus takes off like wildfire,” said Navajo Nation President Johnathan Nez regarding a recent spike of COVID-19 cases across his constituents. “I think we just let down. There’s COVID fatigue here on Navajo as well.” The lockdown …

The Des Moines Register reports: After months of rebuffing calls for a broad mask mandate to fight COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday evening that all people ages 2 and older must wear a face covering when in an indoor space that is open to the public. Her order applies when people who are not members of the same household …

Reuters reports: The number of coronavirus cases in the United States crossed the 11-million mark on Sunday reaching yet another grim milestone, according to a Reuters tally, as the third wave of COVID-19 infections surged across the country. Reuters data shows the pace of the pandemic in the United States has quickened, with one million more new cases from just …

Seattle’s NBC News affiliate reports: Gov. Jay Inslee has announced new statewide restrictions to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, which includes closing indoor service for restaurants and bars and prohibiting indoor social gatherings. These rules will mostly go into effect on Monday at 11:59 p.m. and will remain in effect until Dec. 14. In-store retail limited to 25% …

The New York Daily News reports: City schools will remain open Monday, Mayor de Blasio said, pointing to the latest COVID infection rate. The latest seven-day average of COVID tests coming back positive was 2.57%, according to Hizzoner, who previously set 3% as the level that would trigger school closure. “Thankfully, schools will remain open on Monday,” he tweeted Sunday, …

Reuters reports: U.S. states, cities, and hospitals are scrambling to buy ultra-cold freezers that can safely store Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, ignoring advice from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hold off. The push reveals a lack of infrastructure to support a super cold vaccine campaign, including equipment to store millions of doses of Pfizer’s vaccine at …

The Associated Press reports: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak on Friday said he has tested positive for COVID-19 as the virus surges to record levels in the state and across the U.S. The 66-year-old Democrat is the fifth governor to report testing positive for the coronavirus this year. Three governors, two Republicans in Missouri and Oklahoma, and one Democrat in Virginia …

The Washington Post reports: The United States recorded more than 177,000 new coronavirus patients on Friday, a record high for the third straight day as the number of confirmed cases continues a steady climb. At least 25 states and D.C. on Friday reported that their seven-day average of new cases was up 30 percent from the previous day. Every state …

The Wall Street Journal reports: The U.S. for the first time reported more than 150,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day, driven by record infection counts in more than a dozen states. More than 153,000 new cases were recorded in the U.S. and the nation’s total topped 10.5 million, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. California became …

Chicago’s WGN reports: Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a stay-at-home advisory for the City of Chicago that will go into effect starting Monday, Nov. 16. The mayor’s announcement Thursday comes in response to the surge of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the city. “If changes are not made by Chicago residents, businesses, and visitors to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the …

The Wall Street Journal reports: New coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed to another record, topping 100,000 for the ninth day in a row, as hospitals faced increasing numbers of Covid-19 patients. The U.S. reported more than 144,000 new cases for Wednesday, up about 4,000 from the day before, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The total number …

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports: As coronavirus cases continue to skyrocket in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine threatened to order bars, restaurants and fitness centers closed in one week if newly confirmed cases continue to increase. During an evening address to Ohioans, DeWine said that the current surge presents a different challenge than in the spring, when the main concern was …

Eater New York reports: New York restaurants and bars that hold liquor licenses will have to abide by a new nightly curfew, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today, as the state and region grapples with a growing uptick in COVID-19 cases. Restaurants and bars across the state have been ordered to close indoor and outdoor dining nightly at 10 p.m. starting …

NBC News York reports: Coronavirus tests in New York City are coming back positive at the highest rate since the first wave of the pandemic receded in June, Big Apple officials revealed Wednesday as they again sounded the alarm about a COVID-19 second wave. Figures from the city Health Department show that the average positivity rate for coronavirus tests taken …

The Hill reports: A top health department official in Wisconsin says that the state is nearing a point at which some patients who need lifesaving care will be unable to receive it due to overcrowding in hospitals resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. Ryan Westergaard, chief medical officer for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, said during a discussion hosted by …

The Texas Tribune reports: The number of coronavirus patients in Texas hospitals has nearly doubled since October, and average infections are at their highest point in almost three months — leaving health officials bracing for a potential crush of hospitalizations going into the holidays. In El Paso, hospitals are so overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients that in early November the Department …

CBS News reports: Texas became the first state to surpass 1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The grim milestone comes as the U.S. is facing a surge in coronavirus cases across the country. Texas, the second-most populous U.S. state, now has more coronavirus cases than all of Italy, which was previously …

The Washington Post reports: House Democrats sent letters Tuesday to the White House and over 50 government departments and agencies, ordering them to preserve their records in keeping with their obligations under federal law, and make an extra effort to preserve any information related to congressional oversight investigations launched in the past two years. “Over the last four years, the …