California Spent $12M On A COVID Facility — But Only 9 Patients Came

The Associated Press: State Spent Millions On Arena Hospital That Saw 9 Patients
Doctors arrived at an arena-turned-medical center in Sacramento in mid-April and were told to prepare for 30 to 60 coronavirus patients to arrive within days. They spent the weekend working feverishly to get ready. State officials envisioned the cavernous Sleep Train Arena and an adjoining facility as a place where hundreds of patients could be treated, but in the first week just one arrived. The pace never increased, and the 250 assembled medical workers — physicians, nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff — found themselves wondering what to do. ... Ultimately, just nine patients arrived over 10 weeks. The cost to care for them was a staggering $12 million. (Ronayne, 8/6)

Idaho Statesman: Idaho Likely Stuck Again In Stage 4 Of COVID-19 Reopening Plan
Idaho began Stage 4 of Gov. Brad Little’s Idaho Rebounds plan on June 13. The state has since been unable to exit the final stage three times, and it appears poised to fail a fourth straight time, according to an analysis of data published by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. (Roberts, 8/5)

CNN: Arizona Was A Covid-19 Hot Spot A Month Ago. Here's How It's Turning Things Around 
In late June, Arizona was confronting a dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases, forcing officials to reimpose a slew of coronavirus restrictions about two months after the state started reopening its economy. Today, that decision appears to have paid off. A CNN analysis of Covid-19 data from Johns Hopkins University shows that on July 8, Arizona averaged about 3,501 daily new cases over a seven-day period. That average has been steadily declining week-over-week, and on Wednesday, the state averaged 1,990 daily new cases over a seven-day period. (Andone, 8/6)

The Oklahoman: Coronavirus In Oklahoma: Governor Announces New Regional Surge Plan, Opposes Additional Federal Bailout
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Thursday that he is opposed to an additional federal stimulus package at the current time."I don't think we need another package, no," Stitt said.Stitt said Oklahoma hasn't yet been able to fully distribute the $1.2 billion it was allocated earlier. (Ellis, 8/7)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Businesses Back Cornyn’s Proposed COVID-19 Liability Shield; Critics Call Idea ‘Mean-Spirited’
[Ian] MacLean, as a result, is among the many business owners in Texas and beyond who are pushing Congress to bolster liability protections to buffer their firms from coronavirus-related lawsuits, so long as they don’t wantonly disregard safety guidelines. Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican facing a tough reelection, has taken up the cause, saying it’s necessary to allay businesses’ fears as they operate amid the pandemic. (Benning, 8/6)

In prison news from California and Ohio —

San Francisco Chronicle: California Prison Workers File Grievance Accusing CDCR Of Failing To Prevent Coronavirus Outbreaks 
A union representing thousands of California prison employees has filed a wide-ranging grievance against the state corrections department and its health care system, charging that officials are exposing staffers to “uncontrolled” coronavirus outbreaks inside state-run prisons. SEIU Local 1000, which represents health care workers, clerical staff, custodians and other prison employees, said corrections officials have propelled a system-wide outbreak by recklessly moving prisoners and failing to follow health and safety guidelines. (Cassidy, 8/6)

Cincinnati Enquirer: COVID Cases Climb, Worrying Families Of Ohio's Prison Inmates
Conditions in Ohio's pandemic-stricken prisons are helping ensure the spread of COVID-19 rather than stop it, putting entire communities at greater risk, according to data crunchers, inmate advocates and prison workers throughout the state. Ohio's prisons have a 9% rate of infection, compared with less than 1% for the rest of the population, according to data released by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and analyzed by the UCLA COVID-19 Behind Bars Data Project. (Hunt, 8/6)

In mask news from Utah and Mississippi —

The Hill: Utah Governor To Allow Local Governments To Issue Mask Mandates 
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) announced Thursday he will not impose a statewide mask mandate but will allow local officials to impose mandates of their own. Herbert said Thursday that local governments will be permitted to institute masking rules as long as they properly notify the state Department of Health. (Budryk, 8/6)

ABC News: Gov. Reeves Takes Action As Mississippi Shapes Up To Become Nation's Next COVID-19 Hot Spot
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has ordered some residents to wear masks, bowing to political pressure as COVID-19 infection rates continue to shatter records in the state which saw 1,775 new cases in a single day. Reeves made the announcement on Tuesday as the coronavirus infection rate shot up to 23.3%, pushing the state one step closer to becoming the nation's next COVID-19 hot spot. (Allen, 8/6)

In news from Missouri, Georgia, the Mid-Atlantic and New York —

Kaiser Health News and KBIA: In Rural Missouri, Latinos Learn To Contain And Cope With The Coronavirus 
Francisco Bonilla is a pastor in Carthage, Missouri, tending to the spiritual needs of the town’s growing Latino community. He’s also a media personality, broadcasting his voice far beyond the walls of Casa de Sanidad. Bonilla runs a low-power, Spanish-language radio station from the church. He mainly uses the station to broadcast sermons and religious music. But these days he is also focused on COVID-19: explaining the illness and its symptoms, updating his listeners with the newest case counts and bringing on guests. He has broadcast interviews with a local nurse and with investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Martinez Valdivia, 8/7)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Approves COVID Protections For Ga. Businesses
Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law late Wednesday that shields businesses and health care providers from COVID-19-related lawsuits. Senate Bill 359 blocks negligence suits as long as companies follow social distancing, disinfection and other safety protocols outlined by public health officials. Customers and employees can still file cases if they can prove “gross negligence, willful and wanton misconduct, reckless infliction of harm, or intentional infliction of harm,” a higher standard of proof, as well as workers compensation claims. (Hallerman, 8/6)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp’s Call For Special Session Raises Skepticism Among Lawmakers
Gov. Brian Kemp’s push for a special legislative session to fix a legal problem in a Hurricane Michael relief measure that even his office said was no “fatal flaw” triggered criticism from lawmakers and raised concerns about an ulterior motive for the summons. The governor said in a five-paragraph statement late Wednesday that an incorrect tracking number in a tax break bill requires an immediate fix from the General Assembly, though he also pointedly added that he could direct lawmakers to also tackle “budgetary and oversight issues.” (Bluestein, 8/6)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Cases Plateau Across D.C. Area As Region’s Caseload Surpasses 200,000 
The number of known coronavirus cases in the greater Washington region surpassed 200,000 Thursday, even as health experts noted signs of optimism that the region might be turning a corner after a recent surge of infections. The seven-day average of new daily cases in D.C., Maryland and Virginia more than doubled during July, starting the month below 1,000 and ending above 2,000. But daily caseloads have ticked downward in recent days as hot spots such as Virginia’s Hampton Roads region and the Baltimore area notched slight dips from recent peaks. (Hedgpeth, 8/6)

The Wall Street Journal: There’s A New Quarantine Sheriff In Town, As New York Ramps Up Compliance
The Sheriff’s office of New York City is assuming new duties to control the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, including social-distancing enforcement and the operation of checkpoints, to ensure compliance with quarantine orders applying to out-of-state visitors. The new roles are an expansion of responsibilities for the Sheriff’s office, a division of the city’s Department of Finance led by Sheriff Joseph Fucito—a career law-enforcement officer who began working in the Sheriff’s office at age 18 and was appointed to his current role by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014. (Chapman, 8/6)