Early Intervention In Ohio Might Be Paying Off, Governor Says; Task Force Warns D.C. Area Is Among Next Hot Spots

The Washington Post: Did Ohio Get It Right? Early Intervention, Preparation For Pandemic May Pay Off.
On Feb. 26, two days before President Trump called the coronavirus outbreak the Democratic Party’s “new hoax,” the Cleveland Clinic alerted the public that it was prepared to quickly open 1,000 additional hospital beds should the need arise. On March 4, the day Trump boasted that “we have a very small number” of infected people in the United States, Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, shut down a weekend fitness expo expected to draw 60,000 people a day to a Columbus convention center. There were no identified coronavirus cases in the state at the time. (Bernstein, 4/9)

CIDRAP: White House Names Next Likely COVID-19 Hot Spots
Washington, DC, Baltimore, and Philadelphia will likely be the next novel coronavirus hot spots, according to the White House task force. During yesterday evening’s briefing, Vice President Mike Pence said Philadelphia was of particular concern. Pence said he spoke to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf yesterday about concerning trend lines in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. In total, Pennsylvania has confirmed 18,228 cases of COVID-19. (Soucheray, 4/9)

Politico: Mayors Look To Each Other, Not Trump, On Coronavirus Response
Mayors representing some of the country’s emerging hot spots for the coronavirus are leaning on one another — not the federal government — as they struggle to prevent their cities from becoming the next New York. Vice President Mike Pence said the Trump administration has made an effort “to be particularly responsive to” areas where a growth in cases has been identified, such as Chicago, Detroit, Denver and cities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Louisiana. (McCaskill, 4/9)

The Associated Press: California Governor Encouraged By Drop In ICU Placements
California saw its first daily decrease in intensive care hospitalizations during the coronavirus outbreak, a key indicator of how many health care workers and medical supplies the state needs, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. The rate of all virus hospitalizations has slowed this week. Those in the ICU need the highest level of care, and so it was particularly encouraging that the number of patients in those rooms actually dropped 1.9% on Wednesday to 1,132. (Beam, 4/10)

The Hill: California Sees First Decrease In Coronavirus ICU Hospitalizations 
California experienced its first decrease in coronavirus intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalizations, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday. The number of patients in the ICU dropped 1.9 percent from Wednesday’s report, to a total of 1,132 people across the state. At the same time, the rate of total virus hospitalizations has slowed down this week. But the governor warned against premature celebration or speculation that the outbreak was over. (Coleman, 4/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus: Many SF Complaints About Nonessential Construction 
San Francisco’s Department of Building Inspection has been inundated with complaints of nonessential construction being done in violation of the coronavirus health order, mostly driven by residents observing work illegally continuing in their neighborhoods as they shelter in place. Between March 30 and April 8, the city received 730 complaints of unauthorized work, 180 of which came directly to the building department, and 550 lodged through the city’s 311 customer service center. (Dineen, 4/9)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Could Make Affordable Housing In California Cost More
When developer Ginger Hitzke first proposed an affordable housing complex on a parking lot in Solana Beach, she envisioned building 18 new homes for low-income families and adults at a cost of $414,000 per apartment. More than a decade later, her project has shrunk in size by nearly half and become more than twice as expensive. At $1.1 million per apartment, the Pearl is the priciest affordable housing project in the state and, likely, the country. (Dillon, Poston and Barajas, 4/9)

The Washington Post: Montgomery County Mask Mandate: To Curb Coronavirus Spread, County To Soon Require Face Coverings At All Essential Businesses
Face masks, once thought of as an unnecessary precaution for healthy people during the novel coronavirus pandemic, are now being mandated in cities and counties across the United States. Late last week, the federal government reversed its previous position on face coverings, issuing guidance that urges people to wear them in public places. President Trump stopped short of saying it should be required, but some local officials have taken enforcement into their own hands. (Tan, 4/9)

The Hill: Louisiana State Lawmaker Dies Of Coronavirus 
A Louisiana state lawmaker died of coronavirus Thursday, as the disease makes its way through the southern United States. State Rep. Reggie Bagala (R), 54, was hospitalized last week after contracting the illness, New Orleans station WDSU reported. He was a freshman House member representing parts of Jefferson and Lafourche parishes. (Coleman, 4/9)

CNN: Florida Governor Falsely Claims The Coronavirus Hasn’t Killed Anyone Under 25 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis falsely claimed Thursday that the novel coronavirus hasn’t killed anyone under 25 nationwide while discussing a timeline for reopening schools in the state. “This particular pandemic is one where, I don’t think nationwide there’s been a single fatality under 25. For whatever reason it just doesn’t seem to threaten, you know, kids,” DeSantis said at an educators’ meeting to discuss distance learning. (Henry and LeBlanc, 4/9)

The Hill: National Guard Deployed To NJ Veterans Home That Suffered 10 Coronavirus Deaths
The National Guard will be deployed to a New Jersey veterans home that has suffered at least 10 coronavirus deaths in the past two weeks. The Army National Guard will head to the New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus, where 23 residents have tested positive for the coronavirus, a New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs spokesman told NBC News Wednesday. Forty-seven residents are still awaiting their test results. Forty medics from the Army National Guard will help with nursing duties with, spokesman Kryn Westhoven said. (Coleman, 4/9)

The New York Times: Did New Yorkers Who Fled To Second Homes Bring The Virus?
About two weeks ago, New Jersey’s governor, Philip D. Murphy, urged residents with second homes not to decamp to the shore. When it became clear that his message had not been not fully received, the governor took things a step further: He authorized towns and counties to restrict or prohibit rentals at hotels, motels and short-term lodging to stop travelers from transmitting the virus. “No one should be leaving their primary residences,” Mr. Murphy said last weekend. (Nir and Tully, 4/10)

ABC News: 2nd TSA Employee Dies From COVID-19, Over 300 Employees Have Tested Positive 
A total of 329 Transportation Security Administration employees have tested positive for COVID-19 and two have died according to an internal briefing led by TSA Administrator David Pekoske, and viewed by ABC News. The reported number increased by 162 in the past week, while 13 of those employees have recovered, Pekoske said. (Maile and Kaji, 4/9)

Boston Globe: Reports Of Child Abuse And Neglect Are Plummeting Across New England. That’s Not A Good Thing
In a normal week in March, Massachusetts officials can be bombarded with thousands of allegations of children being left unsupervised, beaten, or worse. But, almost overnight, those reports have been sliced by more than half. Child welfare workers who spend their nights hustling to emergency calls are seeing far fewer. None of that is good news. (Stout, 4/9)

Boston Globe: Eight More Rhode Islanders Have Died And 277 More Are Infected, But The Worst Is Yet To Come 
The number of Rhode Islanders becoming infected with the coronavirus and dying from associated causes is rising rapidly each day — but the worst is yet to come. That was the message Thursday from Governor Gina M. Raimondo, who grew circumspect as she answered a question about when Rhode Island can expect to see a surge of cases — and what that will look like. (Milkovits, 4/9)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: After Buying 24,000 Meals, New Orleans Effort To Save Restaurants Is Surviving Day By Day
Avery’s on Tulane looks closed these days, like countless other New Orleans restaurants during the coronavirus shutdown. But it’s busy a few times a week as Christy and Justin Pitard, the literal mom and pop behind this Mid-City po-boy shop, cook up special catering orders for Feed the Front Line NOLA. The New Orleans nonprofit whisks the food to local hospitals, and pays the restaurant for the food. (McNulty, 4/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin State Parks, DMV Offices Close, But Small Church Services OK
Add two more well-known Wisconsin fixtures — one that’s fun, and one often the opposite of fun — to the growing list of closings tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Forty of Wisconsin’s state parks were closing at the end of the day Thursday. Meanwhile, the Department of Motor Vehicles drastically reduced its operations. (Daykin, 4/9)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Hospitals Ban Visitors, So Coronavirus Patients Die Alone
Coronavirus has swept away people, sometimes with astonishing speed, landing them in hospitals where they are frequently cut off from loved ones because of the risk of spreading the illness. When the end has come for the sickest, the goodbyes from family have often come over the phone. And sometimes there has been no goodbye at all. (Diedrich and Rutledge, 4/10)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia Colleges Getting Stimulus Grants For Students Hurt By COVID-19
The federal government Thursday announced more than $6.28 billion will flow to U.S. colleges and universities to distribute cash grants to low-income college students experiencing hardships as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The grants are coming out of the nearly $31 billion Congress allocated to the U.S. Department of Education for students, K-12 schools, and higher education institutions under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. (Downey, 4/9)