Nevada Ready To Reopen Casinos With Some Rules On Social Distancing; NYC Mayor Eyes Mid-June For Reopening

The Associated Press: Nevada To Reopen Casinos June 4, Welcoming Tourists Again
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night that he would allow casinos to reopen June 4, welcoming tourists to return to the glitzy gambling mecca of Las Vegas. “We welcome the visitors from across the country to come here, to have a good time, no different than they did previously, but we’re gonna be cautious,” Sisolak told reporters. The governor said he would also allow in-person religious services of up to 50 people starting Friday. (Price, 5/27)

The New York Times: A Socially Distanced Las Vegas? What Are The Odds?
For decades, the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas has been known for single-deck blackjack. But when the casinos and resorts open up — tentatively early June — after weeks of being shut down, players will no longer be able to touch the cards. About 100 slot machines at the casino have been removed and the remaining 750 are now farther apart. Tape on the floor at the craps tables shows players where to stand to meet social-distancing requirements. (Creswell, 5/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Casino Regulator Talks Reopening 
The state Gaming Control Board is preparing to accommodate tourists who show up in Las Vegas, show signs of being infected and are turned away by resorts. (Velotta, 5/26)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Nevada Gyms, Fitness Centers, Bars That Do Not Serve Food Can Reopen Friday 
More of Nevada’s daily routines will return Friday, with limits, as Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night the further easing of COVID-19 restrictions, including gatherings for church services and the reopening of more businesses, such as bars and health facilities. The governor, who canceled his live briefing late Tuesday afternoon due to a possible exposure to the coronavirus, delivered the news in a press release and a short conference call with reporters. (Dentzer and Lochhead, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: New York City Could Reopen By Mid-June, Mayor Says
New York City could begin a phased reopening in the first or second week of June, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday, as it continued to ramp up testing capacity for the novel coronavirus and started developing plans for commuters to safely use public transportation. Mr. de Blasio said at a press conference that the city will have about 180 testing sites open by the end of June, with the expectation to run 50,000 coronavirus tests daily by Aug. 1. A June 1 goal to hire 1,000 contact tracers—health workers who will follow-up on every positive coronavirus test by reaching out to patients and their close contacts—has already been met and exceeded, Mr. de Blasio said. (West and De Avila, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Frustrated And Struggling, New Yorkers Contemplate Abandoning The City They Love
It was laundry that broke Mary Shell. Or rather, the lack of an in-unit washer and dryer in her Brooklyn apartment where Shell, 37, a field producer for reality television, could barely afford her half of the rent before the novel coronavirus pandemic because work had been slow for months. Times are even tougher now that her roommate, also unemployed, has had to move back in with her parents. (Morgan and Yuan, 5/26)

The Associated Press: In An Early US Coronavirus Hot Spot, Business Slowly Reopens
The suburbs north of New York City eased outbreak restrictions, and the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange opened for the first time in two months, as the state focused more intently Tuesday on restarting its economy. (Matthews, 5/27)

The Washington Post: Northam Says Northern Virginia Can Begin Reopening On Friday
Communities in Northern Virginia can begin easing their pandemic-related shutdowns on Friday, Gov. Ralph Northam said, arguing that the region is seeing a decline in hospitalizations and the percentage of positive tests for the novel coronavirus even as the rate and overall number of infections remain far higher than in the rest of the state. Northam (D) made the announcement as Virginia reported a second straight day of spikes in new cases, driven by big numbers in the populous D.C. suburbs. (Schneider and Olivo, 5/26)

The Washington Post: Virginia Reopening: Masks To Be Required In Public Spaces, Northern Va. To Lift Shutdown Friday
Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has given Northern Virginia the green light to begin lifting shutdown restrictions on nonessential businesses on Friday, though Virginians everywhere will also be required to start wearing face masks in public spaces that day. The Northern Virginia decision will bring the state’s economic engine in line with most other parts of Virginia in Phase 1 of the governor’s plan to return to a normal routine. (Olivo, 5/26)

The Washington Post: D.C. Will Likely Reopen Friday After City Changes Key Thresholds For Reopening
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) is expected Wednesday to announce the gradual reopening of the capital, saying the city has been meeting key thresholds to contain new coronavirus infections. Hospitals have been running below their maximum capacity, testing is on the rise and the city is in the process of hiring enough contact tracers to identify and quarantine residents exposed to the virus. (Nirappil and Zauzmer, 5/26)

CNN: As Covid-19 Cases Rise In 17 States, Americans Still Divided On Whether Masks Should Be Mandated 
As more places across the US offer people a chance to shop or dine inside, the issue of whether to wear a mask has again become a flashpoint. There are 17 states where the number of coronavirus cases are trending up, and many governors have told citizens that now is an important time to wear a face covering. (Almasy, Yan and Maxouris, 5/26)

NPR: Mayor Of Montgomery, Ala.: 'We Have Not Won The Battle With COVID-19 Yet'
The number of new coronavirus cases has been going up in Alabama even as the state's governor relaxes restrictions. Last week's number of new cases was up from the week before. Of the more than 15,000 confirmed cases across the state, about one-third have been confirmed within the last 14 days. In Montgomery County, which includes the state capital of Montgomery, there are 1,332 cases. Almost half of those were reported in the last two weeks. (Doubek, 5/26)

The Wall Street Journal: ‘I Feel Like A Failure’: Dayton Reopens And Surveys Coronavirus Lockdown’s Toll
Each morning, Nan Whaley walks her dog, takes an online yoga class and then, in her role as mayor of this city of 140,000, girds herself for a steady stream of calls from constituents asking for help navigating life during the pandemic. There is the senior citizen who is afraid to leave her home because she is worried she will get sick and die. The restaurant owner, terrified he will go out of business. The pastor, racked with anxiety that the church he stewards won’t survive this crisis. (Belkin and Levitz, 5/27)

ABC News: New York Stock Exchange Reopens At 25% Capacity With Temperature Checks, Social Distancing 
After being closed for nearly two months, the New York Stock Exchange reopened its trading floor on Tuesday at about 25% capacity. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up more than 500 points on Tuesday, or just over 2%. The S&P 500 climbed 1.2% and the Nasdaq was relatively flat. Stacey Cunningham, the president of the NYSE, told ABC News' chief economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis that the decision to reopen was made with the health and safety of employees in mind. (Thorbecke, 5/26)

Politico: Santa Clara Health Officer Suggests California Is Reopening Too Soon
The local public health officer who led the nation’s first regional shelter-in-place order early in the Covid-19 pandemic sounded the alarm Tuesday on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s swift reopening plans, which now allow haircuts and church services. After keeping the state largely in lockdown since March 19, Newsom has quickly advanced counties that meet certain criteria — now up to 47 out of 58 counties — through his reopening phases. (Colliver, 5/26)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. County Opens Churches, Stores, Pools, Drive-In Theaters
Los Angeles County announced Tuesday that it will align with California’s latest guidelines and allow the resumption of faith-based services, in-store shopping at low-risk retail stores, drive-in movies and other recreational activities with restrictions. The new order from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, released Tuesday evening, sets the stage for the county to request a variance from the state to permit faster reopening in some areas. L.A. County has been the California epicenter of coronavirus, with more than 2,100 deaths. (Parvini, 5/26)

Kaiser Health News: Going The Distance By Bus Through A Pandemic
Mary Pierson boarded a nearly empty L.A. Metro bus at the corner of Atlantic Boulevard and Riggin Street in Monterey Park one recent afternoon. Pierson, 69, uses a wheelchair and relies on public transportation to get around. She takes the bus a few times a week from Long Beach to various parts of Los Angeles to run errands and shop for groceries. Today, she took the No. 68 to the bank. “I’m glad they’re still running,” said Pierson, who wears a mask, gloves and sunglasses on board and disinfects her wheelchair after every trip. “I live alone and need to get out of the house.” (De Marco, 5/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Mayor Breed’s Texts With Police Chief Rile Up Some Homelessness Advocates 
San Francisco Mayor London Breed has made no secret of her habit of inundating department heads with barrages of calls and text messages while crisscrossing the city, ordering potholes filled, trash cans emptied or streets cleaned. But a small trove of text messages among Breed, Police Chief Bill Scott and other members of the city’s top brass showing her repeatedly directing city officials to “clean up” tent encampments, something her critics have previously said is a callous way of handling of the city’s homelessness crisis. (Fracassa, 5/26)

Houston Chronicle: Hundreds Of Complaints But Zero Citations For Houston Bars, Restaurants Violating Capacity Rules 
Despite reports of crowded establishments and Turner’s pledge to enforce penalties starting Sunday evening, however, the Houston Fire Department and Harris County Fire Marshal issued zero citations. (Scherer and Despart, 5/26)

Boston Globe: Raimondo Says R.I.’s Coronavirus Numbers May Be Good Enough To Move To Phase Two Monday 
As new cases of COVID-19 appear to be declining in Rhode Island, Governor Gina M. Raimondo said she hopes to move forward with the second phase of reopening the state’s economy on Monday. Hair salons and barber shops, indoor dining, gyms and fitness studios, and the rest of the state’s parks and beaches could reopen by Monday, and houses of worship will likely be able to hold services on Saturday. (Milkovits, 5/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia’s Latest Coronavirus News: New Cases Up But Causes Unclear
After gradual declines, week to week cases of COVID-19 in Georgia clicked up 26% for the seven days ending Sunday, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis of public health data. Whether the increase from nearly 4,170 confirmed cases during the week of May 11 to 5,260 the week of May 18 represents a new wave in the spread of the novel coronavirus remains unclear. (Mariano, 5/26)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: School Police Officer Duties Change With Pandemic
The majority of school districts in Georgia have partnerships with county or municipal law enforcement to provide officers to patrol schools and help with school traffic. But the six largest school systems employ their own police forces — nearly 500 police officers. (Broady. 5/26)

Bangor Daily News: Mainers Are Getting Antibody Tests For The Coronavirus, But It’s Unclear What Results Mean 
In early May, health care providers in Maine started offering a second kind of coronavirus test that could detect past infections, though they are not being recommended by the state’s top health official for most people due to questions over what the results mean. (Pendharkar, 5/27)

State House News Service: Union Says Office Cleaners Getting One-Year Contract Extension 
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed patterns of life for people across Massachusetts and brought about situations that were previously hard to imagine. Add one more to the list: a labor union and management singing from the same hymn sheet. (Young, 5/26)

State House News Service: Boston Field Hospital To Stop Accepting COVID-19 Patients 
With public health data indicating "that we are trending in the right direction" in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday that the 1,000-bed field hospital set up last month at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center "is no longer necessary" and will stop accepting new patients. (Young, 5/26)