usatoday--2020-04-27--'Values, experience' and 'strategic thinking': Pelosi touts Biden's character in endorsement

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden Monday in his quest to unseat President Donald Trump , calling Biden a `` battle-tested leader who will fight for the people . ''
`` He will be an extraordinary president , '' Pelosi said in a video statement .
`` He knows how to get the job done . ''
As speaker and later House minority leader , Pelosi worked closely with Biden during his years as vice president under Barack Obama and she touted Biden 's role in overseeing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the Great Recession @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure the passage of the Affordable Care Act .
Health care is consistently ranked as a top concern among voters in polls , and Pelosi said the presumptive Democratic nominee `` has been with us every step of the way to protect Americans quality , affordable health care . ''
She drew a contrast with Trump , whom she said was engaged in a campaign to `` destroy every last benefit and protection of the ACA . ''
Pelosi said that during the coronavirus pandemic , Biden – who has offered his perspective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media interviews and videos filmed at his home – `` has been a voice of reason and resilience , with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis . ''
During the primary campaign , Pelosi chose to remain neutral and stressed party unity even as moderate House Democrats in purple districts voiced concern that nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders , a self-described Democratic socialist , would doom their chances of reelection .
Biden 's rivals for the nomination quickly dropped out as he mounted a historic comeback after losing the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Sanders , withdrew and officially endorsed Biden earlier this month .
In addition to Pelosi and Sanders , Biden has the endorsement of most Democratic Party leaders , including former President Barack Obama , 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore .
Pelosi called Biden a `` leader with the humility to seek expertise in science and the competence to act upon it . ''
She added that he `` brings values and integrity to work every day , '' and she continued to praise Biden 's `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what she appears to consider a strength relative to Trump .
`` Elections are about the future , '' Pelosi said .
`` Now more than ever , we need a forward-looking , battle-tested leader who will fight for the people ; a president with the values , experience and the strategic thinking to bring our nation together and build a better , fairer world for our children .
`` For these and other reasons , I 'm proud to endorse Joe Biden for president , a leader who is the personification of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and integrity . ''
Stressing the importance of turning out to vote in November , Pelosi vowed to `` deliver bold progress for the people '' if Biden is elected along with congressional majorities in the House and Senate .

'Values, experience' and 'strategic thinking': Pelosi touts Biden's character in endorsement
Show Caption Hide Caption Biden's next big decision: Picking a running mate Joe Biden faces one of the most important decisions of his five-decade political career: choosing a vice president for his 2020 race. (April 16) AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden Monday in his quest to unseat President Donald Trump, calling Biden a "battle-tested leader who will fight for the people."
"He will be an extraordinary president," Pelosi said in a video statement. "He knows how to get the job done."
As speaker and later House minority leader, Pelosi worked closely with Biden during his years as vice president under Barack Obama and she touted Biden's role in overseeing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the Great Recession and the work he did to help ensure the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Health care is consistently ranked as a top concern among voters in polls, and Pelosi said the presumptive Democratic nominee "has been with us every step of the way to protect Americans quality, affordable health care." She drew a contrast with Trump, whom she said was engaged in a campaign to "destroy every last benefit and protection of the ACA."
Pelosi said that during the coronavirus pandemic, Biden – who has offered his perspective on how to manage the outbreak in media interviews and videos filmed at his home – "has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis."
During the primary campaign, Pelosi chose to remain neutral and stressed party unity even as moderate House Democrats in purple districts voiced concern that nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, would doom their chances of reelection.
Biden's rivals for the nomination quickly dropped out as he mounted a historic comeback after losing the first three primary contests. His final opponent, Sanders, withdrew and officially endorsed Biden earlier this month.
In addition to Pelosi and Sanders, Biden has the endorsement of most Democratic Party leaders, including former President Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore.
Pelosi called Biden a "leader with the humility to seek expertise in science and the competence to act upon it." She added that he "brings values and integrity to work every day," and she continued to praise Biden's "values" in her endorsement, highlighting what she appears to consider a strength relative to Trump.
"Elections are about the future," Pelosi said. "Now more than ever, we need a forward-looking, battle-tested leader who will fight for the people; a president with the values, experience and the strategic thinking to bring our nation together and build a better, fairer world for our children.
"For these and other reasons, I'm proud to endorse Joe Biden for president, a leader who is the personification of hope and courage, values, authenticity and integrity."
Stressing the importance of turning out to vote in November, Pelosi vowed to "deliver bold progress for the people" if Biden is elected along with congressional majorities in the House and Senate.


usatoday--2020-04-27--White House unveils blueprint to expand state testing as governors weigh lifting stay-at-home orders

WASHINGTON – The White House unveiled a blueprint on Monday designed to help states expand coronavirus testing and rapid response programs as governors weigh gradually lifting stay-at-home orders and reopening schools and businesses .
`` We want to get our country open , and the testing is not going to be a problem at all , '' Trump proclaimed in unveiling a plan that comes after weeks of complaints from state officials about the slow pace of federal testing .
The blueprint outlines the federal government 's role in assisting states with access to testing platforms , increasing testing and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collection , according to a copy of the plan reviewed by USA TODAY .
At an earlier meeting with retail business leaders involved in developing coronavirus tests , Trump said that things are `` going really well . ''
Some of those business leaders from companies including CVS , Walmart , Walgreens and others , later spoke at a Rose Garden news conference to unveil the plan , pledging to increase development and delivery of test kits and equipment .
Trump also said he discussed testing during a conference call with the nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
He said he spoke to governors about lifting coronavirus restrictions , including the reopening of schools before the end of the school year .
`` I think you will see a lot of schools open up , even for a short period of time .
It will be a good thing , '' Trump said .
`` I know there are some governors who are not necessarily ready to open up the state , but maybe the school systems .
The word is safety .
Rapid , but safety . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would send each state enough tests to screen at least 2 % of their residents , a number that critics said is too low .
Trump aides said states remain responsible for acquiring their own test kits , and many have enough to test higher numbers .
The states have to develop their own testing plans , according to the new blueprint , while the federal government should be the `` supplier of last resort . ''
In past weeks , some governors and other critics have attacked the Trump administration for failing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kits , hurting the efforts of states to track the spread of the virus .
Trump has `` pushed sole responsibility to governors while telling them to fly blind without the critical data we derive from testing , '' said Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden , who promoted his own testing plan on Monday .
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington also criticized the blueprint for putting too much burden on states .
“ This document does nothing new and will accomplish nothing new .
It doesn ’ t set specific , numeric @ @ @ @ @ @ @ identify ways to fix our broken supply chain , or offer any details whatsoever on expanding lab capacity or activating needed manufacturing capacity , '' Murray said .
`` Perhaps most pathetically , it attempts to shirk obviously federal responsibilities by assigning them solely to states instead . ''
Earlier this month the White House coronavirus task force issued a three-phase plan aimed at helping states determine when to ease restrictions and allow residents to begin returning to work .
But critics were quick to point out the broad guidelines lacked details on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benchmarks without the availability of widespread testing .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is implementing a new program in which `` community protection teams '' are assisting state and local governments in `` performing core public health functions , including epidemiology , monitoring , laboratory analytics , and contract tracing , '' according to a copy of the blueprint .
Trump appeared in the Rose Garden on Monday after the coronavirus task force took a two-day break from holding daily press briefings .
The absence of weekend briefings came after Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thursday that doctors look at ways to inject heat , light , and disinfectants into the body to somehow kill the virus .
The president made only a brief statement at Friday ’ s briefing , then left the podium without taking questions .
As Trump and aides debated the value of coronavirus briefings , they canceled a news conference set for Monday before reinstating it hours later .
Though the Trump administration has come under fire for a lack of an organized system for coronavirus testing , senior administration officials said each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because they have different needs and different health care systems that evaluate diagnostic testing in different ways .
State officials and citizens have said for weeks they have been unable to get tested , despite Trump ’ s March 6 proclamation that “ anybody that wants a test can get a test .
That ’ s what the bottom line is . ''
The challenging complexity of testing for the virus , combined with the different “ platforms ” in each state , is the reason it has taken as long as it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ official said it is a “ miracle ” the blueprint has been developed as quickly as possible .
Officials said they are putting the responsibility on the states , which are already administering the tests .
The federal government ’ s role is to provide supplies , they said .
“ It ’ s not on the governors , ” one official said .
“ It ’ s a partnership between us and them.
” As part of a wider effort to help states access widespread testing , the administration said it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop the `` next generation '' of tests , according to the document .
The president has encouraged governors to `` liberate '' their states and defended people protesting social-distancing measures enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19 .
Some governors , including in Oklahoma , Montana , South Carolina , and Texas , have since announced plans to relax coronavirus restrictions , though Trump slammed Republican Gov .
Brian Kemp 's aggressive move to reopen salons , tattoo parlors and bowling alleys in Georgia this weekend .
Trump told reporters last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kemp 's plan .

Courtney Subramanian and David Jackson, USA TODAY

White House unveils blueprint to expand state testing as governors weigh lifting stay-at-home orders
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: President Trump and Dr. Fauci disagree on second wave President Trump said coronavirus won't be coming back in the fall, but Dr. Fauci believes otherwise, contradicting the president's statements. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The White House unveiled a blueprint on Monday designed to help states expand coronavirus testing and rapid response programs as governors weigh gradually lifting stay-at-home orders and reopening schools and businesses.
"We want to get our country open, and the testing is not going to be a problem at all," Trump proclaimed in unveiling a plan that comes after weeks of complaints from state officials about the slow pace of federal testing.
The blueprint outlines the federal government's role in assisting states with access to testing platforms, increasing testing and laboratory supplies as well as enhancing sample collection, according to a copy of the plan reviewed by USA TODAY.
At an earlier meeting with retail business leaders involved in developing coronavirus tests, Trump said that things are "going really well." Some of those business leaders from companies including CVS, Walmart, Walgreens and others, later spoke at a Rose Garden news conference to unveil the plan, pledging to increase development and delivery of test kits and equipment.
Trump also said he discussed testing during a conference call with the nation's governors and heard "no complaints." He said he spoke to governors about lifting coronavirus restrictions, including the reopening of schools before the end of the school year.
"I think you will see a lot of schools open up, even for a short period of time. It will be a good thing," Trump said. "I know there are some governors who are not necessarily ready to open up the state, but maybe the school systems. The word is safety. Rapid, but safety."
Under the plan, the Trump administration would send each state enough tests to screen at least 2% of their residents, a number that critics said is too low. Trump aides said states remain responsible for acquiring their own test kits, and many have enough to test higher numbers.
The states have to develop their own testing plans, according to the new blueprint, while the federal government should be the "supplier of last resort."
In past weeks, some governors and other critics have attacked the Trump administration for failing to provide a sufficient number of test kits, hurting the efforts of states to track the spread of the virus.
Trump has "pushed sole responsibility to governors while telling them to fly blind without the critical data we derive from testing," said Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, who promoted his own testing plan on Monday.
Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington also criticized the blueprint for putting too much burden on states.
“This document does nothing new and will accomplish nothing new. It doesn’t set specific, numeric goals, offer a time frame, identify ways to fix our broken supply chain, or offer any details whatsoever on expanding lab capacity or activating needed manufacturing capacity," Murray said. "Perhaps most pathetically, it attempts to shirk obviously federal responsibilities by assigning them solely to states instead."
Earlier this month the White House coronavirus task force issued a three-phase plan aimed at helping states determine when to ease restrictions and allow residents to begin returning to work. But critics were quick to point out the broad guidelines lacked details on how states could achieve some of the benchmarks without the availability of widespread testing.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is implementing a new program in which "community protection teams" are assisting state and local governments in "performing core public health functions, including epidemiology, monitoring, laboratory analytics, and contract tracing," according to a copy of the blueprint.
Trump appeared in the Rose Garden on Monday after the coronavirus task force took a two-day break from holding daily press briefings.
The absence of weekend briefings came after Trump was criticized for suggesting during a briefing Thursday that doctors look at ways to inject heat, light, and disinfectants into the body to somehow kill the virus. The president made only a brief statement at Friday’s briefing, then left the podium without taking questions.
As Trump and aides debated the value of coronavirus briefings, they canceled a news conference set for Monday before reinstating it hours later.
Though the Trump administration has come under fire for a lack of an organized system for coronavirus testing, senior administration officials said each state needs to conduct its own testing because they have different needs and different health care systems that evaluate diagnostic testing in different ways.
State officials and citizens have said for weeks they have been unable to get tested, despite Trump’s March 6 proclamation that “anybody that wants a test can get a test. That’s what the bottom line is."
The challenging complexity of testing for the virus, combined with the different “platforms” in each state, is the reason it has taken as long as it has to develop the system. One official said it is a “miracle” the blueprint has been developed as quickly as possible.
Officials said they are putting the responsibility on the states, which are already administering the tests. The federal government’s role is to provide supplies, they said.
Coronavirus: Survivors who fought for their lives share their stories These individuals, from six to 95-year-old, fought the coronavirus and won. USA TODAY
“It’s not on the governors,” one official said. “It’s a partnership between us and them.”
As part of a wider effort to help states access widespread testing, the administration said it is working with diagnostics companies and academic researchers to develop the "next generation" of tests, according to the document.
The president has encouraged governors to "liberate" their states and defended people protesting social-distancing measures enacted to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Some governors, including in Oklahoma, Montana, South Carolina, and Texas, have since announced plans to relax coronavirus restrictions, though Trump slammed Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's aggressive move to reopen salons, tattoo parlors and bowling alleys in Georgia this weekend. Trump told reporters last week he "strongly" disagrees with Kemp's plan.


usatoday--2020-04-27--Supreme Court sidesteps major Second Amendment case, a setback for NRA

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court sidestepped its first major case on the Second Amendment in nearly a decade Monday by ruling that New York City 's repeal of a transportation restriction on gun owners rendered the case closed .
The vote appeared to be 6-3 , although it was an unsigned , two-page opinion .
Three conservative justices dissented in a 31-page rebuttal , arguing that the court should strike down the restriction to make clear that it infringed on the right to bear arms .
The high court 's action signaled a turning point in the lengthy battle by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to convince the justices that the Second Amendment is being treated as a second-class right in need of their support .
Now they likely will turn their attention to other cases challenging state and local restrictions that are in the pipeline .
The court appears poised to rule in their favor at some point , because the confirmation of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 strengthened its conservative majority .
But New York 's liberal city and state governments , along with gun control groups , thwarted the latest effort by repealing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important decisions before the Supreme Court this year .
Kavanaugh concurred in the opinion Monday .
Chief Justice John Roberts and the court 's four liberal justices presumably agreed the case was moot .
But in his concurrence , Kavanaugh agreed with the dissenters that lower courts may not be upholding correctly the right to keep guns at home for self-defense .
`` The court should address that issue soon , perhaps in one of the several Second Amendment cases with petitions for certiorari now pending before the court , '' he wrote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city had blocked most legal gun owners from taking their firearms to shooting ranges or second homes outside city limits .
The regulation was an outlier nationally , making it an unlikely target for the Supreme Court .
When the justices agreed to hear the case a year ago , gun control groups feared they would use it to render a blockbuster ruling that extended gun rights outside the home or made local and state restrictions harder to justify .
So they lobbied the city and state to retreat .
“ We applaud @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lobby ’ s call to use this moot challenge to a defunct ordinance as an opportunity to radically expand the Second Amendment , '' said Kris Brown , president of the Brady gun-control advocacy group .
`` The Second Amendment can and should allow for strong , effective gun violence prevention laws . ''
Earlier : Supreme Court may expand Second Amendment rights despite repeal of disputed gun restrictions Since its 2008 and 2010 rulings striking down gun restrictions in the District of Columbia and Chicago , the court has refused to hear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who can own what types of guns , where they can be taken , what requirements must be met and more .
During that time , lower courts have resolved more than 1,000 Second Amendment cases , upholding many gun control measures .
Proponents of expanding gun rights will have additional opportunities .
There are more cases in the pipeline , including challenges to permitting requirements for carrying firearms in public in New Jersey and parts of Massachusetts .
A federal appeals court struck down Washington , D.C. , restrictions in 2017 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely to get the Supreme Court 's attention .
When the New York case was heard in early December , several conservative justices sought to hang on to the case by arguing that the rule 's repeal left some issues outstanding .
Their dissension was summed up Monday by Associate Justice Samuel Alito , who along with Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch declared : `` This case is not moot .
The city violated petitioners ’ Second Amendment right , and we should so hold . ''
Alito contended that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and state `` do not provide petitioners with all the injunctive relief they sought . ''
If the Supreme Court struck down the law , he wrote , gun owners could seek damages in district court .

Supreme Court sidesteps major Second Amendment case, a setback for NRA
Show Caption Hide Caption Trump to NRA crowd: We will never let anyone 'trample' on Second Amendment At the NRA convention, President Trump announced his administration is withdrawing America's signature from the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty. A global pact designed to regulate the sale of conventional weapons, from guns to battle tanks. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court sidestepped its first major case on the Second Amendment in nearly a decade Monday by ruling that New York City's repeal of a transportation restriction on gun owners rendered the case closed.
The vote appeared to be 6-3, although it was an unsigned, two-page opinion. Three conservative justices dissented in a 31-page rebuttal, arguing that the court should strike down the restriction to make clear that it infringed on the right to bear arms.
The high court's action signaled a turning point in the lengthy battle by the National Rifle Association and other groups to convince the justices that the Second Amendment is being treated as a second-class right in need of their support. Now they likely will turn their attention to other cases challenging state and local restrictions that are in the pipeline.
The court appears poised to rule in their favor at some point, because the confirmation of Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 strengthened its conservative majority. But New York's liberal city and state governments, along with gun control groups, thwarted the latest effort by repealing the objectionable rule.
Kavanaugh concurred in the opinion Monday. Chief Justice John Roberts and the court's four liberal justices presumably agreed the case was moot.
But in his concurrence, Kavanaugh agreed with the dissenters that lower courts may not be upholding correctly the right to keep guns at home for self-defense.
"The court should address that issue soon, perhaps in one of the several Second Amendment cases with petitions for certiorari now pending before the court," he wrote.
For nearly two decades, the city had blocked most legal gun owners from taking their firearms to shooting ranges or second homes outside city limits. The regulation was an outlier nationally, making it an unlikely target for the Supreme Court.
When the justices agreed to hear the case a year ago, gun control groups feared they would use it to render a blockbuster ruling that extended gun rights outside the home or made local and state restrictions harder to justify. So they lobbied the city and state to retreat.
“We applaud the Supreme Court for rejecting the gun lobby’s call to use this moot challenge to a defunct ordinance as an opportunity to radically expand the Second Amendment," said Kris Brown, president of the Brady gun-control advocacy group. "The Second Amendment can and should allow for strong, effective gun violence prevention laws."
Earlier: Supreme Court may expand Second Amendment rights despite repeal of disputed gun restrictions
Since its 2008 and 2010 rulings striking down gun restrictions in the District of Columbia and Chicago, the court has refused to hear dozens of cases challenging lesser limits on who can own what types of guns, where they can be taken, what requirements must be met and more. During that time, lower courts have resolved more than 1,000 Second Amendment cases, upholding many gun control measures.
Proponents of expanding gun rights will have additional opportunities. There are more cases in the pipeline, including challenges to permitting requirements for carrying firearms in public in New Jersey and parts of Massachusetts. A federal appeals court struck down Washington, D.C., restrictions in 2017, creating a split among lower courts that is likely to get the Supreme Court's attention.
When the New York case was heard in early December, several conservative justices sought to hang on to the case by arguing that the rule's repeal left some issues outstanding.
Their dissension was summed up Monday by Associate Justice Samuel Alito, who along with Associate Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch declared: "This case is not moot. The city violated petitioners’ Second Amendment right, and we should so hold."
Alito contended that by repealing the law, the city and state "do not provide petitioners with all the injunctive relief they sought." If the Supreme Court struck down the law, he wrote, gun owners could seek damages in district court.


usatoday--2020-04-27--Mass virus testing in state prisons reveals hidden asymptomatic infections; feds join effort

WASHINGTON – There have been much worse outbreaks during this pandemic .
But 39 inmates testing positive for the coronavirus at Neuse state prison in Goldsboro , North Carolina , was still cause for alarm .
Of the more than 50 detention centers across the state , none had more infections at the time than Neuse , prompting officials to take the extraordinary step of testing all 700 prisoners at the medium-security facility near Raleigh .
Within a week , infections had surged to 444 .
Perhaps even more revealing : More than 90 % of the newly diagnosed inmates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deadly virus could have remained hidden had the state followed federal guidelines that largely reserve testing for people displaying common symptoms , such as fever and respiratory distress .
“ We would never have known , ” North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull said .
'It gets more frightening ' : As coronavirus surges in prisons , families of elderly inmates wait in fear Outbreak : Hundreds of infected , quarantined inmates in prisons and jails challenging officials Even as vulnerable prison systems have ramped up scrutiny of inmates and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tracing investigations , increased testing is proving just as crucial in assessing the virus ’ spread within detention systems as it is in the free world .
Mass testing at three state prisons in Ohio has yielded results similar to North Carolina 's , with officials suggesting that the strategy and findings could have broad implications , not just for containing outbreaks in detention centers but in making larger decisions about when states should reopen for business and loosen social distancing restrictions .
The federal Bureau of Prisons , the largest detention system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , too , is expanding testing for asymptomatic inmates in an attempt to control the spread of the virus that has so far infected nearly 1,000 inmates and staffers and claimed the lives of 24 prisoners .
Testing capacity has been the central focus of many governors as they weigh when and how they will re-emerge from near total lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic .
Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine , who recently won approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration for use of a compound that can identify the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ formed a special working group to find reliable sources of testing supplies .
The broader testing in prisons , however , has already produced striking findings .
`` While we know coronavirus does pose a specific threat to congregate settings , '' DeWine said , referring to the prison testing , `` this comprehensive testing will give us insight on both how to best coordinate response at these facilities , as well as data and insight on how comprehensive testing within a cohort will affect testing numbers . ''
Leonard Rubenstein , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health , said the broader testing in detention centers where small cells and densely packed dormitories make social distancing directives nearly impossible to maintain underscores the need for testing beyond prison walls .
`` Unless you do universal testing in all environments , the risk of spread is enormous , '' Rubenstein said .
`` If you are waiting for symptoms to emerge before you do the testing , you are getting a false picture of what is going on .
...
It 's too late . ''
Ohio was among the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launch a mass testing program aimed at diagnosing the scope of infection at three virus-plagued prisons , including Marion Correctional Institution , which has contained the largest number of infections of any prison in the country – now at more than 2,000 .
As expected , the universal testing yielded more infections , including a large contingent of asymptomatic inmates .
In one dormitory at Marion , officials said that of 152 prisoners tested , 39 % tested positive for COVID-19 even though they displayed no symptoms .
Ohio has reported 3,762 total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 28,000 of the state 's 50,000 inmates were in some form of quarantine .
By comparison , at least 620 of the more than 140,000 inmates in the federal Bureau of Prisons have tested positive , while 357 staffers have been infected .
DeWine said the state numbers `` did not necessarily indicate a new problem at these facilities , but simply wider testing . ''
Still , DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said that the asymptomatic infections are striking and underscore the need for wider intelligence .
`` Testing is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Tierney said .
`` We have been working hard to acquire more testing capacity . ''
'We really needed to know more' In North Carolina , officials are considering a broader prison testing regime after learning this week that the virus had spread throughout the Neuse facility , largely undercover and without producing the tell-tale symptoms of fever , respiratory distress , muscle aches , cough , chills or the loss of taste and smell .
Suspicions first peaked this month when infection numbers involving symptomatic inmates began to mount at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling that we really needed to know more , '' Bull said .
`` The interest was clear . ''
Testing of the entire facility began Thursday and ran through the weekend .
`` I think we were very shocked to discover how many more had this virus , '' Bull said , adding that testing also was offered to all of the facility 's 250 staffers .
At least 22 have tested positive so far .
The results were so jarring that state authorities earlier this week announced the temporary closure of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all 600 inmates to other facilities so staffers could help colleagues at the troubled Neuse prison .
“ The staff at Neuse have been working in the toughest conditions , for weeks on end , and desperately needed support , ” North Carolina prisons Commissioner Todd Ishee said .
“ They are owed everyone ’ s thanks for their commitment to serving the public , standing tall in their daily responsibilities and helping ensure safety of their co-workers and those in custody.
” With some test results still pending at Neuse , Bull @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about expanding testing across the system to account for the so far unknown number of asymptomatic inmates who could be carrying the virus .
`` So far , there have been plenty of discussions , but no firm path , '' Bull said .
`` Nobody 's confronted anything like COVID-19 .
This is a significant challenge for a prison population , which is a difficult environment on a good day .
These have not been good days . ''
Concern for the overall health of the Neuse facility has spilled into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where a number of prison staffers live .
`` We are all concerned , '' Wayne County spokesman Joel Gilley said .
`` But we need more testing across the country ; it 's not just an issue for Wayne County . ''
So far , the overwhelming majority of the 572 infections in the county are the 458 cases inside the prison .
Gilley said the staffers are quarantined in their homes , limiting the contact with other local residents .
There are regular conference calls , linking local officials with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' spread .
`` We want to make sure we are prepared , '' Gilley said .
Yet there are sad reminders that the threat is strikingly close to home .
Gilley said six local residents , all elderly with underlying health complications , have succumbed to virus so far .

Mass virus testing in state prisons reveals hidden asymptomatic infections; feds join effort
Show Caption Hide Caption How antibodies in recovered COVID-19 patients could treat coronavirus The secret to fighting COVID-19 could be in recovered patients. Here's how antibodies could lead to a treatment for those fighting coronavirus. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – There have been much worse outbreaks during this pandemic. But 39 inmates testing positive for the coronavirus at Neuse state prison in Goldsboro, North Carolina, was still cause for alarm.
Of the more than 50 detention centers across the state, none had more infections at the time than Neuse, prompting officials to take the extraordinary step of testing all 700 prisoners at the medium-security facility near Raleigh.
Within a week, infections had surged to 444. Perhaps even more revealing: More than 90% of the newly diagnosed inmates displayed no symptoms, meaning that the deadly virus could have remained hidden had the state followed federal guidelines that largely reserve testing for people displaying common symptoms, such as fever and respiratory distress.
“We would never have known,” North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesman John Bull said.
'It gets more frightening':As coronavirus surges in prisons, families of elderly inmates wait in fear
Outbreak: Hundreds of infected, quarantined inmates in prisons and jails challenging officials
Even as vulnerable prison systems have ramped up scrutiny of inmates and staffers with broad quarantines and elaborate contact tracing investigations, increased testing is proving just as crucial in assessing the virus’ spread within detention systems as it is in the free world.
Mass testing at three state prisons in Ohio has yielded results similar to North Carolina's, with officials suggesting that the strategy and findings could have broad implications, not just for containing outbreaks in detention centers but in making larger decisions about when states should reopen for business and loosen social distancing restrictions.
The federal Bureau of Prisons, the largest detention system in the country, has announced that it, too, is expanding testing for asymptomatic inmates in an attempt to control the spread of the virus that has so far infected nearly 1,000 inmates and staffers and claimed the lives of 24 prisoners.
Testing capacity has been the central focus of many governors as they weigh when and how they will re-emerge from near total lockdowns prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who recently won approval from the federal Food and Drug Administration for use of a compound that can identify the virus in test samples, also has formed a special working group to find reliable sources of testing supplies.
The broader testing in prisons, however, has already produced striking findings.
"While we know coronavirus does pose a specific threat to congregate settings," DeWine said, referring to the prison testing, "this comprehensive testing will give us insight on both how to best coordinate response at these facilities, as well as data and insight on how comprehensive testing within a cohort will affect testing numbers."
Leonard Rubenstein, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said the broader testing in detention centers where small cells and densely packed dormitories make social distancing directives nearly impossible to maintain underscores the need for testing beyond prison walls.
"Unless you do universal testing in all environments, the risk of spread is enormous," Rubenstein said. "If you are waiting for symptoms to emerge before you do the testing, you are getting a false picture of what is going on. ... It's too late."
Testing 'key' to recovery
Ohio was among the first prison systems in the country to launch a mass testing program aimed at diagnosing the scope of infection at three virus-plagued prisons, including Marion Correctional Institution, which has contained the largest number of infections of any prison in the country – now at more than 2,000.
As expected, the universal testing yielded more infections, including a large contingent of asymptomatic inmates.
In one dormitory at Marion, officials said that of 152 prisoners tested, 39% tested positive for COVID-19 even though they displayed no symptoms.
Ohio has reported 3,762 total inmate infections and nine confirmed deaths while more than 28,000 of the state's 50,000 inmates were in some form of quarantine. By comparison, at least 620 of the more than 140,000 inmates in the federal Bureau of Prisons have tested positive, while 357 staffers have been infected.
DeWine said the state numbers "did not necessarily indicate a new problem at these facilities, but simply wider testing."
Still, DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said that the asymptomatic infections are striking and underscore the need for wider intelligence.
"Testing is going to be key for the recovery phase," Tierney said. "We have been working hard to acquire more testing capacity."
'We really needed to know more'
In North Carolina, officials are considering a broader prison testing regime after learning this week that the virus had spread throughout the Neuse facility, largely undercover and without producing the tell-tale symptoms of fever, respiratory distress, muscle aches, cough, chills or the loss of taste and smell.
Suspicions first peaked this month when infection numbers involving symptomatic inmates began to mount at the facility.
"There was a feeling that we really needed to know more," Bull said. "The interest was clear."
Testing of the entire facility began Thursday and ran through the weekend.
"I think we were very shocked to discover how many more had this virus," Bull said, adding that testing also was offered to all of the facility's 250 staffers. At least 22 have tested positive so far.
The results were so jarring that state authorities earlier this week announced the temporary closure of the nearby Johnston Correctional Institution and moved all 600 inmates to other facilities so staffers could help colleagues at the troubled Neuse prison.
“The staff at Neuse have been working in the toughest conditions, for weeks on end, and desperately needed support,” North Carolina prisons Commissioner Todd Ishee said. “They are owed everyone’s thanks for their commitment to serving the public, standing tall in their daily responsibilities and helping ensure safety of their co-workers and those in custody.”
With some test results still pending at Neuse, Bull said there have been "discussions" about expanding testing across the system to account for the so far unknown number of asymptomatic inmates who could be carrying the virus.
"So far, there have been plenty of discussions, but no firm path," Bull said. "Nobody's confronted anything like COVID-19. This is a significant challenge for a prison population, which is a difficult environment on a good day. These have not been good days."
Beyond prison walls
Concern for the overall health of the Neuse facility has spilled into the broader North Carolina community of Wayne County, where a number of prison staffers live.
"We are all concerned," Wayne County spokesman Joel Gilley said. "But we need more testing across the country; it's not just an issue for Wayne County."
So far, the overwhelming majority of the 572 infections in the county are the 458 cases inside the prison. Gilley said the staffers are quarantined in their homes, limiting the contact with other local residents.
There are regular conference calls, linking local officials with prison authorities for updates on the virus' spread.
"We want to make sure we are prepared," Gilley said.
Yet there are sad reminders that the threat is strikingly close to home.
Gilley said six local residents, all elderly with underlying health complications, have succumbed to virus so far.


usatoday--2020-04-28--Ohio's success, or failure, offers blueprint to nation as coronavirus looms over Tuesday election

CINCINNATI – The nation will look to Ohio on Tuesday on how to vote during this pandemic .
Or how not to .
Ohio will hold an election like no other in the state 's 217-year history , an almost all-mail primary .
The novel coronavirus pandemic halted Ohio 's March 17 primary a month after early voting had started and thousands of votes were cast .
The primary was extended to April 28 , with virtually all voters required to mail in their votes .
`` We 're going to see a lot of states try this out in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Barry Burden , director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin .
`` They 're going to make a lot of mistakes .
But they 'll learn a lot by November . ''
Slow mail delivery in Ohio also has elections officials concerned voters wo n't receive ballots on time .
Days before the primary , it was n't clear whether help would come.And it could lead to long lines as voters who applied for ballots but did n't receive them cast provisional ballots – not at their polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at county boards of elections , which are supposed to be open only a small group of voters .
Some voters told The Enquirer they 've applied multiple times for ballots they have n't received .
Others received their ballots within five days of submitting an application and said they liked the convenience and safety of voting in their homes .
More : 'Do-or-die moment ' to boost vote-by-mail for November election .
But the politics is getting harder Like to or not , more people will likely be voting by mail in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a quarter of the voters cast their ballot by mail in 2018 , according to the U.S .
Elections Assistance Commission 's 2018 survey .
For the general election , more than half of American voters could cast their ballots by mail , many election experts told The Enquirer .
People will want to avoid polls , especially if the novel coronavirus surges in the fall , as some experts expect .
`` I think it 's reasonable to expect really big increases in vote by mail , '' said Lawrence Norden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the law and public policy think tank the Brennan Center for Justice .
There 's no way to know for sure , he said .
That 's where Ohio comes in .
Timing has placed Ohio at the center of this drama .
The novel coronavirus pandemic struck right as Ohio prepared for its March 17 primary .
Hours before polls were set to open , Gov .
Mike DeWine and director of Public Health Amy Acton decided the safest option to prevent the spread of the disease was to postpone the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ohio General Assembly moved the primary day to April 28 .
Ohio would end up being the first of many other states to postpone its election and change the rules .
As the pandemic has worsened , 21 other states have postponed their primaries as of April 23 , according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .
The list is growing .
And many are debating going all-mail .
These states hope to avoid the debacle like the one seen in Wisconsin April 7 .
The Supreme Court blocked the governor 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Long lines wrapped around the handful of polling locations open .
A backlog of applications caused many voters to not receive ballots in time , even those who applied two weeks in advance .
And now some COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Wisconsin primary .
Why some are concerned Conducting an election through the Postal Service is n't without pitfalls .
Just days before the election , Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote a letter to Ohio 's congressional delegation saying he was worried voters wo n't get ballots in time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to three days is , in some parts of the state , taking seven to nine days , LaRose wrote .
`` As you can imagine , these delays mean it is very possible that many Ohioans who have requested a ballot may not receive it in time , '' LaRose wrote .
He 's asked for additional postal service staff to handle the ballots promptly .
Voters who applied for ballots by the deadline of noon on April 25 but did n't get one can ask for a provisional ballot at their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election officials warned that a provisional ballot is not a backstop for those who did n't meet the deadline .
Provisional voting should be a rare exception , LaRose said in a tweet .
`` Voters should not make it their plan to show up Tuesday unless they are homeless or disabled , '' LaRose tweeted .
So far , LaRose 's office has not issued guidance on how each board of elections should count the provisional ballots .
More : Amid vote-by-mail push , civil rights groups say in-person voting still needed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state were preparing for long lines .
They are working with health officials and county prosecutors “ to create as safe an environment as possible for voters and election officials , ” said Aaron Ockerman , executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials .
Boards are considering or already have plans to distance voters , take their temperatures , create outdoor voting environments and use personal protective equipment to limit the spread of the virus , he said .
Voters with higher temperatures could be moved to another line and vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ We ’ re preparing people for the fact that we ’ re going to have lines , ” said Ed Leonard , director of the Franklin County Board of Elections .
“ I think every board of elections in the state is going to have a line of people waiting to cast their ballot.
” Ohio is no stranger to by-mail votes .
It is one of 34 states that allows for some form of early , no-excuse voting , according to the NCSL .
But most Ohioans vote in person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the 2016 primary , only 14 % of the 3.3 million ballots cast in of ballots in the primary were absentee ballots .
Turnout will almost certainly be down in Ohio .
A week before the election , 1.6 million Ohioans had requested ballots and 975,000 had actually sent their ballots in .
The number of ballots cast so far is less than one-third of the 3.3 million cast in the previous presidential primary in Ohio .
The five states who do all-mail absentee voting – Oregon , Washington , Colorado @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make the transition , said Robert Stein , a political science professor at Rice University .
`` It is one thing to do in two years and get ready for it , '' Stein said .
Ohioans had about a month to adjust .
Voting rights groups and election experts point out that voting by mail offers more opportunities for things to go wrong .
Ohio 's process requires voters to send in an absentee ballot request , to wait for a ballot to be mailed back to them with a postage-paid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to send it back to the board of elections .
Ballots can get lost in the mail .
Voters can fill out ballots wrong , putting dates on the wrong line or , since this is a primary , not specifying whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot .
And voting remotely means mistakes can ’ t be corrected immediately but take time .
`` In Ohio , there 's a chance you 'll see a larger number of mistakes filling out envelopes , signing in the wrong place , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a few glitches in Ohio already .
In Franklin and Licking counties , 39 ballot applications went to residents with return addresses on the envelope for a rural electric co-op in West Virginia .
The co-op was a client of the same printer contracted by the Secretary of State , according to an official with the Secretary of State .
The West Virginia co-op officials told the state it received about 20 ballot applications and sent the applications back to Ohio .
Officials with the Secretary of State 's office said they 've @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots to them .
In Greene County , letters went out to some voters giving the wrong deadline for ballots to be postmarked .
Some Ohio voters are still waiting for a ballot days before the election .
'It is rather aggravating' Hannah Reinhardt hopes she can vote in her first presidential primary .
The 19-year-old University of Cincinnati student just needs a ballot .
She said she 's applied three times since early March when she was living in Dallas for an internship at an interior design firm .
She 's living @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Cincinnati .
As of Friday , April 24 , still no ballot .
More : Coronavirus displaced millions of college students , who worry how they 're going to vote '' I am a college student , and there is a lot going on in our world right now , '' Reinhardt said .
`` This is on the to-do list of things .
It 's taking a lot of time to get this done , and it is rather aggravating . ''
In the meantime , her favorite candidate , Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But she still excited to participate in her first presidential primary .
Last year , in her first election , she voted on Election Day in person .
There was one glitch then , too .
`` They ran out of ' I voted ' stickers , '' Reinhardt said .
'People thought the vote was over' Given Ohio 's short timeframe , it was not just a matter of getting the ballots to people .
It 's also a matter of letting people know they should vote .
Candidates are saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election is April 28 .
Some people still think it 's June 2 , which was the initial date DeWine wanted to push the primary back to .
Churches , candidates and other community groups in Ohio have scrambled to pass out ballot applications .
A group of seven churches , most in predominantly black neighborhoods around Cincinnati , for several weekends in April passed out ballot applications .
Minister Bomani Tyehimba realized his church had to do something about the election after he started asking his congregation at Corinthian Baptist Church in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 've requested their ballots .
`` There was confusion , '' Tyehimba told The Enquirer .
`` I was doing informal polling , asking people 'Hey , have you voted , have you requested your absentee ballot ? '
People thought the vote was over . ''
His church over two Saturdays in April passed out about 300 ballot applications .
Advocates want more room for error There are too many steps in Ohio 's by-mail vote process that can go wrong , said Jen Miller , executive director of the Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Ohio 's voters do n't automatically get a ballot .
They have to send in an application for a ballot .
If the pandemic in November makes in-person voting not possible , voting rights groups , such as the Ohio LWV , have asked the state to eliminate the extra step of having to apply for a ballot .
Instead , they want the state to send ballots directly to voters .
Otherwise , mail delays could keep people from getting their ballot on time .
`` It is likely that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own , does n't get their ballot on time , '' Miller said .
`` Add to that mistakes are common .
There is no room for human error at all . ''
Despite the potential for glitches , it 's better than risking infection and going to the polls for many voters .
More than two-thirds of Americans want the ability to vote by mail , an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released this week found .
And many voters in Ohio who have never voted by mail before have liked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 69 , of Silverton votes early in person at the board of elections just north of Cincinnati in Norwood .
For whatever reason , she said she did n't get out this year , and planned on voting Election Day .
Then Election Day was canceled .
She filled out a ballot application at her church , Corinthian Baptist Church , a little more than a week before the election .
She also picked up some applications for some friends who could n't make it .
She received a ballot within a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` I think we would get more voter participation , '' Ross said of mail-in voting .
`` All you had to do was drive up to the church , they gave you a clipboard and you filled out the application .
I took a few with me for my friends to fill out . ''
President Donald Trump has criticized mail voting as ripe for fraud .
Ohio 's Republican Secretary of State begs to differ .
In an online town hall a week before the election , Secretary of State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public asking whether it 's secure .
Voters can track their ballots online to see where it is in the process .
`` Let me tell you , the way we run it in Ohio is secure , '' LaRose said .
`` Election fraud is extremely rare . ''
The state 's plea for help LaRose and others in his office struck an optimistic tone earlier in the week about their ability to pull off the election .
But in his letter to local congressional members , he made it clear Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the local congressional delegation for the federal government to : • Assign additional staff to postal service offices and encourage extra hours , including on Sunday • Conduct a thorough search at postal service facilities for unprocessed mail .
• Ensure each post office promptly provides mail to the county boards of elections on Saturday and , `` upon receipt of the absentee ballots which are being mailed to the voters , have the necessary resources on hand to provide for prompt delivery of mail to voters . ''
`` I can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the problems our nation is currently working to overcome , '' LaRose wrote .
`` However , we must never give an inch in our fight for that most sacred of rights – the right to vote . ''

Ohio's success, or failure, offers blueprint to nation as coronavirus looms over Tuesday election
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus sicknesses tied to voting in Wisconsin Wisconsin health officials say they have identified at least seven people who appear to have contracted the coronavirus from participating in the April 7 election. One poll worker who is sick but can't get a test talks about working that day. (April 21) AP
CINCINNATI – The nation will look to Ohio on Tuesday on how to vote during this pandemic.
Or how not to.
Ohio will hold an election like no other in the state's 217-year history, an almost all-mail primary.
The novel coronavirus pandemic halted Ohio's March 17 primary a month after early voting had started and thousands of votes were cast. The primary was extended to April 28, with virtually all voters required to mail in their votes.
"We're going to see a lot of states try this out in April, May and June," said Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin. "They're going to make a lot of mistakes. But they'll learn a lot by November."
Slow mail delivery in Ohio also has elections officials concerned voters won't receive ballots on time.
Days before the primary, it wasn't clear whether help would come. And it could lead to long lines as voters who applied for ballots but didn't receive them cast provisional ballots – not at their polling places, which are closed, but at county boards of elections, which are supposed to be open only a small group of voters.
Some voters told The Enquirer they've applied multiple times for ballots they haven't received. Others received their ballots within five days of submitting an application and said they liked the convenience and safety of voting in their homes.
More: 'Do-or-die moment' to boost vote-by-mail for November election. But the politics is getting harder
Like to or not, more people will likely be voting by mail in November across the country.
Nationwide, about a quarter of the voters cast their ballot by mail in 2018, according to the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission's 2018 survey.
For the general election, more than half of American voters could cast their ballots by mail, many election experts told The Enquirer. People will want to avoid polls, especially if the novel coronavirus surges in the fall, as some experts expect.
"I think it's reasonable to expect really big increases in vote by mail," said Lawrence Norden, director of the election reform program for the law and public policy think tank the Brennan Center for Justice.
There's no way to know for sure, he said. That's where Ohio comes in.
Ohio took the lead
Timing has placed Ohio at the center of this drama.
The novel coronavirus pandemic struck right as Ohio prepared for its March 17 primary. Hours before polls were set to open, Gov. Mike DeWine and director of Public Health Amy Acton decided the safest option to prevent the spread of the disease was to postpone the election and close down polls.
More: Amid coronavirus concerns, two-thirds of voters support mail-in ballots for November, poll finds
The Ohio General Assembly moved the primary day to April 28. Ohio would end up being the first of many other states to postpone its election and change the rules.
As the pandemic has worsened, 21 other states have postponed their primaries as of April 23, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The list is growing. And many are debating going all-mail.
These states hope to avoid the debacle like the one seen in Wisconsin April 7. The Supreme Court blocked the governor's attempt there to postpone the primary.
Long lines wrapped around the handful of polling locations open. A backlog of applications caused many voters to not receive ballots in time, even those who applied two weeks in advance.
And now some COVID-19 cases have been linked to the Wisconsin primary.
AP-NORC Poll: Virus woes push mail voting approval Americans’ support for mail-in voting jumps amid safety concerns during the virus pandemic. As Ohio holds its virtually all-mail primary Tuesday, a new AP-NORC poll finds Dems more likely than the GOP to support elections exclusively by mail. (April 27) AP
Why some are concerned
Conducting an election through the Postal Service isn't without pitfalls.
Just days before the election, Secretary of State Frank LaRose wrote a letter to Ohio's congressional delegation saying he was worried voters won't get ballots in time.
First-class mail that usually takes one to three days is, in some parts of the state, taking seven to nine days, LaRose wrote.
"As you can imagine, these delays mean it is very possible that many Ohioans who have requested a ballot may not receive it in time," LaRose wrote.
He's asked for additional postal service staff to handle the ballots promptly.
Voters who applied for ballots by the deadline of noon on April 25 but didn't get one can ask for a provisional ballot at their local board of elections on Tuesday. Election officials warned that a provisional ballot is not a backstop for those who didn't meet the deadline.
Provisional voting should be a rare exception, LaRose said in a tweet.
"Voters should not make it their plan to show up Tuesday unless they are homeless or disabled," LaRose tweeted.
But, again, that should be the rare exception. Voters should not make it their plan to show up Tuesday unless they are homeless or disabled as provided for in law. — Frank LaRose (@FrankLaRose) April 24, 2020
So far, LaRose's office has not issued guidance on how each board of elections should count the provisional ballots.
More: Amid vote-by-mail push, civil rights groups say in-person voting still needed during pandemic
Boards of elections around the state were preparing for long lines.
They are working with health officials and county prosecutors “to create as safe an environment as possible for voters and election officials,” said Aaron Ockerman, executive director of the Ohio Association of Election Officials.
Boards are considering or already have plans to distance voters, take their temperatures, create outdoor voting environments and use personal protective equipment to limit the spread of the virus, he said.
Voters with higher temperatures could be moved to another line and vote in a different area, Ockerman said.
“We’re preparing people for the fact that we’re going to have lines,” said Ed Leonard, director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. “I think every board of elections in the state is going to have a line of people waiting to cast their ballot.”
Ohio is no stranger to by-mail votes. It is one of 34 states that allows for some form of early, no-excuse voting, according to the NCSL.
But most Ohioans vote in person on Election Day and not by mail.
In the 2016 primary, only 14% of the 3.3 million ballots cast in of ballots in the primary were absentee ballots.
Turnout will almost certainly be down in Ohio. A week before the election, 1.6 million Ohioans had requested ballots and 975,000 had actually sent their ballots in.
The number of ballots cast so far is less than one-third of the 3.3 million cast in the previous presidential primary in Ohio.
The five states who do all-mail absentee voting – Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Utah and Hawaii – had years to make the transition, said Robert Stein, a political science professor at Rice University.
"It is one thing to do in two years and get ready for it," Stein said.
Ohioans had about a month to adjust.
Voting rights groups and election experts point out that voting by mail offers more opportunities for things to go wrong.
Ohio's process requires voters to send in an absentee ballot request, to wait for a ballot to be mailed back to them with a postage-paid envelope, to fill the ballot out, and to send it back to the board of elections.
Ballots can get lost in the mail. Voters can fill out ballots wrong, putting dates on the wrong line or, since this is a primary, not specifying whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot.
And voting remotely means mistakes can’t be corrected immediately but take time.
"In Ohio, there's a chance you'll see a larger number of mistakes filling out envelopes, signing in the wrong place," Norden said.
Don't send your ballot to West Virginia
There have been a few glitches in Ohio already.
In Franklin and Licking counties, 39 ballot applications went to residents with return addresses on the envelope for a rural electric co-op in West Virginia. The co-op was a client of the same printer contracted by the Secretary of State, according to an official with the Secretary of State.
The West Virginia co-op officials told the state it received about 20 ballot applications and sent the applications back to Ohio. Officials with the Secretary of State's office said they've contacted the affected voters and are getting ballots to them.
In Greene County, letters went out to some voters giving the wrong deadline for ballots to be postmarked.
Some Ohio voters are still waiting for a ballot days before the election.
'It is rather aggravating'
Hannah Reinhardt hopes she can vote in her first presidential primary. The 19-year-old University of Cincinnati student just needs a ballot.
She said she's applied three times since early March when she was living in Dallas for an internship at an interior design firm. She's living back at home in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati.
As of Friday, April 24, still no ballot.
More: Coronavirus displaced millions of college students, who worry how they're going to vote
"I am a college student, and there is a lot going on in our world right now," Reinhardt said. "This is on the to-do list of things. It's taking a lot of time to get this done, and it is rather aggravating."
In the meantime, her favorite candidate, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has dropped out. But she still excited to participate in her first presidential primary.
Last year, in her first election, she voted on Election Day in person. There was one glitch then, too.
"They ran out of 'I voted' stickers," Reinhardt said.
'People thought the vote was over'
Given Ohio's short timeframe, it was not just a matter of getting the ballots to people. It's also a matter of letting people know they should vote.
Candidates are saying many voters don't even know the election is April 28. Some people still think it's June 2, which was the initial date DeWine wanted to push the primary back to.
Churches, candidates and other community groups in Ohio have scrambled to pass out ballot applications. A group of seven churches, most in predominantly black neighborhoods around Cincinnati, for several weekends in April passed out ballot applications.
Minister Bomani Tyehimba realized his church had to do something about the election after he started asking his congregation at Corinthian Baptist Church in Cincinnati's neighborhood of Bond Hill if they've requested their ballots.
"There was confusion," Tyehimba told The Enquirer. "I was doing informal polling, asking people 'Hey, have you voted, have you requested your absentee ballot?' People thought the vote was over."
His church over two Saturdays in April passed out about 300 ballot applications.
Advocates want more room for error
There are too many steps in Ohio's by-mail vote process that can go wrong, said Jen Miller, executive director of the Ohio League of Women Voters.
In particular, Ohio's voters don't automatically get a ballot. They have to send in an application for a ballot.
If the pandemic in November makes in-person voting not possible, voting rights groups, such as the Ohio LWV, have asked the state to eliminate the extra step of having to apply for a ballot. Instead, they want the state to send ballots directly to voters.
Otherwise, mail delays could keep people from getting their ballot on time.
"It is likely that a person, through no fault of their own, doesn't get their ballot on time," Miller said. "Add to that mistakes are common. There is no room for human error at all."
Mail-in vote gaining in popularity
Despite the potential for glitches, it's better than risking infection and going to the polls for many voters.
More than two-thirds of Americans want the ability to vote by mail, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released this week found.
And many voters in Ohio who have never voted by mail before have liked the process.
Normally, Reneè Ross, 69, of Silverton votes early in person at the board of elections just north of Cincinnati in Norwood. For whatever reason, she said she didn't get out this year, and planned on voting Election Day. Then Election Day was canceled.
She filled out a ballot application at her church, Corinthian Baptist Church, a little more than a week before the election. She also picked up some applications for some friends who couldn't make it.
She received a ballot within a few days and found the process very easy.
"I think we would get more voter participation," Ross said of mail-in voting. "All you had to do was drive up to the church, they gave you a clipboard and you filled out the application. I took a few with me for my friends to fill out."
Fraud is rare
President Donald Trump has criticized mail voting as ripe for fraud. Ohio's Republican Secretary of State begs to differ.
In an online town hall a week before the election, Secretary of State Frank LaRose fielded several questions from the public asking whether it's secure.
Voters can track their ballots online to see where it is in the process.
"Let me tell you, the way we run it in Ohio is secure," LaRose said. "Election fraud is extremely rare."
The state's plea for help
LaRose and others in his office struck an optimistic tone earlier in the week about their ability to pull off the election. But in his letter to local congressional members, he made it clear Ohio needs help to do it.
He asked the local congressional delegation for the federal government to:
Assign additional staff to postal service offices and encourage extra hours, including on Sunday
Immediately identify delivery standard shortcomings.
Conduct a thorough search at postal service facilities for unprocessed mail.
Ensure each post office promptly provides mail to the county boards of elections on Saturday and, "upon receipt of the absentee ballots which are being mailed to the voters, have the necessary resources on hand to provide for prompt delivery of mail to voters."
"I can certainly appreciate the multitude and complexity of the problems our nation is currently working to overcome," LaRose wrote. "However, we must never give an inch in our fight for that most sacred of rights – the right to vote."
Contributing: Rick Rouan, Columbus Dispatch


usatoday--2020-04-28--White House unveils blueprint to expand state testing as governors weigh lifting stay-at-home orders


usatoday--2020-04-29--Joe Biden projected to win Ohio Democratic primary

COLUMBUS , Ohio – Joe Biden 's victory in Ohio was a foregone conclusion long before votes were tallied Tuesday , but Ohio voters appeared to have sealed the deal .
The Associated Press called the race for Biden around 8 p.m. Tuesday .
Biden was leading Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary with 73 % of the 48,167 votes counted by 8:15 p.m. Tuesday night , according to unofficial , early election results .
President Donald Trump , the only Republican on Ohio 's ballot , had 86,444 votes among the 23 counties that had reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to upload results just once on Election Night instead of precinct by precinct .
Most of Biden 's competitors had exited the race before Ohio 's March 17 primary , which was converted into a vote-by-mail primary with an April 28 deadline .
While Ohioans hunkered down to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus , the Democrats ' presidential campaigns did , too .
Sanders dropped out of the race on April 8 and endorsed Biden five days later .
The two barely campaigned here .
Both had scheduled rallies in Cleveland on March @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scheduled , as state officials warned against attending large gatherings .

Joe Biden projected to win Ohio Democratic primary
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joe Biden's victory in Ohio was a foregone conclusion long before votes were tallied Tuesday, but Ohio voters appeared to have sealed the deal.
The Associated Press called the race for Biden around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Biden was leading Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary with 73% of the 48,167 votes counted by 8:15 p.m. Tuesday night, according to unofficial, early election results.
President Donald Trump, the only Republican on Ohio's ballot, had 86,444 votes among the 23 counties that had reported their results.
Counties have been instructed to upload results just once on Election Night instead of precinct by precinct.
Most of Biden's competitors had exited the race before Ohio's March 17 primary, which was converted into a vote-by-mail primary with an April 28 deadline.
While Ohioans hunkered down to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus, the Democrats' presidential campaigns did, too. Sanders dropped out of the race on April 8 and endorsed Biden five days later.
The two barely campaigned here. Both had scheduled rallies in Cleveland on March 10. They were canceled hours before scheduled, as state officials warned against attending large gatherings.
Biden will capture the majority of Ohio’s 136 delegates. Sanders could snag a few; Democrats allot most delegates to the state’s popular vote winner but also choose 89 delegates by congressional district. Those won’t be known until Wednesday, at the earliest.
Ohio for Bernie, a grassroots group supporting Sanders, issued a statement Monday saying it could not support or endorse Biden over Trump. The group said it hopes the Biden campaign acknowledges sexual assault accusations from former Biden senatorial staffer Tara Reade and makes his platform more progressive.
We are sad to announce that @JoeBiden will win Ohio’s primary. Read our statement below. Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered and voted for @BernieSanders pic.twitter.com/QtdLHJq1Vf — Ohio for Bernie (@ohio_for_bernie) April 28, 2020
Ohio's battleground state status was already in limbo prepandemic. Trump won Ohio by 8 points in 2016.
It’s hard to take anything from a primary election to project toward a general – they’re two different animals. Ohio has a semi-open primary. Voters declare party affiliation by the primary ballot they request. They are considered affiliated with that party until they choose a different party’s ballot.
Add to that a last-minute pivot to a mail-only primary and a noncompetitive race at the top of GOP ticket.
But Democrats were quick to point to recent polls and Tuesday’s results as good news for November.
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper said Tuesday’s turnout was lower than expected due to the cancellation of in-person voting but resulted in more Democrats voting than Republicans and thousands of Republicans “switching” parties.
“We know and Trump knows that when Ohio turns blue, we become the state that ends the Trump presidency,” Pepper said.
A poll released this week from Baldwin Wallace, Oakland and Ohio Northern universities showed Biden leading Trump 44.9%. to 44.2% – a virtual tie. At this point in 2012, Democrat Hillary Clinton led Trump in an average of Ohio polls by 4 points.
A Trump campaign spokesman painted Biden as too far left for Ohio voters.
“As President Trump continues to keep his promises and deliver results for the American people, Ohio Democrats have officially embraced socialism by throwing their support behind Joe Biden," Trump Victory spokesman Dan Lusheck said in a statement. "Come November, Ohioans will make their voices heard loud and clear when they say ‘yes’ to four more years and reelect President Trump."
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, said Biden will campaign well in places that swung toward Trump in 2016, including the Mahoning Valley area he represents.
“If you can play well there, then you can play well in Marion and Steubenville and a lot of other places in Ohio and also Flint, Michigan, and Milwaukee and those are states we need to win,” Ryan said.


usatoday--2020-04-29--Trump calls for national parks to reopen. Advocates say it's too soon

President Donald Trump beamed from behind the White House lectern .
While delivering a speech at an Earth Day celebration last week — which coincided with National Park Week 2020 — the president said he had good news to share .
`` Thanks to our significant progress against the invisible enemy , I 'm pleased to announce that in line with my administration ’ s guidelines for opening up America again , we will begin to reopen our national parks and public lands for the American people to enjoy , ” Trump said .
“ That ’ s going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lot of land to open up , too.
” The announcement came as the country continued to report thousands of new COVID-19 cases daily .
By Tuesday , more than 1 million Americans were confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus , which has killed more than 58,000 people around the country .
Medical experts caution against prematurely lifting social distancing orders , especially without a significant increase in testing and contact tracing .
Trump 's speech was also met with sharp pushback from advocates who have fought for weeks to get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Opening too soon , they said , could come with catastrophic consequences , both for America ’ s landmarks as well as for the visitors who seek refuge in them .
By late April , roughly half of the 419 national park sites — including some of the busiest like Zion , the Grand Canyon and Yosemite — had shuttered to help slow the coronavirus ' spread .
But a quiet chaos has ruled behind the scenes .
A review of the decision-making process and timeline leading up to park closures — including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ documents — highlighted weeks of political infighting .
Groups that watchdog the Interior Department are worried that its politically appointed leadership has been overruling park superintendents on local decisions , such as how and when to close parks .
The country ’ s most popular parks were struggling to handle crowds even before the crisis hit .
More than 327 million people visited national parks in 2019 .
With Americans hungry for recreation after weeks of sheltering-in-place , the parks are likely to experience an influx of people .
Under the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park Service , a sub-agency , have numerous unfilled positions .
“ The term we most hear from park employees is 'cluster -- -- , ” said Jeff Ruch , the director of the Pacific region at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility , an organization composed of current and former government employees .
“ This is an ongoing cluster -- -- .
” Organizers at the National Parks Conservation Association — which coordinates directly with Park Service staff and is one of the organizations calling for park closures — report that government employees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work with a dearth of personal protective equipment .
Staff also told NPCA that they had heard little from agency leadership about plans for reopening but hoped it would happen in phases .
“ This either gets done thoughtfully and carefully so we can protect people ’ s health , or it could end up totally being chaos , ” said Kristen Brengel , senior vice president of government affairs at NPCA .
“ Some directive from the White House could throw everything into a tailspin , '' she added during an interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A Park Service spokesperson said the agency is working with the Interior Department on a “ comprehensive plan to reopen closed facilities , ” which will abide by public health directives and the agency 's internal divisions in charge of health and safety .
The spokesperson said that roughly 70 % of agency staff are teleworking or on leave , and protective gear is being reallocated to where it 's needed most .
In a statement several days after Trump 's Earth Day speech , Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt responded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the American people once again enjoy the incredible benefits of the great outdoors at our national parks . ''
The Park Service did not provide a specific timeline for reopening but said it would happen on a `` unit-by-unit basis . ''
The Interior Department referred questions from USA Today back to the Park Service .
Ruch , of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility , blamed rank-and-file employees ' confusion surrounding park closures on the department 's current leadership structure .
“ The middle and upper leadership has been so hollowed out , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Service , there is no director .
There hasn ’ t been a director during the Trump tenure .
More than half of the senior positions are either vacant or filled on a temporary basis.
” Bernhardt said reopening would `` happen while working with our nation 's governors . ''
Most public lands are in the West , where five Democratic governors — from California , Oregon , Washington , Colorado and Nevada — have agreed to work together on how to slowly reopen their states .
This group , calling itself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waded into the national parks debate , but many state and local parks remain closed throughout the region .
Even as the virus ' spread accelerated through the early spring , some superintendents ran into roadblocks in closing their parks , as Bernhardt — until recently an oil , gas and agribusiness lobbyist — holds centralized decision-making power .
In mid-March , Bernhardt released a statement saying , “ Park superintendents are empowered to modify their operations , including closing facilities and canceling programs , to address the spread of the coronavirus.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ waived entrance fees across the park system , encouraging people to continue recreating .
A Park Service spokesperson said the agency did not count the number of visitors during this period .
But people continued heading to national parks during partial closures despite concerns surrounding the virus .
The Guardian reported that park employees posted pictures on Facebook of hundreds of tourists gathered near visitor centers , while National Parks Traveler discovered acts of vandalism at parks , including visitors stealing toilet paper and ripping hand sanitizer dispensers off bathroom walls .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suspended and others resigned after pushing back against inconsistent Park Service policies .
“ There didn ’ t seem to be a plan ” Ruch said .
Then on March 27 , the Park Service issued a directive — obtained by NPCA — to superintendents and their staff not to publicly comment on coronavirus cases within their ranks .
By that point , the agency already had seven confirmed cases among its employees .
In an April 3 discussion memorandum , the Park Service ’ s own epidemiology branch chief issued a stark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ open .
“ Continued NPS visitation not only threatens our workforce but uniquely enhances COVID-19 risks in the neighboring communities and visitors and increases the risk of negative outcomes for all , ” said the memorandum , which USA Today reviewed .
In the document , the Office of Public Health , part of the Park Service , recommended closing parks when gateway communities issued stay-at-home orders , restricting the on-boarding of new employees and volunteers for a month , and temporarily stopping the use of dormitory housing .
Leaving parks wide open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burden of disease and death , ” the recommendations said .
But even this prediction failed to close the entire park system .
Meanwhile , groups watching the agency reported that individual sites required a letter or some form of approval from local health officials supporting a superintendent ’ s request to close .
“ To this day , there are a couple of parks that want to close but have n't gotten a letter from a local health authority , ” Brengel said .
Financial losses could be significant Still , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a difficult one .
The financial consequences of the pandemic on the national parks system could be significant .
An NPCA analysis found that parks across the country could see $ 25 million in lost revenue in April alone due to entrance fee waivers and closures .
In California , for example , that includes more than $ 1.1 million at Joshua Tree National Park and more than $ 400,000 at Yosemite National Park .
And parks are staring at a backlog of maintenance projects — including repairs to basic infrastructure such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that will cost nearly $ 12 billion .
About $ 1.9 billion of that total is for repairs and improvements at parks in California .
Park advocates thought they finally had a solution to this long-term headache when Sen. Cory Gardner , R-Colo. — with sweeping bipartisan support from most of the Senate — filed the Great American Outdoors Act in March .
The legislation would make funding available to wipe out more than half of that backlog .
“ The issue right now is whether or not the bill would be eligible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Brengel said , suggesting the construction projects could put people back to work when the country emerges from the pandemic .
“ It would have an effect on the local economies and have an impact right away.
” A Park Service spokesperson said that 111 parks charge an entrance fee and that 80 % of those fees remain in the parks where they are collected .
“ We can not predict the long-term effects the coronavirus will have on infrastructure projects , ” the spokesperson said , but added that some projects @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The impact to local companies that rely on the parks is already evident .
Sabra Purdy is co-owner of Cliffhanger Guides , a rock-climbing company that takes customers into Joshua Tree National Park .
A few days before that park closed its roads and campgrounds , Purdy ’ s company decided to shut down for the season because she couldn ’ t “ in good conscience ” have staff interacting with tourists from across the country and the world , potentially exposing them to the virus .
“ It 's pretty disastrous from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , adding that she might not be able to bring back her full staff next year , especially as her loan application through the federal relief package has gone unanswered .
Joshua Tree National Park staff did not respond to specific questions about the closure process , but they shared a statement saying the health and safety of staff and visitors was the Park Service ’ s top priority .
When determining whether to modify park access , superintendents relied on “ decision factors the NPS has consistently applied across all park units.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ helter-skelter ” approach to shutting the parks , including minimal communication to operators such as Cliffhanger Guides that their permits were being revoked as a result of the closures .
Still , she does n't want to see a rushed process throw open the doors to national parks .
“ We ’ re already going through the pain of having to shut down for the busiest two months of our season , ” Purdy said , “ so we might as well just kick the virus ’ ass.
” Mark Olalde covers the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in touch at molalde @ gannett.com , and follow him on Twitter at @ MarkOlalde .
Follow Gabrielle Canon on Twitter @ GabrielleCanon .

Gabrielle Canon and Mark Olalde, USA TODAY

Trump calls for national parks to reopen. Advocates say it's too soon
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: How to know when United States will be ready to go 'back to normal' It's highly unlikely the United States will reach zero cases of COVID-19 without a vaccine. Even so, some activities will likely be able to resume. USA TODAY
President Donald Trump beamed from behind the White House lectern. While delivering a speech at an Earth Day celebration last week — which coincided with National Park Week 2020 — the president said he had good news to share.
"Thanks to our significant progress against the invisible enemy, I'm pleased to announce that in line with my administration’s guidelines for opening up America again, we will begin to reopen our national parks and public lands for the American people to enjoy,” Trump said. “That’s going to be very exciting. We have a lot of land to open up, too.”
The announcement came as the country continued to report thousands of new COVID-19 cases daily. By Tuesday, more than 1 million Americans were confirmed to be infected by the coronavirus, which has killed more than 58,000 people around the country.
Medical experts caution against prematurely lifting social distancing orders, especially without a significant increase in testing and contact tracing. Trump's speech was also met with sharp pushback from advocates who have fought for weeks to get the National Park Service to close more locations. Opening too soon, they said, could come with catastrophic consequences, both for America’s landmarks as well as for the visitors who seek refuge in them.
By late April, roughly half of the 419 national park sites — including some of the busiest like Zion, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite — had shuttered to help slow the coronavirus' spread.
But a quiet chaos has ruled behind the scenes.
A politicized Interior Department
A review of the decision-making process and timeline leading up to park closures — including staff emails, press releases and department documents — highlighted weeks of political infighting. Groups that watchdog the Interior Department are worried that its politically appointed leadership has been overruling park superintendents on local decisions, such as how and when to close parks.
The country’s most popular parks were struggling to handle crowds even before the crisis hit. More than 327 million people visited national parks in 2019. With Americans hungry for recreation after weeks of sheltering-in-place, the parks are likely to experience an influx of people.
Under the Trump administration, both the Interior Department and the Park Service, a sub-agency, have numerous unfilled positions.
“The term we most hear from park employees is 'cluster----,” said Jeff Ruch, the director of the Pacific region at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, an organization composed of current and former government employees. “This is an ongoing cluster----.”
Organizers at the National Parks Conservation Association — which coordinates directly with Park Service staff and is one of the organizations calling for park closures — report that government employees have expressed fears about going back to work with a dearth of personal protective equipment. Staff also told NPCA that they had heard little from agency leadership about plans for reopening but hoped it would happen in phases.
“This either gets done thoughtfully and carefully so we can protect people’s health, or it could end up totally being chaos,” said Kristen Brengel, senior vice president of government affairs at NPCA.
“Some directive from the White House could throw everything into a tailspin," she added during an interview just days before Trump's surprise announcement.
A Park Service spokesperson said the agency is working with the Interior Department on a “comprehensive plan to reopen closed facilities,” which will abide by public health directives and the agency's internal divisions in charge of health and safety. The spokesperson said that roughly 70% of agency staff are teleworking or on leave, and protective gear is being reallocated to where it's needed most.
In a statement several days after Trump's Earth Day speech, Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt responded, agreeing that "it is time the American people once again enjoy the incredible benefits of the great outdoors at our national parks."
The Park Service did not provide a specific timeline for reopening but said it would happen on a "unit-by-unit basis."
The Interior Department referred questions from USA Today back to the Park Service.
Ruch, of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, blamed rank-and-file employees' confusion surrounding park closures on the department's current leadership structure.
“The middle and upper leadership has been so hollowed out,” Ruch said. “The Park Service, there is no director. There hasn’t been a director during the Trump tenure. More than half of the senior positions are either vacant or filled on a temporary basis.”
Bernhardt said reopening would "happen while working with our nation's governors."
Most public lands are in the West, where five Democratic governors — from California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Nevada — have agreed to work together on how to slowly reopen their states. This group, calling itself the Western States Pact, has not waded into the national parks debate, but many state and local parks remain closed throughout the region.
Lack of planning when parks closed
Even as the virus' spread accelerated through the early spring, some superintendents ran into roadblocks in closing their parks, as Bernhardt — until recently an oil, gas and agribusiness lobbyist — holds centralized decision-making power.
In mid-March, Bernhardt released a statement saying, “Park superintendents are empowered to modify their operations, including closing facilities and canceling programs, to address the spread of the coronavirus.” But the next day, the government waived entrance fees across the park system, encouraging people to continue recreating.
A Park Service spokesperson said the agency did not count the number of visitors during this period. But people continued heading to national parks during partial closures despite concerns surrounding the virus.
The Guardian reported that park employees posted pictures on Facebook of hundreds of tourists gathered near visitor centers, while National Parks Traveler discovered acts of vandalism at parks, including visitors stealing toilet paper and ripping hand sanitizer dispensers off bathroom walls. The Daily Beast wrote that some staff were suspended and others resigned after pushing back against inconsistent Park Service policies.
“There didn’t seem to be a plan” Ruch said.
Then on March 27, the Park Service issued a directive — obtained by NPCA — to superintendents and their staff not to publicly comment on coronavirus cases within their ranks. By that point, the agency already had seven confirmed cases among its employees.
In an April 3 discussion memorandum, the Park Service’s own epidemiology branch chief issued a stark warning about the consequences of leaving parks open.
“Continued NPS visitation not only threatens our workforce but uniquely enhances COVID-19 risks in the neighboring communities and visitors and increases the risk of negative outcomes for all,” said the memorandum, which USA Today reviewed.
In the document, the Office of Public Health, part of the Park Service, recommended closing parks when gateway communities issued stay-at-home orders, restricting the on-boarding of new employees and volunteers for a month, and temporarily stopping the use of dormitory housing.
Leaving parks wide open “will result in a significantly greater burden of disease and death,” the recommendations said.
But even this prediction failed to close the entire park system.
Meanwhile, groups watching the agency reported that individual sites required a letter or some form of approval from local health officials supporting a superintendent’s request to close.
“To this day, there are a couple of parks that want to close but haven't gotten a letter from a local health authority,” Brengel said.
Financial losses could be significant
Still, the decision to keep parks closed long-term is a difficult one. The financial consequences of the pandemic on the national parks system could be significant.
An NPCA analysis found that parks across the country could see $25 million in lost revenue in April alone due to entrance fee waivers and closures. In California, for example, that includes more than $1.1 million at Joshua Tree National Park and more than $400,000 at Yosemite National Park.
And parks are staring at a backlog of maintenance projects — including repairs to basic infrastructure such as trails, roads and water pipelines — that will cost nearly $12 billion. About $1.9 billion of that total is for repairs and improvements at parks in California.
Park advocates thought they finally had a solution to this long-term headache when Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo. — with sweeping bipartisan support from most of the Senate — filed the Great American Outdoors Act in March. The legislation would make funding available to wipe out more than half of that backlog.
“The issue right now is whether or not the bill would be eligible for a stimulus package moving forward,” Brengel said, suggesting the construction projects could put people back to work when the country emerges from the pandemic. “It would have an effect on the local economies and have an impact right away.”
A Park Service spokesperson said that 111 parks charge an entrance fee and that 80% of those fees remain in the parks where they are collected. “We cannot predict the long-term effects the coronavirus will have on infrastructure projects,” the spokesperson said, but added that some projects may continue even at closed parks.
The impact to local companies that rely on the parks is already evident.
Sabra Purdy is co-owner of Cliffhanger Guides, a rock-climbing company that takes customers into Joshua Tree National Park. A few days before that park closed its roads and campgrounds, Purdy’s company decided to shut down for the season because she couldn’t “in good conscience” have staff interacting with tourists from across the country and the world, potentially exposing them to the virus.
“It's pretty disastrous from a financial standpoint,” Purdy said, adding that she might not be able to bring back her full staff next year, especially as her loan application through the federal relief package has gone unanswered.
Joshua Tree National Park staff did not respond to specific questions about the closure process, but they shared a statement saying the health and safety of staff and visitors was the Park Service’s top priority. When determining whether to modify park access, superintendents relied on “decision factors the NPS has consistently applied across all park units.”
Purdy said she witnessed a “helter-skelter” approach to shutting the parks, including minimal communication to operators such as Cliffhanger Guides that their permits were being revoked as a result of the closures. Still, she doesn't want to see a rushed process throw open the doors to national parks.
“We’re already going through the pain of having to shut down for the busiest two months of our season,” Purdy said, “so we might as well just kick the virus’ ass.”
Mark Olalde covers the environment for The Desert Sun. Get in touch at molalde@gannett.com, and follow him on Twitter at @MarkOlalde. Follow Gabrielle Canon on Twitter @GabrielleCanon.


usatoday--2020-04-29--Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden for president with town hall on women and COVID-19

Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden with town hall on women and COVID Hillary Clinton joined Joe Biden for a town @ @ @ @ @ pandemic is affecting women across the country , and offered her endorsement .

Hillary Clinton endorses Joe Biden with town hall on women and COVID
Hillary Clinton joined Joe Biden for a town hall on how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting women across the country, and offered her endorsement.
USA TODAY