Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the US – Latest State Updates – March 30, 2020

By David Quam and Crawford G. Schneider
March 30, 2020

Connecticut

As of March 29th  

Data updates on testing in Connecticut

Since Friday’s update, the statewide total of individuals testing positive for COVID-19 has risen to 1,993. To date, more than 11,900 tests have been conducted in Connecticut among both state and private laboratories. Approximately 404 people have been hospitalized. There has been another fatality due to complications of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total number of fatalities to 34 (21 in Fairfield County, six in New Haven County, four in Tolland County, two in Hartford County, and one in Middlesex County).

It should be noted that the increase in hospitalizations reflected in today’s report reflects a change to provide the most up-to-date information from the Connecticut Hospital Association. The distribution by county is based on where hospitals are located, not where patients reside.

A county-by-county breakdown includes:

County Laboratory Confirmed Cases Hospitalized Cases Deaths
Fairfield County 1,245 189 21
Hartford County 276 67 2
Litchfield County 87 5 0
Middlesex County 38 1 1
New Haven County 280 137 6
New London County 20 4 0
Tolland County 40 0 4
Windham County 7 1 0
Total 1,993 404 34

For several additional charts and tables containing more data groups, including a town-by-town breakdown of positive cases in each municipality and a breakdown of cases and deaths among age groups, click here.

Major disaster declaration approved for Connecticut

Governor Lamont’s request for a presidential major disaster declaration for the State of Connecticut in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was approved today, unlocking additional federal assistance programs for the state.

Today’s approval is for public assistance, meaning that impacted state agencies and municipalities in all eight counties will be reimbursed for 75 percent of the costs associated with their response and emergency protective measures. The governor’s other request for disaster assistance, including individual assistance that could provide Connecticut residents with a number of critical benefits, such as expanded unemployment assistance, food benefits, and child care assistance, remains under review by the White House.

For more information, read the press release Governor Lamont issued today.

Department of Public Health commissioner orders homeless population moved into less congested housing, directs development of temporary housing for certain first responders and health care workers

Pursuant to Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 7P, which was issued yesterday evening, Department of Public Health Commissioner Renée D. Coleman-Mitchell late Saturday night issued an order directing state, local, and private sector partners to transition the homeless population into alternative, less congested housing for the purpose of providing adequate social distancing between all individuals. The goal is to decompress the current population by providing less populated settings.

The order also requires the development of non-congregate temporary housing for first responders and health care workers who are at reasonable risk of having been exposed to COVID-19 and cannot return to their usual residence because of the risk of infecting other household members.

FEMA has notified the State of Connecticut that it will reimburse the state and municipalities for 75 percent of the costs related to the non-congregate housing for the homeless population, as well as first responders and health care workers.

For more information, read Commissioner Coleman-Mitchell’s order.

Georgia

As of March 30th

  • Daily State Public Health stats:
    • State cases are up to 2,809 at noon today as compared to 2,001 on Friday.  We are now up to 87 deaths up from 64 on Friday.  Fulton has 14 deaths, Dougherty 17 and Cobb nine. 707 confirmed patients are hospitalized as compared to 566 last Friday.  Fulton, Dougherty, DeKalb, Cobb and Bartow Counties have the most cases in our State. 
  • As of today, Phoebe reported nine additional deaths. Total positive results 586, 25 deaths at Phoebe Main and two deaths at Phoebe Sumter.
  • Governor Kemp announced Sunday that President Trump has declared a major disaster for all of Georgia, which allows federal agencies to provide direct assistance to the State.
  • Georgia’s port officials say the virus is having less of an impact than feared. Shipments are running 20 percent from a year ago, with signs of an upturn next month.  Chinese manufacturing is allegedly 85 percent of normal.
  • In non-COVID-19 news, Vidalia onions are available April 16.  Acreage is down from 12,000 acres to 9,400 acres.
  • Following a call between numerous Mayors and Commissioner Toomey, Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul stated that approximately 50 Mayors are sending the Governor a letter requesting a state-wide stay-at-home order.
  • Per covid19.healthdata.org, it is anticipated that Georgia will have a shortage of 594 beds and 755 ICU beds with a peak on April 22 with 84 deaths on April 23.

Local

Kansas

As of March 28th  

On Saturday, Governor Kelly issued a statewide “Safer at Home” order in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Maryland

As of March 30th

Governor Hogan Issues Stay-At-Home Order

At a press conference earlier today Governor Hogan issued a stay-at-home order to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The order takes effect at 8 pm this evening. Under this order, no one is to leave their home for any reason other than essential work, to get food or other fundamental reason. Executive order and interpretive guidance can be found in links below.

Press Release
Executive Order
Interpretive Guidance

This order amends and restates the order that was issued on March 23, 2020 which closed all non-essential businesses. This order does not change the classification of essential businesses as outlined in this order. 

The prior interpretive guidance documents are in links below.

March 23 Interpretive Guidance
Additional Guidance March 23 – 7 pm
Additional Guidance March 24

North Carolina

As of March 30th

NC Coronavirus Cases Top 1100, With Two New Deaths. Stay at Home Order Starts Monday. (Raleigh News & Observer) A day before a statewide stay at home order is enacted in North Carolina, more than 1,100 cases of coronavirus have been reported in the state. As of Sunday evening, 91 people were hospitalized with the virus across the state. Six North Carolina residents have died from COVID-19, while an additional person from Virginia died while traveling through the state.

NC Banks Take Steps to Relieve Pressure from Coronavirus Pandemic (Carolina Public Press) 
With small businesses and households stretched to the limits, large and small banks throughout North Carolina are taking steps to relieve economic pressure triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The N.C. Bankers Association said that large and small banks are analyzing the risk of each client and have developed a suite of approaches they can use to provide relief to businesses and individuals.

NC Elections Board Wants to Make Election Day a Holiday Because of Virus (WRAL) The State Board of Elections recommended more than a dozen changes to state election laws in response to COVID-19, including making Election Day a state holiday.

Restaurant Chefs Band Together to Make Meals for Unemployed (Winston-Salem Journal) As the COVID-19 outbreak puts people out of work, restaurant employees — many of whom are out of work themselves — are stepping up to help.

Tribes in NC Hunker Down to Endure Coronavirus Pandemic (Carolina Public Press) The new coronavirus has gripped the nation and nearly ground the economy to a standstill, while other regional tribes are taking actions of their own. Most tribes across the Carolinas have closed offices, and two of the state’s largest economic drivers, the two casinos operated by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, have closed while the tribe waits out the pandemic. The three counties where most of the Lumbee tribal members live, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland, reported five confirmed cases as of last Wednesday. 

Counties Without Coronavirus are Mostly Rural, Poor (AP) Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows that 1,297 counties have no confirmed cases of COVID-19 out of 3,142 counties nationwide. Of the counties without positive tests, 85% are in rural areas — from predominantly white communities in Appalachia and the Great Plains to majority Hispanic and Native American stretches of the American Southwest.

Rep. Mary Ann Black Passes Away (ABC 11) North Carolina Rep. MaryAnn Black, who prominently served in the Durham community died at the age of 76 on Thursday. Black, who was undergoing cancer treatment, represented the 29th District of Durham County since 2017. Black also served as a Durham County commissioner from 1990 to 2002.

Voter ID Ruling Remains as Appeals Court Nixes Rehearing (AP) A North Carolina appeals court rejected a request by Republican lawmakers for its full cadre of judges to rehear a challenge over implementing voter photo identification. The Court of Appeals denied the motion by the GOP legislative leaders. The lawmakers had asked that the entire court rehear questions considered by three of the court’s 15 judges in a lawsuit challenging the state’s December 2018 voter ID law.

Burr Faces Lawsuit as Fallout Continues Over His Sale of Up to US$1.7 Mil in Stock (Charlotte Observer) Fallout continued this week over revelations that US Sen. Richard Burr dumped up to US$1.7 million in stock after private briefings about the coronavirus, including a personal lawsuit against him. Politico reported the shareholder suit against Burr in US District Court for the District of Columbia even as the US Securities and Exchange Commission this week issued a stern warning against insider trading.

Census: Wake is Now North Carolina’s Largest County (AP) Wake County is now North Carolina’s largest county, the US Census Bureau said as its annual population estimates show the county containing Raleigh surpassing Mecklenburg County. The census said Wake County had an estimated 1,111,761 people as of July 1, with Mecklenburg close behind at 1,110,356.

Oregon

As of March 27th

The United States is now leading the world in confirmed cases of coronavirus and Oregon saw a dramatic uptick in confirmed cases five days into our shelter-in-place order. The good news? New modeling released yesterday by the Oregon Health Authority shows that if 9 out of 10 Oregonians stay home, our state’s hospital system appears just capable of handling the coronavirus cases expected in the coming month. So…stay home, save lives! 

State Updates:

  • Special session: Procedurally, Legislative leadership is deferring to the Governor to call a special session because it would be more expeditious than the Legislature calling itself into session (this would require that members are mailed letters soliciting their agreement to convene or not; they would have 14 days to respond). Some other things to note: 
  • The Legislature cannot conduct a virtual session if it calls itself into session. 
  • The Governor can call a virtual session only once per natural disaster/emergency. The session cannot exceed 30-days. 
  • The Governor can call a regular special session but it requires the physical presence of legislators in the Capitol 

With all this going on, we are unlikely to see the special session scheduled until late next week/early the following week, but things are changing by the hour. We’ll keep you updated! 

  • Deep dive into recommendations from JSCCVR: The JSCCVR has recommended moving forward on the below policy recommendations. Additionally, the committee identified 27 policy proposals that are not a part of the Co-Chairs’ recommendations. These policy proposals either needed more time to understand or implement, were not proposals to provide immediate relief, could be supplemented or resolved by forthcoming federal action, or have been resolved by executive action. All policies that the committee discussed can be found here, and the Co-Chair’s full letter can be read here. 

Housing & Shelter 

Proposal #1: Enhancement of Governor’s Executive Order and new provisions to ban residential and commercial evictions, late fees for partial payment for individuals/businesses impacted financially by COVID-19.  

  • Residential Evictions – Enhance Executive Order 20-11
  1. Must show an objective loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  2. Prohibit late fees for inability to pay entire rent.
  3. Establish payment plans for those able to pay a portion of their rent.
  4. Method of assistance must be used to pay rent.
  • Commercial Evictions – Establish new provision
  1. Prohibit commercial evictions.
  2. Must show an objective loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. Prohibit late fees for inability to pay entire rent.
  4. Establish payment plans for those able to pay a portion of their rent.
  • Duration – Greater of 90 days or length of the emergency declaration.

Proposal #2: Increase funding for rent and mortgage assistance via Emergency Housing Assistance and the Hardest Hit program. Allocation amount is still under discussion. Funding focused on support for the next 90-days (April/May/June). 

Proposal #31: Redraft of HB 4001C (2020) that will increase funding for increased shelter beds across the state and provides counties/cities more flexibility to establish rapid housing strategies in their communities.

Food & Community Benefits 

Proposal #3: Prevent delays in accessing benefits during the public health emergency. Expedite and continue current benefits for the greater of 90 days or the length of the emergency declaration:

  1. Provide additional support and flexibility to OHA and DHS to expedite SNAP benefits, TANF, and WIC.
  2. Waive in-person interviews, where possible.
  3. Expand recertification periods so renewals and paperwork during the declaration can be extended so benefits do not lapse, where possible.

Proposal #4: Support Oregon’s food bank network in purchasing food. Allocation amount is still under discussion. 

Family Supports 

Proposal #9: Ensure clear statutory authority to allow parents to use sick child leave, under the Oregon Family Leave Act (OFLA) to be home with their child in the event of a statewide public health emergency resulting in school or child-care closures.

Health Care Access 

Proposal #11: Ensure a path to reimbursement for providers and protect patients from surprise bills and access to all types of acute care.

  1. Protect Patients from Out-of-Network Charges.
  2. Expand network adequacy requirements to include “any willing provider”. 
  3. Require the commissioner to adopt a uniform rate.
  4. Duration – Length of the declaration.

Proposal #29: Enhancement of Governor’s Executive Order to increase network adequacy by temporarily expanding scope of practice for Physician Assistants.

Proposal #40: Hospitals currently pay provider taxes based on a rate that is specific to their hospital type – hospital types are determined by the number of beds as well as other factors. This provision ensures temporary bed additions on hospital property will not change the rate assessed.

Short-Term Employer Supports 

Proposal #19: Allocate additional funds to Business Oregon’s flexible strategic reserve fund and require grants and loans be generated for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Rental assistance and utility costs must be among the qualifying uses for Business Oregon funds.

Proposal #26: The committee seeks to provide clarifications to the Corporate Activities Tax. Specifically, the committee seeks to redraft HB 4009-A Engrossed (2020) which makes clear for some businesses that they are not subject to the tax. Delaying the CAT tax, as proposed by many business groups, is not included in this package.

Proposal #33: Prohibit Residential and Commercial Foreclosures for the length of the emergency declaration.

Proposal #42: Provide regulatory relief for individuals by suspending required continuing education deadlines such as CLEs and license recertification or renewals due during the emergency declaration period. Provide an additional 30-days post- declaration to allow providers and licensed workforce the time to catch up and meet their licensure requirements.

Courts

Grant statutory authority to the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court during a statewide emergency and for 60 days thereafter to extend timelines in criminal and civil cases. 

  • Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council: The Governor’s Coronavirus Economic Advisory Council has released a menu of options they are considering. The options fall into several categories: 
  • Business financial assistance tools 
  • Business technical assistance approaches 
  • Individual assistance approaches 
  • Maritime workforce taskforce recommendations 
  • Corporate activities tax delay? Business groups from around the state wrote lawmakers yesterday urging them to delay the state’s new corporate activities tax for six months to help them “preserve cash and avoid layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic.” Delaying the tax by six months implies a hit to state revenues of more than US$500 million, though the estimated receipts are certain to be less with the current business slowdown. Read more here.

COVID-19 Update: 

Oregon News Related to COVID-19 

Resources 

Nonprofits 

Small Business 

CARES Act 

General Resources 

Texas

As of March 29th  

Governor Abbott conducted a news conference Sunday afternoon along with US Army Corps of Engineers Brig. General Paul Owen, Major General Tracy Norris of the Texas Army National Guard, Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Supply Chain Strike Force member and former State Representative John Zerwas, MD.

Gov. Abbott said 25,483 Texans have been tested for the coronavirus. Of them, 2,552 tested positive. Texas now has cases in 118 of 254 counties, he said. There have been 34 deaths “that have a connection to COVID-19” in Texas, he said.

There is no change in Abbott’s March 19th social distancing order, which closed schools, bars, restaurants and gyms. Abbott was asked by a reporter whether the many requests he’s receiving from different business sectors – asking that their employees be deemed essential – is a factor in his not ordering a statewide lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. “About 75% of the state of Texas is under the umbrella of what would be categorized as a stay-at-home policy,” Abbott said, referring the local orders and what percentage of state population they cover. “This is all driven by science, data and medical assessment.”

On Sunday afternoon, Gov. Abbott made the following announcements/executive orders:

  1. Pop Up Hospital at KBH Convention Center in Dallas: Abbott announced Sunday afternoon that the state’s first pop-up hospital for COVID-19 patients will be erected by at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas. The US Army Corps of Engineers will lead the effort, assisted by the Texas National Guard. The corps initially will create 250 beds, but will be able to house as many as 1,400 beds if needed. The state will begin looking for sites for pop-up hospitals in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso — wherever “COVID-19 has spread the highest” in Texas.
  2. New and expanded travel restrictions: Abbott also broadened his executive order requiring out-of-state air travelers from COVID-19 hot spots to self- quarantine in Texas for 14 days or the duration of their stay, whichever is shorter. Travel by road from any location in the state of Louisiana into Texas will require 14-day self-quarantine.Exceptions include commercial, military and first responder travel. Executive order 12 attached.

Also, air travelers from Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Chicago and any site in California and Washington state will have to self-quarantine for 14 days in Texas, just like those quarantines he announced last week for those fliers coming from greater New York City and New Orleans.

  1. End to jail release for dangerous felons: Abbott issued an executive order calls ending the release of dangerous felons from jails in Texas, saying inappropriate release of some jail prisoners complicates the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. Executive order 13 attached.

On Saturday, Abbott made these announcements:

  1. HHSC Request Of Section 1135 Waiver To Support Health Care Workforce In Medicaid Program: If approved, the federal flexibilities would include:
  2. Allowing fully trained, qualified nurse aides to provide home health and hospice services even if they have not been employed and paid as an aide within the preceding 24 months, which will help expand the eligible pool of direct care workers and help providers facing any critical staffing shortages.
  3. Allowing non-clinical staff to provide feeding assistance to residents in nursing facilities without completing the required 16-hour training course. Since group meals are no longer served due to social distancing, additional feeding assistants are needed for one-on-one assistance. These assistants would be supervised and assigned only to non-complex cases.
  4. Allowing individuals with intellectual disabilities in the Home and Community-based Services and Intermediate Care Facility programs to temporarily receive their same services in either setting. This will give providers greater flexibility to meet staffing and resource challenges while continuing to provide critical services in both programs.
  5. Removing Licensing Barriers For Advance Practice Registered Nurses: Abbott waived certain regulations allowing for an expedited licensing reactivation process for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) in Texas. Under these waivers, an APRN with a license that has been inactive for more than two years, but less than four years, will not have to pay a reactivation fee, complete continuing education credits, or complete the current practice requirements. For APRNs with a license that has been inactive for more than four years, the reactivation fee and continuing education requirements will be waived.

Virginia

As of March 30th

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a statewide stay-at-home order on Monday, March 30, effective immediately and remaining in place until June 10.

The order is the latest in a series of escalating efforts by state government to slow the spread of COVID-19 across the commonwealth. As of March 30, Virginia officials reported 1,020 cases of COVID-19, with 136 resulting in hospitalization and 25 deaths. The state confirmed 12,038 had been tested.

Under the latest order, Executive Order No. 55, essential businesses are permitted to remain open. However, all Virginians are required to stay home unless they need medical attention, or if they need to go to work, care for family or household members, or obtain food, prescriptions and other essential goods and services.

Northam ordered public beaches to close and all in-person instruction and in-person classes at Virginia colleges and universities to cease, a move likely targeted at the private Liberty University, where students recently returned from spring break. Most other higher education institutions had already transitioned to distance learning for the duration of the spring semester.

Outdoor activities, such as exercising, are still permitted so long as social distancing guidelines are observed.

Northam previously ordered all K-12 schools closed for the rest of the academic year and mandated indoor recreation and entertainment businesses close through April 23 as part of a sweeping plan to deal with the COVID-19 outbreak.

On March 23, Northam issued Executive Order No. 53, which ordered restaurants, farmer’s markets, wineries and breweries to close to the public except to serve patrons via take-out or delivery. The order built on previous orders to ban public gatherings of 10 or more people, shut down Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles offices and suspend visitation at state correctional facilities.

Economic impacts associated with closures and cancellations are just beginning to be calculated but in some instances have been described as catastrophic. Northam previously announced an expansion of eligibility for unemployment benefits and opened access to federal disaster loans for small businesses.

The governor’s administration also released a FAQ guide regarding Executive Order No. 53.

Wisconsin

As of March 29th  

On Saturday afternoon, DHS released updated numbers on test results in Wisconsin:

  • The number of positive cases is up to 989 in Wisconsin, up from 842 in Friday’s update.
  • 15,232 negative test results (13,140 were reported on Friday, an additional 1,557 negative tests).
  • 13 patients have died in Wisconsin (no change from Friday)

Please note this date is taken from the 2 PM daily data reporting on the DHS COVID-19 Outbreak page. Several Wisconsin media outlets are reporting more rapidly updated information that they are pooling directly from the various county health departments.

Fox 6 in Milwaukee was reporting last evening the following updated Wisconsin data:

  • 1,041 confirmed cases (541 in Milwaukee compared to 489 in the DHS update)
  • 17 deaths (9 in Milwaukee compared to 5 in the DHS update)

We will continue to use the DHS data for our updates, but wanted you to be aware of the variation in data and sources.

CARES Act: Coronavirus Relief Fund

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau did an analysis of the Coronavirus Relief Fund in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester). This provision would appropriate a total of US$150 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments. According to the LFB analysis;

Based on its 2019 population, the state of Wisconsin could receive an estimated US$2,258 million in federal funds. Wisconsin has three units of local government which have populations of greater than 500,000: the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and Dane County. Based on those governments’ share of the total population of Wisconsin, the City of Milwaukee could receive an estimated US$102.7 million, Milwaukee County could receive an estimated US$164.5 million, and Dane County could receive an estimated US$93.4 million. In total, this amounts to US$360.6 million, or approximately 16% of the state’s total estimated federal aid amount. The rest of the federal funds (US$1,897.4 million) would be available to the state government.

The memo further explains what the likely US$1.9 billion coming to the state of Wisconsin could be used for;

The bill specifies that the funds are only to be used for necessary expenditures incurred in response to the public health emergency, which were not accounted for in the government’s most recent budget, and were incurred between March 1 and December 30, 2020.

The memo also noted the LFB is awaiting further guidance on the following questions related to the use of the funds;

The following issues related to the coronavirus relief fund requirements may need further guidance: (a) whether states may use relief fund payments to fill in revenue gaps caused by slowing state revenues as a result of the public health emergency; (b) whether the federal funds will be allowed to be used to reimburse costs incurred in addressing the coronavirus public health emergency that were made after March 1, 2020, but prior to the bill’s enactment; and (c) whether a state can use the funds provided to the state to cover eligible expenditures of local governments that do not exceed 500,000 in population.

Governor Evers and Legislature spar on state response to COVID-19

Throughout the past week there has been a back and forth between Governor Evers’ Administration and the Republican-controlled Legislature. The Governor has urged the Legislature to meet to take action on provisions related to the relief effort and the Republican leadership has pushed back on the Governor’s request, asking the Governor to wait until the CAREs Act was signed into law and there was a clearer picture of the federal resources being provided to the State.

The majority of that back and forth had taken place privately, but a series of those communications were released on Saturday. Summaries of the back and forth can be found here;

Wispolitics.com also posted the communications from Saturday between Speaker Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Governor Evers’ chief of staff Maggie Gau;

Below is a summary of the proposed legislation that the Evers Administration had put forward.

In the closing line of their letter to Governor Evers’ the Legislative leaders noted that they look forward in the coming days to negotiating requests that have been made by members of the Legislature and the Governor’s Administration to deal with the crisis, that “that balance the needs of those in our healthcare and public health sectors as well as those who have been severely hurt economically because of the shutdown that you have ordered.”

Links to proposed legislation (via The WheelerReport):

  • LRB-5920 (the package summarized below)
  • LRB-5940 (resolution extending public health emergency indefinitely)
  • Background on the legislative package from Evers Administration

Highlights of Evers Administration Proposed package;

  • Note since this was shared with the Legislative leaders last Monday, the Evers Administration has moved forward with some items via Executive Orders.
  • Reminder these are proposals, and unless enacted via Executive Order, they have not been enacted

Department of Health Services related;

  • US$17 million in flexible grant funds to support local public health agencies
  • Sum sufficient GPR funding for general resources and position authority for the Department of Health Services during public health emergency.
  • US$10 million in staffing for the Division of Public Health
  • Waiving requirement that DHS submit waivers and SPAs to Joint Finance for approval during a public health emergency.
  • Authorizes DHS to suspend compliance with provisions of Medicaid statutes to satisfy criteria to qualify for an increased FMAP.

Office of the Commissioner of Insurance related provisions;

  • Prohibiting coverage discrimination based on COVID-19.
  • Requires that insurers cover all telehealth services that would be covered were the services provided in-person.
  • Prohibiting the cancellation of insurance policies during COVID-19.
  • Mandating coverage for testing, diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions, and vaccines related to COVID- 19.
  • Prohibiting cost-sharing and prior authorization for testing, diagnosis, treatment, prescriptions, and vaccines related to COVID-19.
  • Prohibits surprise and balance billing for care related to COVID-19 and out-of-network care that is a result of a preferred provider being unavailable due to the public health emergency.
  • Prohibiting insurers from requiring prior authorization or imposing a quantity limit on certain prescription drugs during a public health emergency.
  • Liability insurance for certain health care providers temporarily practicing in Wisconsin during a public health emergency. Without statutory changes physicians and nurse anesthetists temporarily practicing in Wisconsin during a public health emergency are at financial risk without the ability to file with the OCI a certificate of insurance for a liability policy.

Department of Safety and Professional Services related provisions;

  • Allow pharmacists to extend most Rx refills by 30 days during a public health emergency, where it is safe to do so.
  • Allow out-of-state health professionals to work in Wisconsin during a public health emergency.
  • Allow temporary credentials for former healthcare providers during a public health emergency.
  • Exempt certain health care provider credentials from renewal deadlines.

Department of Administration related provisions;

  • US$100 million in grants to providers over the biennium. These grants would provide additional resources that are needed on the frontlines of our healthcare facilities to ensure access to critical supplies and equipment and the necessary deployment of certain activities and personnel.
  • US$200 million in additional spending by DOA, at its discretion, to fulfill its responsibility in the facilitation of coordination among governmental bodies, support of emergency operations, facilities and IT costs, and personnel costs directly related to the emergency.
  • Increase the general obligation refunding bond limit by US$725 million to improve the state’s flexibility to achieve savings through refinancing.
  • Authorize the DOA Secretary to transfer state employees among agencies during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
  • Providing the Division of Personnel Management with additional flexibility during the public health emergency.
  • US$20 million in local government assistance
  • US$7.5 million for a 1% increase in County and Municipal aids in 2020

Department of Children and Families related provisions:

  • US$100 million TANF package;
    • Expand WI Shares, the state’s childcare subsidy program, during the public health emergency.
    • Expand the Job Access Loan Program- US$1,600 loans for individuals facing an immediate financial crisis
    • Expand the W-2 program to provide US$653 per month under W-2 for individuals facing an immediate financial crisis.
    • Expand the Emergency Assistance program during the public health emergency to provide up to US$1,200 per month to individuals who suffer an income loss because of COVID-19.
    • Provide short-term cash payments for essential needs during the public health emergency (housing, transportation, medical costs)
    • Cover increased administrative costs
  • US$25 million GPR package;
    • Create a grant program to provide hazard pay to child care providers that remain open
    • Create a grant program to help health care professionals and essential workers to pay for child care during the emergency

Department of Employee Trust Funds related provisions;

  • Allow rehiring of retired annuitants during public health emergency and reinstatement of licensure.

Department of Workforce Development related provisions;

  • Repeal the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance

Department of Public Instruction related provisions;

  • Grant DPI authority to waive state requirements for schools if closed by DHS and waive report card requirements for the 2019-20 school year.
  • Require public school employees continue to be paid at their regular rate if schools are closed by DHS.

Department of Agriculture Trade & Consumer Protection related provisions;

  • Enacting a statewide moratorium for residential and commercial evictions

Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation related provisions;

  • Retain US$25 million scheduled to lapse to the general fund.

Election related provisions;

  • Suspend voter identification requirements during a public health emergency.
  • Extending electronic voter registration to the same day to request an absentee ballot by mail and providing funding to update the voter registration system.
  • Allowing absentee voting for any election during a public health emergency, requiring the postmark by election date, and waiving the witness requirement.
  • Authorize DOA to print absentee ballots for local governments

Other provisions;

  • Requesting the adoption of a joint resolution by the Legislature extending the public health emergency indefinitely, versus the Governor’s current ability to act under a 60-day limit unless extend by a legislative joint resolution.
  • Waive in-person meeting requirements during a public health emergency
  • Waive all mandated deadlines during a public health emergency

Number of Positive Results by County

Previous Wisconsin COVID-19 Updates

Previous COVID-19 Updates are archived here

Click here for a comprehensive list of State of Wisconsin resources related to the public health emergency.

Stay up-to-date with all of our insights and guidance by visiting our US COVID-19 hub here.

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David Quam

About David Quam

As a member of Dentons’ Public Policy practice, David co-leads Dentons 50, the firm’s 50-state advocacy network that provides clients facing complex, multi-state policy matters with on-the-ground government relations capabilities in every state capitol.

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Crawford G. Schneider

Crawford G. Schneider

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