Government

Sacramento’s NBC News affiliate reports: Gov. Gavin Newsom is holding a news conference Wednesday with the latest on California’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, California saw the highest jump in new COVID-19 cases in a day since the state starting tracking case numbers in mid-March. The California Department of Public Health said 5,019 new lab-confirmed novel coronavirus cases …

Arizona Central reports: The state reached a new high for hospitalizations Tuesday, according to the update provided by the Arizona Department of Health Services Wednesday morning. Inpatient beds and ventilators in use for suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients both hit their highest-ever numbers Tuesday, according to the report. Emergency department visits and ICU beds in use hovered around their highest …

The Dallas News reports: Gov. Greg Abbott sternly warned Texans of “rampant” spread of coronavirus that took the state to a new high Tuesday of more than 5,000 new cases in a single day. Saying Texans should stay home unless they have a good reason to venture out, Abbott late Tuesday afternoon gave local officials more powers to limit public …

Newsday reports: Gyms, malls and movie theaters across New York state will remain closed beyond phase four reopening. The news will hit small retailers, big chains and consumers alike. New Yorkers have been longing to hit the gym since the coronavirus forced those closures, and some expected that fitness facilities may reopen this summer as part of phase four. Businesses …

ABC News reports: The Food and Drug Administration today has recalled bagged salad distributed to a dozen Midwestern states by Hy-Vee, Aldi and Jewel-Osco grocery stores after 122 people in seven states were sickened. Nineteen have been hospitalized. The salad mix is contaminated with cyclospora, a parasite that can cause severe diarrhea. The salad mix is packaged as Hy-Vee Brand …

CBS News reports: U.S. consumers should not use any of nine brands of possibly toxic hand sanitizer that may contain methanol, or wood alcohol, a substance that’s potentially dangerous when absorbed through the skin or ingested, the Food and Drug Administration warned. The agency’s alert comes at a time when hand sanitizers are in especially heavy demand due to the …

The New York Post reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo is actively talking to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont about mapping out mandatory quarantine “guidelines” for individuals traveling into the tristate area from Florida and other states seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases. Cuomo said the trio is “seriously considering” implementing a 14-day isolation for Floridians and that …

Gothamist has a guide to the Phase 2 reopening: Outdoor dining will be allowed (here’s the plan to make that happen safely, but opening streets for tables may not be fully in play until July) In-Store retail (this does not apply to malls, which will remain closed) Salons and barbershops Real estate services Car dealerships Commercial building management Offices (though …

ABC News reports: Florida continued to set record-breaking numbers of COVID-19 cases, with an additional 4,049 new cases reported Saturday. There were an additional 40 Florida resident deaths related to COVID-19, according to the state’s Department of Health. There are now a total of 93,797 Florida cases with 3,144 deaths related to COVID-19, the Department of Health reported. On Friday, …

Albany’s ABC News affiliate reports: Bars and restaurants found to be in violation of New York’s reopening parameters could risk immediate loss of their liquor license. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced two executive orders today. The first would allow for liquor licenses to be immediately revoked from businesses in the event of violating reopening guidelines. The second would make these businesses …

The Hill reports: Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Thursday lauded new California measures requiring residents to wear masks outside of their homes, saying that “Anyone making it a political issue is an absolute moron who can’t read.” The measures were released by the state health department Thursday as the state gradually reopens businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic. It …

Newsweek reports: Sweden’s total number of coronavirus cases grew by more than 100 overnight Wednesday, making it the second most-infected country per capita in the world. The Scandinavian country known for its light-touch approach to battling the pandemic reached 54,562 total cases Wednesday, according to covidgraph.com, which compiles current data from multiple government health agencies and universities across the world. …

USA Today reports: Florida added another 3,207 coronavirus cases Thursday, shattering the previous daily record as the state emerges as an alarming hot spot among places grappling with a resurgence of the disease. Thursday’s new record topped the 2,783 cases reported just two days earlier by the Florida Department of Health, which had been the third record-setting total in less …

The Omaha World-Herald reports: At his regular coronavirus press conferences, Gov. Pete Ricketts makes a point of urging Nebraskans to wear a mask when they go to a store. But when it comes to the state’s 93 courthouses and other county offices, he doesn’t want local officials to require masks. In fact, he’s told counties that they won’t receive any …

CBS News Los Angeles reports: Face masks are now required across the state of California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Thursday. The order applies to all Californians in indoor spaces, healthcare settings, on public transportation and rideshare vehicles and at workplaces that are visited by the public or where food is prepared for sale or distribution. Masks will also be required …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall, Gov. Greg Abbott told state lawmakers Thursday morning. The state’s top education officials confirmed the plans in a statement to The Texas Tribune. “It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this …

The New York Post reports: New York City rents will freeze for the roughly 2 million New Yorkers living in rent-regulated units for a year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Rent Guidelines Board, the panel that sets the rent for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments, voted 6-3 Wednesday night to implement a one-year freeze running from Oct. …

NPR reports: Governor Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that he will hold his last daily coronavirus briefing on Friday. He’s held them, mostly in Albany but also at locations across the state, for more than 115 consecutive days since the coronavirus pandemic began. Cuomo made the announcement at his daily briefing Wednesday in Albany. He said he would hold more on …

The New York Daily News reports: The Boss says wear a mask — or stay out of the people’s house. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is laying down the law when it comes to face coverings in the House of Representatives during the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic leader has issued an order requiring all lawmakers to wear masks in committee hearings, …

The Texas Tribune reports: The mayors of nine of Texas’ biggest cities urged Gov. Greg Abbott in a letter Tuesday to grant them the “authority to set rules and regulations” mandating face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb in Texas, an executive order from Abbott bans local governments from imposing fines or criminal …