Coronavirus pandemic in the US

CVS in New Jersey is set to offer self-swab tests at a minimum of 50 locations in the state by the end of the month, Gov. Phil Murphy said.

He also announced that all of New Jersey’s more than 18,000 pharmacists have been licensed to administer Covid-19 tests to customers.

Murphy said the state had removed requirements that pharmacists enter into collaborative agreements with physicians.

It’s a little pass 2 p.m. on the East Coast. Here's a quick recap of the latest coronavirus updates from across the country:

Every US state will be partially reopened by tomorrow: By Wednesday, every US state will have started lifting measures enacted weeks ago to curb the spread of coronavirus. Right now, all states except Connecticut have in some way moved toward reopening — and Connecticut is due to begin its first reopening steps tomorrow.

US-Canada border closed for at least another month: President Trump confirmed that the US-Canada border will remain closed to nonessential traffic during a White House event earlier today.

His comments came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the border between the two countries will remain closed to nonessential traffic until June 21.

Fed and Treasury chiefs grilled in the Senate: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin defended the administration's efforts to revive the economy while testifying before the Senate Banking Committee.

Mnuchin told senators that he expects economic conditions will improve in the third and fourth quarters of this year, but warned that with ongoing shutdown measures "There is risk of permanent damage."

Powell said that the program meant to lend billions of dollars to small- and mid-sized businesses should be ready to launch by the end of the month.

New York to allow Memorial Day ceremonies with up to 10 people: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the state will allow ceremonies on Memorial Day with 10 people or less. Vehicle parades in honor veterans will also be allowed. The governor said local governments can decide if they want these ceremonies to occur.  

Cuomo’s announcement came after New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the city's daily numbers on coronavirus cases a “mixed bag” and urged caution.

Ahead of President Trump's visit on Thursday to a Ford components plant in Michigan, the automaker has detailed its safety policies to the White House — including that everyone wear a mask.

Trump has resisted wearing a mask in public, even though the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended wearing one to avoid spreading coronavirus.

He has never been photographed wearing one, though he said he did put one on backstage during a visit to a Honeywell facility in Arizona. At that facility, signs indicated wearing a mask was required, but Trump was informed by Honeywell executives that he did not need to wear one, according to the White House.

Other White House officials have now begun wearing masks more regularly after the White House issued a memo to staff saying a face covering was required in the West Wing.

But Trump himself has resisted, in part because he's worried what message wearing a mask would send.

New Jersey is now reporting twelve cases of multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), New Jersey State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Tuesday. There have been no deaths reported so far. 

The ages of the children affected range from 3 to 18, Persichilli said, and nine of the cases have also tested positive for Covid-19.

Three of the individuals are currently still hospitalized.

Louisiana reported a total of 35,038 cases on Tuesday, up 329 since Monday’s report. More than 8,300 new test results were reported on Tuesday.

Orleans and Jefferson Parishes reported 47 and 36 new cases, respectively, which makes up 25% of the new cases. 

The 18 new deaths reported brings the state’s total to at least 2,458. Both Orleans and Jefferson reported 1 fewer death each on Tuesday. This is due to the state reclassifying those 2 cases to other parishes. This is the third day in a row Orleans Parish has reported no new deaths. 

There are also 123 probable deaths that are under investigation statewide.

New Jersey reported 162 new deaths from Covid-19, bringing the statewide total to 10,586 lab confirmed fatalities in the state, Gov. Phil Murphy said today at a press conference.

The state also reported 1,055 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 149,013 cases.

While the numbers in the state remain very high, the governor noted there are several positive indicators:

More about these figures: At least 28,312 of the total Covid-19 cases in the state have been in long-term care facilities, Murphy said, and there have been a total of 4,295 lab confirmed deaths at long term care facilities across the state. 

Murphy announced that starting today, the state is sharing only the numbers of lab confirmed Covid-19 deaths for long-term care facilities —  a change from how the state was previously reporting the numbers from these facilities.

Additionally, the governor said that he was issuing an administrative order today to allow for in-person sales at car and motorcycle dealerships and bike shops effective at 6 a.m. ET on Wednesday.

A new study examining the effects of the coronavirus on pregnant women and newborns is underway, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Researchers with the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network will look at the health records of as many as 21,000 women to determine if changes that were made in hospital and health protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic impacted the rate of pregnancy complications or cesarean births, the NIH said in a statement.

The research will also follow 1,500 pregnant women with confirmed cases of Covid-19 before childbirth and for six weeks after to try and determine the risk of transmitting the virus to the fetus, the agency said.

The network is funded by the agency’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and consists of 12 US clinical centers, which cover more than 160,000 deliveries annually. The NIH said the network’s “racial, ethnic, and geographic diversity allows researchers to generalize their study findings to the U.S. population.” 

There is currently no data showing that pregnant women are more susceptible to coronavirus than others, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but pregnant women are at greater risk of serious disease from other respiratory viruses. 

“Sometimes this causes adverse outcomes for the mother or child,” the agency warns on its coronavirus guidance page for pregnant women, and urges them to take all precautions to remain safe, including social distancing measures, frequent hand-washing and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces often.

President Trump did not stop for questions and walked into the lunch with Senate Republicans. Jared Kushner, Trump's senior adviser and son-in-law, and the President's chief of staff Mark Meadows also arrived.

None of the three were wearing masks. 

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were grilled by lawmakers via video conference today about how they're implementing the $2.2 trillion coronavirus rescue package.

Both leaders defended the administration's efforts to revive the economy, with Mnuchin saying, "The country will emerge from the pandemic stronger than ever."

Here’s what you missed from the Senate hearing: 

Country’s economic recovery still uncertain: While the unprecedented steps taken by the government to shut down parts of the economy has led to soaring unemployment over the past two months, Mnuchin told senators that he expects economic conditions will improve in the third and fourth quarters of this year. Mnuchin did warn that as shutdowns continue, "There is risk of permanent damage."

Powell also noted possible obstacles to recovery, saying that state and local governments have laid off about 1 million workers because of the coronavirus crisis, which will likely weigh on the nation's economy.

Powell reiterated that the Federal Reserve will take more action if the economy isn't rebounding as well as it would like.

Issues surrounding company loans continue: Both Powell and Mnuchin said that they are working on issues on how some companies that need loans are falling through the cracks. "If there are companies that slipped through, [Powell] and I will work together to make sure they have funding," Mnuchin said.

Powell noted that some of the lending facilities have only just come online, so the amount that has gone out to support some businesses is "pretty limited."

Main Street loan program likely to be ready by end of month: Powell said that the program meant to lend billions of dollars to small- and mid-sized businesses should be ready to launch by the end of the month, amid complaints the money has been too slow to reach the public. 

Testy exchange about reopening: In an exchange between Sen. Sherrod Brown, a ranking member on the committee, and Mnuchin, Brown asked why the Trump administration is so eager to send employees back to work during uncertain times.

See the moment: