Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pandemic Ushers In Thousands Of Workers' Comp Claims In California; Rhode Island Extends State Of Emergency Into July
San Francisco Chronicle: Thousands Of Coronavirus-Infected Californians File For Workers’ Compensation
The coronavirus pandemic ushered in a new era of workers’ compensation claims in California, with the state creating a unique injury category for COVID-19, and politicians, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, pushing to change standards of proof for compensation. It can be murky legal territory to prove on-the-job injury — especially from a viral disease — but recent political action has made it easier. (Moench, 6/5)
Boston Globe: Raimondo Extends The Rhode Island State Of Emergency Until At Least July 5
Despite saying that Rhode Island is no longer facing the daily crisis that the coronavirus has created over the past three months, Governor Gina Raimondo announced Friday that she is extending her state of emergency declaration until at least July 5. Raimondo said the declaration won’t remain in place “a minute more than necessary,” but she acknowledged the state needs to take advantage of federal resources as it continues to address the highly contagious disease. She also said she supports President Trump’s decision to extend states’ use of the National Guard until Aug. 21. (McGowan, 6/5)
Bangor Daily News: 46 More Coronavirus Cases Are Detected As Another Mainer Dies
Another Mainer has died as health officials reported Sunday that 46 more cases of the coronavirus have been detected. There have now been 2,570 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 2,524 on Saturday. (Burns, 6/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Coronavirus Cases: Milwaukee County Positive Tests At 16%
The percentage of positive COVID-19 tests continues to fall in Wisconsin, as the state health department reported Saturday that 2.7% of test results came back positive for the coronavirus. Of the 11,792 new test results reported by the state Department of Health Services on Saturday, 322 were positive for the virus. This is the lowest number of new cases reported since Monday, and the lowest percentage of positive cases since Sunday. (Brophy, Torres and Rumage, 6/6)
Dallas Morning News: Prison Inmate Was 8 Days From Release After 20 Years Behind Bars. Then He Got The Virus
Federal inmate #50083-054 was ready to go home. He called his family back in New York to tell them he would be released from Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth in May. He was beyond excited. After 20 years behind bars, he would finally stop being a number and get back his name: Vernon Adderley. Adderley’s relatives asked him about his health and if he had the coronavirus. His brother Jermaine remembers his answer. (Lieber, 6/5)
Detroit Free Press: Report Offers Recommendations For Reducing Jail Population
A new report offers a look at who was incarcerated in Wayne County Jail and why before the coronavirus hit, and makes recommendations for reducing the jail population after the pandemic. The report comes as jails, prisons and other congregant settings have emerged as incubators for the spread of COVID-19. The Wayne County Jail population has fallen by about 40% during the pandemic and Wayne County faces a lawsuit filed by inmates and advocacy groups alleging lack of adequate protections to keep inmates safe during the pandemic. (Rahman, 6/5)
Detroit Free Press: ICE Proposes New Immigration Prison In Ionia, Michigan
About two hours west of Detroit, just north of the 96 highway near a Menards store, sits 106 acres of farmland in Ionia Township.On this spot, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a private company, Immigration Centers of America (ICA), want to build a 152,000-square-foot prison that would house up to 600 male foreign-born detainees. The prisoners would only be those charged with civil violations of immigration law, awaiting their hearings, not those charged or convicted of criminal violations. (Warikoo, 6/7)
Kaiser Health News: Baltimore’s ‘Squeegee Boys’: ‘If We Don’t Go Out, We Don’t Eat’
On the corner of South President and East Pratt streets in Baltimore a little over a month ago, a young man in a black hoodie stood out on an otherwise empty intersection. A single gold chain with a cross hung around his neck. With a squeegee in his left blue-latex-gloved hand and a plastic spray bottle in his right — filled with a solution of vinegar, water and glass cleaner — he watched for the traffic lights to turn red and a chance to make some money. Evay H., 21, tries to clean windshields for a small donation from the drivers. He’s lucky if he gets $2 a vehicle. It’s not much, but it’s something. (Giles, 6/8)
Dallas Morning News: Low-Income Dallas Neighborhoods Feeling Squeeze Of Pandemic’s Economic Impact, Study Says
Spending at local businesses suffered a sharper decline among residents of low-income Dallas neighborhoods than residents of high-income neighborhoods, according to a new analysis of credit card use in 16 cities by the JPMorgan Chase Institute. To gauge the pandemic’s effect on economic ecosystems, the financial giant’s think tank examined local commerce in March — measured by Chase customers’ spending on goods and services such as clothing, groceries, home maintenance, restaurants, pharmacies, personal care and transportation. (DiFurio, 6/5)
Boston Globe: Vermont Senate Votes To Double Amount Of Marijuana That Can Be Possessed And Grown
The Vermont Senate approved a bill Thursday that would double the amount of marijuana that can be possessed and grown without the threat of jail time. The legislation also contains provisions for automatic expungements that stand to clear the records for thousands of misdemeanor cannabis convictions. (Jaeger, 6/5)
Boston Globe: Child Care Owners Say New Regulations Will Hike Parents’ Fees, Put Them Out Of Business
As Massachusetts employees tiptoe out of a nearly three-month lockdown, the already expensive child care market will likely become even more competitive for families, due to new regulations aimed at keeping children safe in a COVID era. Early educators say the socially distant classrooms they’re being told to reopen will be far more costly to operate, less welcoming to youngsters, and perhaps completely unworkable. (Ebbert, 6/5)
