Government

The Associated Press reports: Florida on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any one state since the beginning of the pandemic. According to state Department of Health statistics, 15,299 people tested positive, for a total of 269,811 cases. California had the previous record of daily positive cases — 11,694, four days ago. New York had …

The Washington Post reports: New coronavirus cases reached record highs in states across the country Saturday, even as weekly testing plateaued nationwide, offering more stark evidence that the United States was failing to control new waves of infection and death. Nine states in nearly every major region of the country reported record new single-day caseloads on Saturday: South Carolina, Texas, …

The Baton Rouge Advocate reports: Amid spiraling coronavirus infections and steadily-increasing hospitalizations, Gov. John Bel Edwards late on Saturday said he is issuing a statewide mask mandate and closing bars, making Louisiana the latest Southern state to ratchet restrictions back up after months of reopening. Starting Monday, people will be required to wear masks when entering establishments or outdoors if …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has reinstated Phase 1 reopening guidelines after a steady surge in coronavirus cases. In following Phase 1 guidelines, residents should wear face masks, restaurants should close dining rooms, non-essential city facilities should close and individuals are encouraged to leave home only for essential trips. The Phase 1 guidelines conflict with guidance …

Fox News reports: A surge of coronavirus cases in Florida has maxed out dozens of intensive care units (ICUs) at hospitals around the state, following an attempt by local officials to institute a phased reopening of the economy. Over 40 hospitals are now hitting their limit with regard to ICU capacity. This news comes on the same day that Florida …

The Associated Press reports: Packed elevators and crowded committee rooms. Legislators sitting shoulder-to-shoulder on the House and Senate floor. People standing close to each other and talking, sometimes leaning in to whisper, without a mask in sight. Those were common scenes at the Mississippi Capitol in June — a month that saw a historic vote to remove the Confederate emblem …

Atlanta’s NBC News affiliate reports: Georgia had the largest single day increase of coronavirus cases so far on Friday. The number of coronavirus cases across the state reached 111,211. That’s an increase of 4,484 new cases since Thursday. That’s nearly 1,000 more cases than the previous record set last Thursday, where Georgia’s cases increased by nearly 3,500 cases. The percentage …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Florida reported 11,433 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, just shy of the state’s single-day record of 11,458 new cases reported last Saturday. The state also reported 93 new deaths a day after announcing 120, which was a new high. Florida is now up to 244,151 confirmed cases with 4,102 resident deaths associated with the …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: Florida marked another grim COVID-19 milestone Thursday when health officials reported 120 new deaths from the coronavirus — the highest one-day jump yet amid a surge in new infections that continues to befuddle the state’s attempts to contain the outbreak. The number of deaths announced Thursday was the highest since the 113 reported in early …

Sacramento’s NBC News affiliate reports: On Wednesday, President and CEO of the California Hospital Association Carmela Coyle offered a grim update from the medical community. “We’re preparing to surge,” said Coyle. And with good reason. California Governor Gavin Newsom then announced a mind-boggling number of new coronavirus cases in the state. Over the previous 24 hours, California saw 11,694 new …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Florida reported 9,989 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday morning and 48 new resident deaths. As part of that, both Miami-Dade and Monroe counties reported their highest single-day case increases since the start of the pandemic. The state is now up to 223,783 confirmed cases with 3,889 resident deaths associated with the novel coronavirus, according …

CBS New York reports: New York City students will return to school in the fall with a “blended learning” model, the mayor announced Wednesday. Mayor Bill de Blasio said most students will attend in-person classes two or three days a week, depending on the week. Families who aren’t comfortable sending their children back to school may continue remote learning. They …

USA Today reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Monday that the United States’ handle on the coronavirus outbreak is “really not good” and that action is needed to curb the spread. In an interview via Facebook Live, the nation’s top infectious disease expert said, “We are still knee-deep in the first …

CNN reports: As Florida sets the most dubious of records amid the coronavirus pandemic, Miami-Dade County has decided it’s done playing by the state’s rules. As of Wednesday, restaurants in the county, the state’s most populous, will be shut down — again — except for takeout and delivery, county Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced in a news release. The mayor’s executive …

Mediaite reports: CBS’s Face The Nation host Margaret Brennan asked former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb where the U.S. is heading right now and he answered, “We’re right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak.” “The difference now is that we really had one epicenter of spread when New York was going through …

Tampa’s NBC News affiliate reports: The Florida Department of Health says the number of known cases of COVID-19 in the state rose by 10,059 since yesterday morning as the virus spreads and as more people are tested across the state. The total number of cases in Florida is now 200,111. The number of Florida resident deaths has reached 3,731, an …

The Hill reports: In a Fourth of July address in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Trump said that the U.S. was unleashing its “scientific brilliance” toward developing treatments for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. “And we’ll likely have a therapeutic and/or vaccine solution long before the end of the year,” Trump said. “I can’t predict when a vaccine …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: Florida shattered its daily record for new coronavirus cases Saturday with health officials reporting over 11,000 confirmed cases The rapidly escalating daily figures continue a trend that began when Florida started reopening its economy last month. The state now has confirmed 190,052 coronavirus cases since March 1 and 3,702 deaths. Testing hit a high percent …

The Arizona Daily Star reports: Mexican authorities are closing the U.S-Sonora border to nonessential travel this holiday weekend, when Arizonans would normally flock to Mexican beach towns like Rocky Point and San Carlos for the Fourth of July. Starting Saturday, July 4, southbound travelers without essential business in Sonora will be turned away at border checkpoints in Nogales, Agua Prieta, …

San Antonio’s NBC News affiliate reports: Governor Greg Abbott’s two new executive orders about face coverings in public and gatherings of 10 people or more have begun. The new orders took affect at noon on Friday. The first order requires all Texans to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth in public spaces in counties with 20 or …