�������ýҕ�l

New regional surges in coronavirus cases forced the Environmental Protection Agency to put on hold some of the earliest planned returns of federal employees to their offices, while the first volunteers at a few other federal agencies are quietly going back to their desks. The Trump administration’s guidance, called “Opening up America Again,” lays out specific conditions for calling workers back, like 14 straight days of downward-trending cases in an area. But there have been complaints that the administration is moving too quickly. (Knickmeyer, 6/9)

Marriott, Hilton and other big hotel companies are used to competing on price or perks. Now they are competing on cleanliness. From masked clerks at the front desk to shuttered buffets, hotels are making visible changes in the wake of the pandemic. Signage will tout new cleaning regimens: Red Roof Inns promise “RediClean,” while Hilton boasts of “CleanStay with Lysol.” (Durbin, 6/8)

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Monday took to social media to vaunt her response to the coronavirus pandemic and pitch herself as a leading conservative governor. Throughout the pandemic, Noem, a Republican, has held regular press briefings, taking questions from reporters. On Monday, she instead posted a nearly-nine minute video in which Noem said she has prioritized “freedom,” but claimed the “mainstream media” has attacked her for doing so. (Groves, 6/8)

Out-of-state residents will soon be able to visit Maine without quarantining if they recently received a negative coronavirus test result, state officials announced at a press conference Monday afternoon. Visitors will have to sign a compliance form at their lodging area stating that they’ve received a negative coronavirus test result within the past 72 hours, Governor Janet Mills said. Those who haven’t recently received a negative test result will have to quarantine for two weeks. (Berg, 6/8)

A Rhode Island man serving a 15-year prison term for conspiring to support ISIS is asking a federal judge to release him to his mother’s home in Warwick, citing health concerns that place him at “unique risk” if he contracts COVID-19 behind bars. In a motion for compassionate release filed Sunday in US District Court in Boston, lawyers for Nicholas Alexander Rovinski, 29, said he’s currently incarcerated at FCI Danbury in Connecticut, “where one of the first major COVID-19 outbreaks in the federal Bureau of Prisons is ongoing.” (Andersen, 6/8)

Dallas County reported 254 new coronavirus cases Monday, its 12th consecutive day of at least 200 cases after a brief decline in late May. No new deaths were reported. Noting in a written statement that the latest number of cases was slightly lower than the previous few days', County Judge Clay Jenkins said doctors are working to determine what accounted for the recent rise. (Jones and Steele, 6/8)

Kaiser Health News: At Lake Of The Ozarks, It’s (Almost) Business As Usual, Despite The Coronavirus

On a sun-kissed summer Saturday in this tourist town, one could almost imagine the pandemic didn’t happen. Dozens of people mingled, unmasked, outside the frozen custard stand. The putt-putt golf course and the go-kart track had plenty of customers, and the Grand Glaize Beach at Lake of the Ozarks State Park was crowded with visitors tossing footballs and digging their toes in the sand. “Hardly anyone wears masks here,” observed Bob Harrison, visiting with his wife, Etta Harrison, from Olathe, Kansas, outside Kansas City. “People are sort of like, here, it’s a vacation resort, and they don’t have to worry about it.” (Hiles, 6/9)