As Governors Change Their Tune, Local Leaders Must Cope With Consequences Of Mixed Messages
Local leaders voice frustration at the inconsistent or unsound reopening and health guidelines provided by state capitols that they say have contributed to the rapid resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Moves being made in cities or regions in Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, California, Maryland and New York are in the news.
On June 11, a month and a half into reopening efforts in Texas, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a dire warning. "The virus is not under control, the community spread is not under control," he said, as the city reported 210 new coronavirus cases. "We no longer have the ability to hit the brakes. That's controlled now totally by the state." (Siegel, Kim and Faulders, 6/30)
The summer tourism season is here, and Rhode Island鈥檚 welcome mat still has some strings attached. Visitors coming from states with a 5 percent positivity rate will have to either quarantine for 14 days or receive a negative test result within three days of their arrival, Governor Gina Raimondo announced Monday. Likewise, Rhode Islanders who visit those states will have to quarantine when they return or be tested for COVID-19. (Milkovits , 6/29)
Health officials in Allegheny County, Penn., say a surge in novel coronavirus cases recently reported around Pittsburgh聽has been tied to bars, not protests,聽local media report. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald (D) told CBS Pittsburgh the area has seen 鈥渟ome alarming spikes鈥 in cases in recent weeks, adding, 鈥淲e have seen more cases in the last two days than in the previous two weeks.鈥 (Folley, 6/29)
Los Angeles is shutting its beaches for the holiday weekend around Independence Day as the number of new coronavirus cases spikes, county officials said Monday.聽Beaches will be closed to all recreational activities from July 3 through July 6 at 5 a.m. to prevent crowding that could spread the coronavirus. (Klar, 6/29)
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti on Monday announced he was taking a 鈥渉ard pause鈥 on when movie theaters in the city can reopen, citing an increase in coronavirus cases. Los Angeles County is the biggest movie theater market in the United States. (6/29)
So, are you feeling lucky? That鈥檚 what gamblers around the D.C. region are asking themselves as they decide whether they are comfortable returning to Maryland鈥檚 casinos, the two largest of which reopened Monday after a 3陆-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. For Mariam Hashimi, of Woodbridge, Va., the answer was a qualified yes. Hashimi said she called MGM National Harbor on Monday morning to check on safety precautions before deciding to visit. She arrived after her shift as an attendant on Amtrak鈥檚 Auto Train, wearing the same protective equipment she wears for work, including gloves, two face masks and a face shield. (Heim, 6/29)
New York City may delay allowing indoor dining amid signs it poses a risk of spreading the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday. The city is set to enter the third phase of its reopening next Monday, which was scheduled to include indoor dining. But both leaders say they are seriously considering nixing the reopening of indoor restaurants and bars, which have been tied to new virus clusters in other states. (Durkin, 6/29)
The easiest job for a food critic? Assembling table mates. Even when I tell people I鈥檓 not responsible for how the night might turn out, the siren call of a meal paid by someone else is hard to say no to. Only twice in two decades have I had a problem getting people to help me eat my way through a menu. Before Anthony S. Fauci became a household name, it was when I first reviewed the exclusive Sushi Nakazawa, a branch of a four-star draw in New York that is linked to the Trump International hotel. (Sietsema, 6/29)
