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Just weeks before schools must open across Florida, the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations due to Covid-19 have surged. On July 16, the state had a total of 23,170 children ages 17 and under who had tested positive since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Florida Department of Health. By July 24, that number jumped to 31,150. (Flores, Weisfeldt and Yan, 7/27)

All bars in Kentucky will be shut down for the next two weeks in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced Monday. The move, effective Tuesday, marks the second time that bars have been shut in the state and comes amid a major uptick in coronavirus cases. Indoor dining at restaurants will be reduced to 25 percent capacity, Beshear said. Outdoor seating can remain at full capacity as long as physical distancing is enforced, and everyone needs to be seated. (Weixel, 7/27)

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) shot down White House adviser Deborah Birx’s recommendation to close bars and limit indoor seating at restaurants during a joint press conference on Monday. Birx, the coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, made her recommendation to shut down bars and limit indoor dining during the press conference, warning that Tennessee was on the verge of rapid COVID-19 spread. (Coleman, 7/27)

About 200 law school graduates will sit in a room together in the Airport Holiday Inn in Des Moines for their bar exam Tuesday and Wednesday, two weeks after Iowa saw its highest number of COVID-19 cases reported in a single day. "I really don't think it's safe," said recent University of Iowa College of Law graduate Anna Burke, who will be taking the exam. (Ojeda, 7/28)

Maine’s Democratic governor on Monday blasted state Republicans for proposing a loosening of travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic, calling the idea a “Donald Trump-style assault” on public health measures that have protected Mainers. Gov. Janet Mills’ statement came in response to a proposal from Maine Republican lawmakers to add Massachusetts and Rhode Island to the list of states exempt from a requirement that visitors to Maine quarantine for 14 days or show proof of a negative test 72 hours before coming into the state, the Portland Press Herald reported. (Anderson, 7/27)

Kaiser Health News: In Texas, More People Are Losing Their Health Insurance As COVID Cases Climb

During the pandemic, nearly 700,000 additional Texans have lost health insurance. The Lone Star State already had more uninsured people than any other. It has given people with COVID symptoms pause before seeking medical care. (Lopez, 7/28)

As recovery and cleanup efforts got underway Monday in South Texas in the wake of a downgraded Hanna, worried residents confronted the prospect of undertaking the effort amid a surge in coronavirus cases that has left many fearful about their health. For 66-year-old, Nora Esquivel, who has mostly stayed in her home in Weslaco, Texas, in Hidalgo County since March because of the pandemic, flooding damage to her home from Hanna meant greater chance of exposure to the virus. “No contact with nobody, only my daughter once in a while, and now with this, I have to allow people to come into my house, the insurance and all this and I’m scared,” said a tearful Esquivel, who takes heart medication and had to be rescued from her home Sunday morning by her son on a kayak. (Mone and Lozano, 7/28)

An Oregon officer was put in isolation after a suspect with coronavirus spit and coughed on them during a Sunday incident. The Tigard Police Department alleges the suspect, identified as Miguel Hernandez-Cuesta, 24, intended to infect the officer with COVID-19, according to a release. (Coleman, 7/27)

Montana testing confirmed more than 350 cases of COVID-19 over the weekend while the state reported its 47th death due to the respiratory virus. A woman in her 90s died at a Billings hospital on Saturday, the Yellowstone County health department said Monday. The woman’s death was the 18th in 20 days in the county. Fifteen of those deaths are tied to an outbreak at Canyon Creek Memory Care in Billings, officials have said. (7/27)

Gov. Steve Sisolak announced plans to implement a long-term reopening strategy that allows for more granular decision-making as the coronavirus continues to spread and leaves Nevada unable to follow its original reopening plan. “We’ve learned a lot about this virus in the last five months. While phases made sense at the time, we’ve got to be flexible and responsive to what we’re seeing now,” the governor said. (Metz and Ritter, 7/28)