Coronavirus USA news summary: cases and deaths - 23 June
Coronavirus live USA: latest Covid-19 news - 24 June
This live feed is now closed. For all the latest news and developments relating to the pandemic in the United States, please follow our new blog relating to 24/25 June.
Apple to shut seven retail stores in Houston again as COVID-19 cases jump
Apple Inc is set to shut seven of its retail locations in Houston, Texas again due to an increase in the number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States, the company said Wednesday.
Apple has said it is monitoring conditions in each community where it operates stores to determine when to open and close them. The Houston re-closures follow similar moves last week in Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
"We take this step with an abundance of caution as we closely monitor the situation and we look forward to having our teams and customers back as soon as possible," Apple said in a statement.
“Because the spread is so rampant right now, there's never a reason for you to have to leave your home. Unless you do need to go out, the safest place for you is at your home,” governor Greg Abbott told KBTX.
The straps, which are not approved by the FDA like many health and fitness trackers, will not be mandatory, but available if players want to use them. The Whoop straps will be in addition to other health and safety measures the PGA Tour has put in place as tournaments continue throughout the year.
An update on the Indian state in between the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal. West Bengal is home to 90 million Indians.
New York City may be forced to layoff 22,000 employees
New York mayor, Bill de Blasio, said the city may have to layoff up to 22,000 employees to address a billion dollar budget gap created by the coronavirus pandemic.
The city estimates it has lost $9 billion in revenue.
According to De Blasio the economic crisis is the worst the city has faced in almost 90 years.
If layoffs and furloughs do happen they will affect "literally... every single agency, and the mayor's office", said De Blasio.
Making sure everyone is covered
Critical opinion piece in the Guardian on the method in which rich countries and big pharma companies attempt to ensure vaccines reach the world's poorest people. How will it work for covid-19?
Twitter warns Trump again for "abusive behavior" over Washington protests
The social media platform has cited the US president for using incendiary language in response to attempts to set up an autonomous zone in Washington.
Coronavirus US: multiple states report thousands of cases per day
California, Florida, Arizona and Texas are among 26 states to report an increase in Covid-19 cases since the US started easing lockdown restrictions.
Masks work
It didn't help much that at the start of the pandemic many experts said masks made little difference, but right now the evidence is clear: masks stop the spread of covid-19.
Stop re-opening, re-institute stay-at-home orders?
If we don't, "the decision may be made for us in a while"...
Florida covid-19 cases surging
Florida is emerging from coronavirus shutdown, and the state is seeing a spike in cases, particularly among young people.
Florida Dept of Health confirmed a further 3,826 cases yesterday, taking the state's total confirmed covid-19 case tally to 103,503. (Florida has a population of 21.4 million).
While young people tend to suffer far fewer effects of the virus, hospitalizations, intensive care visits and ventilation use have all also increased in the past two weeks.
$4,000 Travel Tax Credit: proposal for coronavirus aid package for tourism industry
Explore America tax credit proposal
Republican Senator Martha McSally has published a legislative proposal for a tax credit to boost the domestic tourism industry. Up to a $4,000 tax credit per person per year for three years...
The question is - in an economy where people are struggling to put food on the table, is this the best use of stimulus money?
The 15-minute city?
A feature by Bloomberg CityLab suggests the post-pandemic world may be very different from the one that preceded it.
EU countries may bar U.S. travelers because of coronavirus failures
(Reuters) European Union countries eager to revive their economies are prepared to block Americans from entering because the United States has failed to control the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported from Brussels on Tuesday, citing draft lists of acceptable travelers.
The United States, which has the most coronavirus cases in the world and is experiencing a surge in new infections, would be in the same category as No.2 hot spot Brazil and Russia, according to the Times, citing the proposal.
In March, when cases were rising in Europe, Trump banned most EU citizens from entering the United States in a bid to curb the outbreak.
Jokic and six other NBA players test positive for coronavirus
Seven NBA players, including Denver Nuggets All-Star center Nikola Jokic, have tested positive for the coronavirus recently, according to various media reports Tuesday. The only one of the group who was specifically identified was Jokic, who reportedly is under quarantine in his native Serbia, per multiple media outlets.
Two unnamed members of the Phoenix Suns have the virus, according to the Arizona Republic. And ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that an unnamed Western Conference playoff team had four players test positive in the past week.
The NBA is due to restart late next month with 22 of the 30 teams competing at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla. Training camps at Disney are due to open on 11 July. Jokic was scheduled to return to Denver this week.
According to ESPN, Jokic has been asymptomatic since testing positive last week. Per the report, he is expected to be cleared to travel to Denver within a week.
5,000 coronavirus cases in one single day in Texas
Governor Greg Abbott announced on Tuesday that the state had surpassed 5,000 new cases in a single day for the first time.
"There remain a lot of people in the state of Texas who think that the spread of COVID-19 is not a challenge," Abbott told news station KBTX. "The coronavirus is serious. It's spreading."
While he did not offer an exact number for the new positive cases, a figure that was expected to be announced later Tuesday, he said state's infection rate has doubled since late May. In Harris County, the number of COVID-19 patients has nearly tripled.
Trump suspends temporary work visas in the United States
Trump suspends temporary work visas in the United States
On Monday, United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order to temporarily suspend certain work visas until the end of 2020.
Read more...
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
Coronavirus: the complete guide to the Covid-19 pandemic
All the information you need to understand the coronavirus and ways to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic:
Catch up...
We freshen up each day with a new blog so if you want to have a look back at what has been happening over the previous 24 hours then check out yesterday's feed.
Coronavirus live US updates: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live, United States-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which as of 18:00 ET on Monday had registered over nine million cases and just under 475,000 deaths worldwide, according to figures compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
We'll endeavour to keep you abreast of the chief developments occurring in the US, where the Covid-19 pandemic has so far led to over 2.3 million cases and over 120,000 fatalities.