On Aug. 26, the Governor announced that the state has entered a new contract with a private company to process up to an additional 150,000 COVID-19 diagnostic tests a day, with a contractual turnaround time of 24-48 hours. The goal is to stand up a laboratory facility and begin processing tens of thousands of additional tests by Nov. 1 and run at full capacity by no later than March 1, 2021.
The Governor stated that there will be new reopening guidelines later this week, and information regarding an economic stimulus plan, which will include eviction legislation, as jobs and economic growth and recovery remain a top priority.
As wildfires burn across the state, COVID-19 has presented additional challenges in combating the wildfires and protecting residents. Evacuation shelters now include health screening and assessments, mask requirements, social distancing guidelines, and air purifiers.
The Governor issued an
executive order to address a variety of issues in response COVID-19 including increasing the income-eligibility threshold for the Community Service Block Grant program to support economic and community development efforts in response to the pandemic. The order also increases the availability of CLIA-waived COVID-19 testing, issuing waivers permitting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to conduct CLIA-waived COVID-19 tests, which detect the presence of the virus.
Below is a brief recap of recent and ongoing significant COVID-19 developments.
State Updates
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