July 7 coronavirus news

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said he met with the county’s Wellness Group Tuesday morning and came to a compromise to keep gyms and fitness studios open during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a tweet from the mayor’s official Twitter account.

People inside "must wear a mask or do strenuous training outside staying 10 feet apart w/out mask,” Giménez tweeted. 

Giménez is also slated to issue an upcoming executive order allowing outdoor dining to continue under the current spike in coronavirus cases with restrictions, according to a statement released by the mayor’s office. 

New restrictions require restaurants to include tables of no more than four people and allow for appropriate social distancing. Restaurants will be required to play music at a level that does not require shouting, to curb the emission of potentially dangerous airborne droplets from people’s mouths.

This is a partial revision of the county's decision to re-shut down some businesses. Just yesterday, Miami-Dade announced certain businesses, including fitness centers, would close Wednesday because of the spiking coronavirus numbers. Restaurants were also slated to close, except for takeout and delivery.

The mayor is expected to speak at a 12:30 p.m. ET press conference alongside Gov. DeSantis where the two will address Covid-19 updates in the city of Miami and the state of Florida. 

Tucson, Arizona, Mayor Regina Romero said that she’s very concerned about the lack of intensive care unit beds and the disorganized effort for testing and contract tracing as cases soar in the state. 

Romero said that ICU bed capacity is at its limit. Pima County only has five to 10 ICU beds available some days, she said. 

Romero said test results are taking too long and there’s a disjointed process for contact tracing.

Romero has implemented a mask mandate in her city, but she wants Gov. Doug Ducey to put a statewide mandatory mask order in place.

“We need the governor and the federal government to come and help organize our efforts so that we can take this under control,” she said. 

At least 7,347 new coronavirus cases were reported in Florida in the past 24 hours, according to the state Department of Health.

This brings the total number of coronavirus cases in the state to at least 213,794. 

Arizona is reporting 117 deaths from Covid-19 over the last 24 hours, state data shows. 

The state has been setting record high daily death counts about once a week.

The previous record highs were 79 daily deaths on June 24 and then 88 deaths on July 1.

Arizona is also reporting the lowest-ever number of beds available in intensive care units today.

According to state data, there are only 167 ICU beds, or 10% of overall capacity, left in Arizona.

Of the 1,481 ICU beds being used, 869 are taken by Covid-19 patients, data shows.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has tested positive for Covid-19, Bolsonaro himself announced, speaking on Brazilian TV channels Tuesday.

Brazil’s Ministry of Communications said in a statement that the president maintains a good state of health and is, at that moment, at the Palácio da Alvorada.

Some background: Bolsonaro had a Covid-19 test and a lung scan at a Brasilia hospital Monday evening. He told his supporters gathered outside the Presidential Palace in Brasilia after returning from the hospital, that he had undergone tests and had gotten a lung screening which came back “clean.”  

As he awaited the results of his latest Covid-19 test, Bolsonaro was being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, Bolsonaro said in a phone call with CNN affiliate CNN Brasil.

CNN Brasil also reported Monday that the president said he was showing symptoms consistent with Covid-19, including a 38 degree Celsius fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Bolsonaro's office told CNN Brasil Tuesday that his temperature was normal.

Bolsonaro has derided coronavirus as just a "little flu," and previously appeared in public and at rallies without a mask, even hugging supporters.

He has encouraged the country to reopen, even as the number of cases rises, and has criticized local governments' efforts to stamp out the virus through social distancing measures, such as quarantine and shelter-in-place orders.

Brazil's latest Covid-19 figures: Brazil is second only to the US in numbers of coronavirus infections and deaths. More than 65,000 people have died of the virus in Brazil, according to figures released by the country's health ministry on Monday, and 1,623,284 cases have been confirmed so far.

With reporting from Sara John, Marcia Reverdosa and Taylor Barnes

This post has been updated to show that Bolsonaro spoke to CNN Brasil about being treated with hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as he awaited Covid-19 results.

WATCH:

Starting July 15, the University System of Georgia will now require students, faculty and visitors to wear face coverings when inside campus buildings and/or when social distancing is not possible at all of its colleges and universities, USG announced on its website.

The move — a reversal in policy — comes after hundreds of faculty members at Georgia Tech sent a letter to the university system saying that the now-previous policy of not mandating masks was irresponsible and posed a danger to the health of the faculty and the community. 

The University of Louisville men's basketball has temporarily suspended all basketball voluntary activities for two weeks after two members tested positive for the coronavirus, Kenny Klein, senior associate athletic director, said in a statement Tuesday. 

The announcement did not specify if players or staff tested positive for the virus.

There have been 84 offender and nine employee deaths across the prison system in Texas due to Covid-19, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

TDCJ announced on Monday that corrections officer V. Kenneth Harbin, who had more than 30 years of service with the agency, died on July 4, becoming the ninth employee to die in connection with the virus.

In the latest information released on July 1 by TDCJ, 8,811 offenders and 1,556 employees have tested positive for Covid-19. Of those, 84 offenders have died and another 28 deaths are under investigation. 

The TDCJ says they have tested 117,765 offenders and 35,662 employees for the virus systemwide. 

The intake of offenders from county jails resumed on July 1 on a limited basis. TDJC says they are coordinating with each county on the Covid-19 screening process to ensure each inmate is suitable for intake.

Once the inmate has arrived, he or she will be medically screened and then quarantined separately for 14 days. The person will then be transferred to a Covid-free housing area in the general population, according to a release by TDCJ.

Approximately 250 offenders will be brought in each week and TDCJ says it will continue to monitor data to make decisions about expansion.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice manages more than 146,000 offenders in state prisons, jails and private correctional facilities and has more than 36,000 employees. 

Brown University will reconfigure its academic calendar for the 2020-21 school year and offer three terms  —fall, spring and summer  —allowing for all undergraduate students to be on campus for two of the three terms, reducing the overall number of students on campus at once. 

The fall session will begin in September and move to all remote after Thanksgiving.

The spring session will be on campus January through April and then will move to remote for final exams, and the summer term will begin in May and be on campus May through August. 

First-years will be welcomed to campus for the spring and summer terms, juniors and seniors will be on campus for the fall and spring terms, and the sophomore class will be split between the three.