Government

The New York Post reports: New York on Saturday reported its lowest daily death total from the coronavirus in nearly two months — a significant sign the state is “making real progress” in its battle to defeat killer bug, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Eighty-four people died from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, down from 109 the previous day — …

Gothamist reports: Following reports of New Yorkers closely gathering together on city sidewalks with cocktails, New York City plans to install posters across city bars and restaurants reminding patrons not to linger after buying food and drinks. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the campaign on Friday, which uses the slogan “Take out, don’t hang out.” “Memorial Day is a time …

NBC News reports: White House coronavirus task force coordinator Deborah Birx said Friday that the Washington, D.C., metro area currently has the highest COVID-19 positivity rate out of all cities across the country. Birx said that the D.C. metro area, which includes Northern Virginia and Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland, currently leads the country in the percentage of …

CBS News reports: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Friday two regions bordering New York City are expected to reopen soon. Long Island and the Mid-Hudson region could reopen next week if deaths continue to decline and their contact tracing programs are in full-swing. As of Friday, the Mid-Hudson region had met five out of seven metrics the state requires …

CNN reports: In new guidance for mathematical modelers and public health officials, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is estimating that about a third of coronavirus infections are asymptomatic. The CDC also says its “best estimate” is that 0.4% of people who show symptoms and have Covid-19 will die, and the agency estimates that 40% of coronavirus transmission …

NBC New York reports: New York City and Long Island have each met four of the seven reopening metrics. Both regions have yet to identify and train their complete contact tracing armies; they’re required to have at least 30 tracers for every 100,000 residents. Long Island continues to struggle on the hospital death rate metric, while New York City has …

The New York Times reports: A divided Senate voted on Thursday to confirm Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas, a fierce conservative ally of President Trump’s with relatively little intelligence experience, to become the next director of the nation’s spy agencies. Democrats opposed the nomination en masse, but they agreed to dispense with the normal rules and accelerate Mr. Ratcliffe’s confirmation …

Washington DC’s Fox affiliate reports: Wilson Roosevelt Jerman, one of the White House’s longest-serving employees, died last weekend from COVID-19. He was 91. Jerman worked at the White House from 1957 to 2012 as a cleaner, a doorman, and butler. He served 11 presidents — from Eisenhower to Obama. Granddaughter Jamila Garrett said in an interview with FOX 5 DC …

The Associated Press reports: Public health officials in some states are accused of bungling coronavirus infection statistics or even using a little sleight of hand to deliberately make things look better than they are. In Virginia, Texas and Vermont, for example, officials said they have been combining the results of viral tests, which show an active infection, with antibody tests, …

The Austin Statesman reports: Large events like the Austin City Limits Music Festival or Texas Longhorns football games are not likely through the end of the year as the coronavirus pandemic continues, Austin Public Health officials said Wednesday. “The large events are the first thing that we turned off and are going to be the last thing we’re going to …

The Birmingham News reports: Montgomery hospitals are starting to run low on intensive care beds, said Dr. David Thrasher, a critical care pulmonologist. The four counties making up the Montgomery metro area have seen a combined 721 new confirmed coronavirus cases since May 4 – an increase of 110 percent. “I’m concerned about the current status of the COVID-19 pandemic,” …

The Austin Statesman reports: Gov. Greg Abbott Monday unveiled his plans for an accelerated return to a semblance of normal life Monday, immediately reopening child care centers, Scouting and other youth clubs, as well as massage, tattoo, piercing and other personal services, with a limited reopening of bars, bingo halls and bowling alleys Friday, when restaurants will be allowed to …

The Associated Press reports: The World Health Organization bowed to calls Monday from most of its member states to launch an independent probe into how it managed the international response to the coronavirus, which has been clouded by finger-pointing between the U.S. and China over a pandemic that has killed over 300,000 people and leveled the global economy. The “comprehensive …

The Sacramento Bee reports: California is changing its criteria for counties that want to reopen faster than the rest of the state. Counties will have to demonstrate that their hospitalization rates are stable and their rate of positive cases are low. The new criteria represent a move away from the previous rules, which among other standards required that counties have …

The Detroit News reports: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday the partial reopening of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Starting Friday, two regions — 6 and 8, which include 17 northern Michigan counties and the entire Upper Peninsula — will be among areas to see relief from some restrictions. The plan would reopen retail businesses and offices in those regions …

The Hill reports: A new analysis says nearly 250,000 people in the nation’s 30 largest cities are alive today because of strict stay-at-home orders issued by local and state governments. The report, from the Urban Health Collaborative at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University, found the stay-at-home orders likely reduced the number of coronavirus deaths by 232,878, …

Reuters reports: With jury trials on hold throughout the United States because of the coronavirus pandemic, court officials in Texas are preparing to try something new: let jurors hear a case through Zoom. Lawyers in an insurance dispute in Collin County District Court on Monday will present their case by videoconference, in what officials believe will be the first virtual …

The New York Post reports: Western New York and the Capital Region have fulfilled six of the seven criteria — measuring hospitalizations, death rates, available beds, testing and tracing — to phase certain businesses back online. The only box left to tick is an expansion of their contact tracing capacity, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, offering the state’s help to get …

NBC News reports: Amid an intensifying blame game over the World Health Organization’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, China’s leader Xi Jinping announced a $2 billion funding package to help tackle the outbreak as he spoke at the organization’s 73rd general assembly on Monday. “China supports the idea of a global review of the response to Covid-19 after it is …

USA Today reports: The Florida Keys will reopen to tourists on June 1, more than two months after the island chain closed to visitors to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Checkpoints that barred visitors from coming into the Florida Keys will be removed next month and hotels and other lodging establishments, including campgrounds and vacation rentals, will also be …