�������ýҕ�l

Black and Latinx activists marched to the Massachusetts State House on Monday to advocate for communities of color, who they say are disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis and the state’s reopening plans. The group said it represents about 50 organizations in Boston, including the local chapter of Latinx organization Mijente and the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition. The group gathered outside of steakhouse Davio’s on the corner of Arlington and Stuart Street surrounding a black chair painted with the words: “essential workers have no seat at the table.” (Gardizy, 5/25)

The state reported Monday afternoon 44 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing Massachusetts’ death toll to 6,416, while the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 also rose to 93,271, with 596 newly reported cases. The state’s three-day average of COVID-19 deaths was 67 as of May 22, which marked the eighth straight day of decline. (Hilliard, 5/25)

Starting Monday, thousands of previously shuttered businesses will have the go-ahead to reopen — with lots of new COVID-19 related rules and restrictions. The state wants all businesses and workers — from hair salons to office spaces, to pet groomers and car washes — to practice social distancing, sanitizing and mask-wearing. The agency responsible, in large part, for ensuring they comply with all the rules? Your local health department. (Jarmanning, 5/25)

Health care centers and hospitals are the first facilities in Massachusetts to roll out these changes, following Gov. Charlie Baker’s reopening plan. The state’s largest health care center, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, with more 300,000 visits a year, launches its plan for a new normal today. (Bebinger, 5/26)

Total coronavirus cases in Florida neared 52,000 on Monday, with 2,252 deaths, as many residents took advantage of relaxed restrictions during the Memorial Day weekend. Numbers released Monday by the Florida Department of Health show 879 new cases since a day earlier, along with 15 new deaths. After setting quarantine and social distancing guidelines that forced many businesses to close in March, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis began allowing restaurants and retail stores to open at limited capacities May 4 in all but the three South Florida counties. (5/25)

Nursing homes, jails and prisons have become well-known locations for coronavirus outbreaks, but Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has identified another major hotspot for COVID-19 cases in his city: homeless shelters. Speaking at a Houston food distribution drive Saturday, where he was volunteering, Turner said 77 of the 183 additional people who had tested positive for the virus lived in homeless shelters, ABC13 Houston reported." We are now testing people in our homeless shelter, and what we are finding is there are people who are infected with this virus,” Turner said, according to the news report. “We are engaging in social distancing and spreading them out.” (Davila, 5/24)

While testing for COVID-19 is becoming available to more Clark County residents, testing of the homeless remains haphazard even though they are considered at high risk from the disease. “We really don’t know what the prevalence of COVID is right now in our homeless population,” Southern Nevada Health District clinical services director JoAnn Rupiper acknowledged in an interview. (Erickson, 5/25)

Gov. Steve Sisolak will discuss the next phase of Nevada’s reopening at a news conference Tuesday evening, according to the governor’s office. ...Last week, Sisolak’s office said the governor could potentially announce a date for beginning the second phase of reopenings at a Tuesday briefing, depending on whether data collected through the holiday weekend continued to “reflect positive or consistent trends.” (Michor, 5/25)

This year, people in Oklahoma City will be able to interact with individuals experiencing homelessness in a new, high-tech way. Starting in July, City Care will begin rolling out an information campaign around a pilot program with a Seattle-based app company called Samaritan to offer a platform for community members to financially support a small group of people experiencing homelessness. (Branch, 5/25)

The Indiana State Department of Health on Monday announced 354 additional coronavirus cases, bringing the total to 31,715 after the department made corrections to the previous day's total. The state also reported 8 new deaths, for a total of 1,832. As of today, the state reported 226,251 administered tests. Of those, 14% tested positive, according to the state health department's online dashboard. (Slaby, 5/25)