Government

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 …

The Grand Forks Herald reports: North Dakota’s hospitals have reached their limit, and the coming weeks could push them past their capabilities, Gov. Doug Burgum said at a news conference on today. Due to a major shortage of health care staffing, the state’s hospitals have a severe lack of available beds. Rising COVID-19 hospitalizations and high noncoronavirus admissions, some resulting …

The Guardian reports: Lockdown, the noun that has come to define so many lives across the world in 2020, has been named word of the year by Collins Dictionary. Lockdown is defined by Collins as “the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces”, and its usage has boomed over the last year. Other pandemic-related …

Reuters reports: The United States became the first nation worldwide since the pandemic began to surpass 10 million coronavirus infections, according to a Reuters tally on Sunday, as the third wave of the COVID-19 virus surges across the nation. The grim milestone came on the same day as global coronavirus cases exceeded 50 million. The United states has reported about …

The New York Daily News reports: National Guard troops will be deployed to New York airports to make sure arriving travelers have proof of recently testing negative for COVID-19, Gov. Cuomo said Friday. The deployment follows a sweeping new entry test policy announced a week ago after the Empire State abandoned its travel advisory that mandated travelers from coronavirus hotspots …

The New York Daily News reports: Travelers arriving in New York from non-neighboring states will have to quarantine and undergo mandatory coronavirus testing as cases spike across the country, Gov. Cuomo announced Saturday. The governor said New York will require inbound travelers to show a negative COVID-19 test from three days or less before they arrive or be subject to …

The New York Daily News reports: Mask up at the airport, in the bus terminals and on the PATH — or expect a $50 fine, the Port Authority said Thursday. The agency will begin Monday to impose the fines on those who refuse to wear masks at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports, on the PATH trains that link Manhattan to …

Bloomberg News reports: Chancellor Angela Merkel will impose the toughest restrictions on Germany since a national lockdown in the spring, closing bars and restaurants in Europe’s largest economy to regain control of the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The one-month partial shutdown, which will go into effect on Monday, is designed to keep most businesses operating, Merkel said Wednesday after …

Gothamist reports: Mayor Bill de Blasio is urging city residents to stay put this holiday season, as the number of coronavirus cases nationwide surges to its highest level since the start of the pandemic. “I hate to say it, but I have to urge all New Yorkers to not travel out of state for the holiday,” de Blasio said during …

El Paso’s ABC News affiliate reports: El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego on Sunday afternoon ordered a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew daily due to El Paso’s coronavirus crisis. The curfew will be in effect for both the county and city starting Sunday night and continuing for two weeks. Law enforcement agencies will enforce the curfew along with the …

Scott Gottlieb writes for the Wall Street Journal: As a practical matter, it’s easier to wear a mask in the winter than the summer. A mandate can be expressly limited to the next two months. The inconvenience would allow the country to preserve health-care capacity and keep more schools and businesses open. Studies show widespread use of masks can reduce …

The Washington Post reports: Italy became the latest European country to announce new restrictions to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus on Sunday as countries across the continent continue to report surging infections. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced the new restrictions as the country reported a record 21,273 cases on Sunday. Beginning Monday, restaurants and bars will be …

Politico reports: The Senate cleared a key procedural hurdle Sunday for Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination for the Supreme Court, bringing the 48-year-old judge one step closer to confirmation to the high court. In a 51-48 vote, the Senate kicked off 30 hours of debate on Barrett’s nomination, setting up a final confirmation vote for Monday evening, just eight days before …

Euronews reports: The Spanish government on Sunday agreed to declare a new state of emergency, which would allow a curfew to be imposed across the country as it continues to battle a resurgence of coronavirus cases. An extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers was held in Madrid on Sunday morning “in order to examine the terms of a new …

CNN reports: Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Saturday that she will ultimately vote yes on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court of the United States. “I believe that the only way to put us back on the path of appropriate consideration of judicial nominees, is to evaluate Judge Barrett as we would want to be judged — on the …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Florida added 5,558 coronavirus cases Thursday, the highest number recorded in a single day since August 15, excluding two days where health officials noted irregularities in reporting. Thursday’s caseload brings the total number of infections recorded statewide to 768,091, according to the Florida Department of Health. The weekly average number of cases jumped to about …