Live Coronavirus News Updates and Analysis
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As numbers remain dangerously high in much of the country, Washington deliberates relief.
As the coronavirus continued to take a lethal toll across much of the South and West, governors were again forced to make tough decisions about limiting businesses and imposing protection measures to help slow the spread of the virus.
The economic pain that comes with any decision to reinstituting pandemic protection measures, and the aftermath of earlier closures, has put Washington in the spotlight as lawmakers grapple over what kind of relief to offer.
Among the most heated issues is the $600 weekly jobless benefit that is set to expire at the end of the month, which Republicans have proposed cutting by two-thirds, to $200. Democratic leaders left a nearly two-hour meeting with White House officials on Monday saying they were unsatisfied with the Republicans’ opening bid.
“If they’re not even getting to the fundamentals of food and rent and economic survival, they’re not really ready to have a serious negotiation,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said after meeting with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; Mark Meadows, the chief of staff; and Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader.
Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, a Democrat, was among the governors who had a decision to make. Facing a surge in cases, Mr. Beshear heeded the advice of federal health officials and ordered bars in the state to close again for two weeks, starting on Tuesday. He also mandated that restaurants reduce their seating capacity from 50 percent to 25 percent and recommended that schools delay opening until the third week of August.
President Trump, who had seemed last week to acknowledge the severity of the situation in the United States, urged further reopenings again on Monday.
During a visit to a North Carolina biotechnology lab, Mr. Trump said that “a lot of the governors should be opening up states that they’re not opening, and we’ll see what happens with them.”
There were glimmers of good news yesterday. New cases leveled off in Florida, Texas and Arizona.
In Texas, which on Monday joined California, New York and Florida to become the fourth state with more than 400,000 known cases, the seven-day average of new cases has tapered from a high of 10,461 on July 19 to 8,243 on July 26. Florida’s seven-day average of new cases hit a high of 11,870 on July 17 and fell to 10,544 on July 26.
In Arizona, another hot spot, the seven-day average of new cases is also down, from 3,849 on July 6 to 2,628 on July 26. Oklahoma and New Mexico broke state records on Monday for single-day cases.
Also, one of the first large studies of safety and effectiveness of a coronavirus vaccine in the United States began on Monday.
President Trump shared on his Twitter account Monday night a viral video containing a series of false or misleading medical claims about the coronavirus, as social media companies scrambled to halt the video’s rapid spread.
Facebook and YouTube removed versions of the video, and Twitter later removed the post shared by the president. At least one version, which was shared on Facebook by the right-wing Breitbart news site, had garnered over 13 million views before it was removed. Other versions of the video, including shorter, edited clips, were still online Monday night.
The video featured what appeared to be a group of doctors in white coats, standing in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., in what appeared to be a news conference. The doctors made a series of misleading claims, including that hydroxychloroquine could be taken as a preventive measure.
“We all put things off — I know I have,” Mr. Johnson wrote. “I’ve wanted to lose weight for ages and like many people I struggle with my weight.”
All large restaurants and cafes will be required to add a calorie count to their menus, and the government will look into adding calorie labels to alcoholic drinks.
Promotional offers like “buy one, get one free” on fatty or sugary foods will also be prohibited.
When the coronavirus engulfed New York, it pummeled the transit work force: So far, 131 transit workers have died from the virus and more than 4,000 have tested positive, making the Metropolitan Transportation Authority one of the hardest-hit government agencies in New York.
For many, the pandemic has left an indelible mark. Pan Chan, a bus driver, moved out of his family’s home for months to shield his wife and children. Sally Lutchman, a train conductor, worried that she might have infected her husband, who was hospitalized with Covid-19 for months. Cesar Torres Jr., a second-generation bus operator, watched his father die.
Now, as riders trickle back, these workers are facing the prospect of a second wave, even as they are coping with the trauma from the peak of the outbreak.
The pandemic takes an extra toll on families with special needs.
Missing social contacts and altered routines can be particularly intense for children with developmental challenges. Disturbed sleep and eating habits, too, can make life more challenging for the children and their families. Here are some strategies to cope better.
Reporting was contributed by Sheera Frenkel, Daniel Victor, Neil Vigdor, Anna Schaverien and Kaly Soto.