From The States

Coast To Coast Changes: Massive Preparations Under Way As Cities, Small Communities See Quick Spike In Number Of Cases

In New York and California, officials tightened restrictions and opened up new shelters for homeless while cases continue to rise. More states, like Maine, took action to close restaurants and bars, and campuses made facilities available, like Middlebury in Vermont, which thawed its ice rink. But in Florida, the governor drew criticism for a slow response.

The New York Times: Coronavirus Cases In N.Y.C. Near 2,000 As Testing Expands

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York provided new numbers on Wednesday that showed 2,382 people in the state had tested positive for the coronavirus, an increase of more than 1,000 since Tuesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio said later in the day that 1,871 people in New York City had tested positive, compared with 814 on Tuesday. Mr. Cuomo attributed much of the jump to an increase in testing. Of the 14,597 people to be tested so far, nearly 5,000 were tested on Tuesday. (3/18)

The New York Times: Coronavirus In N.Y.: ‘Huge Spike’ In Brooklyn Hasidic Community

Health officials expressed growing alarm on Wednesday that the coronavirus is spreading quickly in tightly knit Hasidic Jewish communities in Brooklyn, saying that they are investigating a spike in confirmed cases in recent days. More than 100 people have recently tested positive for the coronavirus in Borough Park and Williamsburg, two Brooklyn neighborhoods with sizable Hasidic Jewish populations — all of them tested at two urgent care centers that have been crowded with anxious patients, according to an urgent care center employee. (Stack and Schweber, 3/18)

The Wall Street Journal: Gov. Cuomo Orders New York Businesses To Keep Half Their Workforces At Home

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tightened restrictions on businesses Wednesday, telling them to allow employees to telecommute or otherwise keep half their workforce home at any one time, as governors across the tri-state area grappled with increased coronavirus cases. Grocery stores, pharmacies, shipping companies and other essential services would be exempt from the rule Mr. Cuomo imposed through executive order to help curb the transmission of the virus. (Berger and Vielkind, 3/18)

CNN: New York City During The Coronavirus Outbreak

New York City is nearly unrecognizable as the coronavirus outbreak has driven crowds from the streets. With 532 new cases on Wednesday, there are now at least 1,871 cases of coronavirus in New York City and 11 deaths, Mayor Bill de Blasio's office confirmed to CNN. (Holcombe, 3/19)

The New York Times: With 2 Lawmakers Sick, The Rest Take Turns Voting In An Empty Chamber

In New York’s State Capitol, lawmakers voted one at a time or in small groups in nearly empty chambers. In Boston, legislators postponed public hearings, promising to take virtual testimony on bills. State lawmakers in Mississippi, California and Nebraska gaveled out, holding hope of returning once the crisis passes. (McKinley and Ferre-Sadurni, 3/18)

CNN: Delta Air Lines Passenger Had Coronavirus And Was Contagious, Officials Said

A passenger who flew out of John F. Kennedy International Airport to Rochester, New York, over the weekend had coronavirus and was contagious, the Monroe County Health Department tweeted Wednesday night. The Delta Air Lines flight left JFK at 4:05 p.m. on Saturday and landed in Rochester at 5:55 p.m., according to the tweet. (Holcombe, 3/19)

Los Angeles Times: 46 New Coronavirus Cases In L.A. County As Deaths In California Rise To 17

With nearly 9 million Californians living under orders to stay home as much as possible, state and county leaders are preparing for what could be next in the coronavirus pandemic. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday evening said the state has asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Navy’s Mercy hospital ship and two mobile hospitals to California to help care for the expected surge in hospitalizations of residents stricken by the novel coronavirus. (Lin, Shalby, Blume and Fry, 3/18)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. To Add 6,000 Shelter Beds For Homeless Angelenos In Hopes Of Slowing Virus’ Spread

Los Angeles will convert 42 of its recreation centers into temporary shelters for homeless residents, providing 6,000 new beds in an effort aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Eric Garcetti said Wednesday. The city is looking in the initiative’s first phase to open 1,600 shelter beds at 13 recreation centers by Monday, with beds provided by the American Red Cross, Garcetti said. (Zahniser, Nelson and Smith, 3/18)

Los Angeles Times: Battling Coronavirus, California Asks Navy For Hospital Ship And Two Mobile Hospitals

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday that the state has asked the Department of Defense to deploy the Navy’s Mercy hospital ship and two mobile hospitals to California to help care for the expected surge in hospitalizations of residents stricken by the novel coronavirus. (Willon, 3/18)

Los Angeles Times: Blaming Coronavirus, Homeless Families Seize 12 Vacant Homes

A group of homeless and housing-insecure Angelenos seized more vacant, publicly owned homes in El Sereno on Wednesday, arguing that government officials have failed to provide the shelter that’s necessary for them to remain healthy during the coronavirus pandemic. The occupation followed a similar takeover Saturday, when two families and a man moved into one of the neighborhood’s dozens of empty homes — all owned by Caltrans. The state agency bought them years ago as part of a now-failed plan to extend the 710 Freeway. (Dillon, 3/18)

Politico: Why Texas Is So Far Behind Other States On Virus Response

Texas is a big state with a proud small-government philosophy. And that’s being tested by the Covid-19 pandemic. Strict bans on public gatherings to curtail the virus' reach and widespread testing and treatment run counter to the politics of top Texas officials. Instead they're calling on local officials to lead the response. As governors in states including New York and California have imposed statewide measures such as closing schools and limiting commerce, Texas leaders have been reluctant to set restrictions conservative voters might consider draconian and business leaders oppose. They’ve also opposed steps to expand health insurance coverage. (Rayasam, 3/18)

Politico: Wasserman Schultz Slams Florida Governor Over Sluggish Response To Coronavirus

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, on a call with fellow lawmakers and Florida state officials, accused Gov. Ron DeSantis of failing to acknowledge the coronavirus is spreading in the state even among people who haven’t traveled overseas. In a recording of the briefing obtained by POLITICO, Wasserman Schultz tried without success to get state Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, a DeSantis appointee, to commit to informing the public about community spread in Florida. (Dixon, 3/18)

CNN: Seven Family Members Got Infected With Coronavirus, Leaving 3 Dead

A New Jersey mother died from coronavirus without knowing that her two children also got infected and died shortly before she did, The New York Times reported. Grace Fusco, 73, died Wednesday and was unaware of the deaths of her oldest son and daughter from Covid-19, the disease caused by coronavirus. (Karimi and Frehse, 3/19)

CNN: Coronavirus Victims: A Former Firefighter And A Magician Are Among US Deaths

As the coronavirus death toll rises and quarantine forces Americans into lockdowns, details on patients killed by the virus are slowly trickling in. Here's what we know about some of the 145 people who've died since the first US case of the virus was reported in January. Coronavirus has spread to all states, the District of Columbia and some territories. (Karimi, 3/19)

The Washington Post: Maryland Reports First Coronavirus Death, DMV Patient Tally Is 203

Maryland announced its first coronavirus fatality Wednesday night as the number of patients in the greater Washington area passed 200 and medical facilities worked to expand testing capacity and add hospital beds. The man who died was a Prince George’s County resident in his 60s who had an underlying medical condition, officials said. (Simon, Swenson, Chason and Portnoy, 3/18)

The Associated Press: National Parks Are Open — With Some Changes — Amid Virus

Most national parks are open as a refuge for Americans tired of being stuck at home during a global pandemic, but despite now being free to visit, people may find it more difficult than normal to enjoy them as parks close visitor centers, shuttles, lodges and restaurants to fight the spread of the coronavirus. (McCombs and Anderson, 3/19)

The New York Times: Coronavirus Ravages 7 Members Of A Single Family, Killing 3

Grace Fusco — mother of 11, grandmother of 27 — would sit in the same pew at church each Sunday, surrounded by nearly a dozen members of her sprawling Italian-American family. Sunday dinners drew an even larger crowd to her home in central New Jersey. Now, her close-knit clan is united anew by unspeakable grief: Mrs. Fusco, 73, died on Wednesday night after contracting the coronavirus — hours after her son died from the virus and five days after her daughter’s death, a relative said. (Tully, 3/18)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Dying Inmate Can’t See Family Due To Coronavirus, Wants Release

Shauntrice Murry sat in a prison hospital bed the other night, alone and fearing death. Pain kept the 45-year-old inmate awake, as did the ringing memory of her doctor’s words from days earlier: We’ve done all we can. The doctor said to call in family for goodbyes, but the Georgia Department of Corrections cancelled all visitation amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus. Since her diagnosis, she’d lost a third of her body weight (down to 101 pounds) and could no longer walk to the bathroom without a fellow inmate holding her steady. Now in her darkened cell, with pain pulsing through her body, Murry called out her savior’s name: Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. (Blau and Sharpe, 3/18)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Philadelphia Death Row Inmate May Have Coronavirus. Larry Krasner Tried To Exonerate Him, But He’s Still In Prison

Ogrod’s next scheduled court date on this matter, March 27, has been postponed at least until June. Now, both his defense team and the district attorney have filed emergency motions for Ogrod’s release and transportation to a hospital — citing symptoms of possible coronavirus, including a 106-degree fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. (Melamed, 3/18)

Boston Globe: The State’s Prison System Halted Employee Discipline, Citing Coronavirus, But Changed Course A Day Later

A top deputy at the Massachusetts Department of Correction issued an agency-wide directive on Tuesday that halted all employee discipline and lifted the suspensions of prison guards and other workers because of the coronavirus outbreak. But a day later, amid growing public backlash, Correction Department Commissioner Carol Mici rescinded the eyebrow-raising order in her own memo. Mici said the earlier directive was unauthorized, distributed without her knowledge, and that the prison system’s disciplinary procedure should remained unchanged. (Rocheleau, 3/18)

Boston Globe: Maine Gov. Janet Mills Closes Bars, Restaurants To Dine-In Customers Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Maine Governor Janet Mills on Wednesday ordered that bars and restaurants in the state close to dine-in customers amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The order, Mills’s office said in a statement, takes effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday, and will last until midnight on Mar. 31. Take-out, delivery and drive-thru service can continue, according to Mills’s office. She also barred gatherings of more than 10 people until further notice. (Andersen, 3/18)

Boston Globe: Day Care Centers Ordered Closed As Coronavirus Continues To Spread

As the number of coronavirus cases continued to spike in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday ordered most early education and child care centers in the state to close beginning Monday. Baker’s announcement came as the state Department of Public Health reported 256 confirmed cases of the infectious disease, a 17 percent increase since Tuesday. Department officials also said that 1,168 Massachusetts residents remained in quarantine as potential coronavirus carriers. (MacQuarrie and Ebbert, 3/18)

Boston Globe: Tufts, Middlebury Will Make Some Facilities Available If They’re Needed To Help Fight Covid-19

Tufts University is preparing some of its undergraduate dormitories in case they are needed by hospitals as isolation rooms for patients with mild coronavirus symptoms. Middlebury College in Vermont has drained its ice-hockey rink, on the chance that the local hospital needs space to conduct offsite virus testing or for storage. (Fernandes, 3/18)

Philadelphia Inquirer: Funeral Directors In Pennsylvania Brace For Grief As Coronavirus Limits Services, Viewings

In an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus, funeral directors across Pennsylvania are being urged to postpone funerals, cancel public viewings, and limit attendance at services to 10. Over the weekend, the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association encouraged funeral homes to consider limiting services to immediate family and moving public memorials to a later date. (Simon, 3/18)

Detroit Free Press: Whitmer Order Expands Access To Child Care For Essential Care Workers

The state can issue expedited child care licenses in order to expand access and help health care providers find care for their children, under an executive order signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday night. The order also allows employers, like hospitals, to operate a disaster relief child care center for their employees. And it allows both public and nonpublic school facilities to be used for the purposes of maintaining a disaster relief child care center focused on providing services for health care workers, who have faced added challenges finding daycare when Whitmer ordered schools closed. (Moran and Gray, 3/18)