July 6 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 11:10 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020
44 Posts
Sort byDropdown arrow
1:08 p.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Restaurants and gyms must close again in Florida's Miami-Dade County

People order at a restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 27.
People order at a restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 27. Lynne Sladky/AP

Restaurants, gyms and other businesses will have to close this week in Florida's Miami-Dade County as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the state, Mayor Carlos Giménez announced today.

"I am continuing to roll back business openings as we continue to see a spike in the percent of positive COVID-19 tests and an uptick in hospitalizations," he said in a statement on the county website.

Starting Wednesday, these businesses must close, according to the mayor:

  • Restaurants (except for takeout and delivery services)
  • Ballrooms
  • Banquet facilities
  • Party venues
  • Gyms and fitness centers
  • Short-term rentals

Giménez said outdoor activities — including condominium and hotel pools — can stay open strict social distancing and masks rules. Summer camps and child care centers can also stay open with certain capacity limits.

Office buildings, retail stores and salons are also allowed to stay open.

Beaches will reopen tomorrow, "but, if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules, I will be forced to close the beaches again," he said.

11:28 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

McConnell emphasizes need to wear masks as cases surge: "Everyone should be doing that"

From CNN's Haley Byrd 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell listens to questions during a news conference in Washington, DC, on June 30.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell listens to questions during a news conference in Washington, DC, on June 30. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the coronavirus pandemic is “clearly not over” and urged Americans to wear masks and social distance.

"This is not over. We had hoped we would be on the way to saying goodbye to this health care pandemic. Clearly it is not over,” he said at an event in Louisville.

McConnell said wearing face masks is also key, calling it “the single most important thing.”

"Not complicated,” he added of masks. "Totally available now, and everyone should be doing that."

McConnell also said the Senate will take a look at new coronavirus legislation in a couple of weeks.

If there is another bill, he said, it's vital for it to include liability protections for businesses to avoid a “second epidemic of lawsuits in the wake of the pandemic that we’re already struggling with."

“We cannot get back to normal if we have an epidemic of lawsuits,” he said. He also indicated a potential next package would focus on getting kids back to school and opening childcare. 

11:22 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Tensions rise over contact tracing between Miami-Dade County and Florida health officials

From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt

Miami-Dade County is the epicenter of the Covid-19 crisis in Florida, yet according to the county, it currently does not have its own contact tracers because only the state is allowed to do that work. 

On May 14, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced during a press conference that the county would hire 800 to 1,000 Covid-19 contact tracers.

When CNN asked the county today how many contact tracers the county had hired so far, the county replied by email saying that only the Florida Department of Health can contact trace in the state.

“In Florida, the Florida Department of Health is the only entity authorized to conduct contact tracing. We are in discussions with the state on how the County can supplement their efforts. As soon as these discussions conclude, we will have a direction in what we can do to assist in the contact tracing efforts. So, we don’t have our own,” the Miami-Dade statement said. 

CNN has reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment and has not heard back.

11:23 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

2.1 million people rode New York City public transit last week

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

A person walks by a personal protective equipment vending machine at the 42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station in New York on June 30.
A person walks by a personal protective equipment vending machine at the 42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station in New York on June 30. Byron Smith/Getty Images

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Patrick J. Foye said New York City subways and buses carried 2.1 million customers last week.

He noted that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "estimated that at the beginning of phase three, we will add an additional 50,000 customers." Phase three begins today, and sports and recreation can resume, including city basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball, dog runs, handball and bocce, according to the city's mayor.

Foye said he expects ridership to gradually increase. 

“We expect a meaningful increase after Labor Day when we believe a lot of white collar workers will return to their jobs," he said.

 

11:08 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Here's a look at New York City's latest coronavirus numbers as it enters phase 3 of reopening

From CNN's Melanie Schuman

New York City continues to meet the thresholds to continue moving forward with reopening, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today.

There were 62 new patients admitted with a suspected case of coronavirus, under the city’s threshold of 200. At the height of the pandemic, 850 people were admitted for suspected coronavirus cases in a single day according to the mayor.

At least 276 patients are in the public ICUs of the New York City health and hospital system, with a threshold of 375.

1% of those tested were positive, with a threshold of 15%. It’s the lowest percentage of positive the city has seen according to the mayor.

As the city entered phase three of reopening, mass transit usage is going up substantially faster than car traffic, the mayor said Monday.

10:50 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Coronavirus cases are rising in Texas child care facilities

From CNN's Alta Spells and Kay Jones

Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported at least 1,335 positive Covid-19 cases throughout the state's open child care facilities. 

Of those cases, 894 are among staff and 441 are children, a spokesperson for the state department said.

The positive cases are reported in 883 of the state's child care facilities. The department said that there are 12,220 open child care operations throughout the state. 

How these numbers compare: On May 15, the state reported a total of 59 cases in 53 child care facilities — 36 staff and 23 children. And on June 15, there were 210 reported cases in 177 facilities, 141 staff and 69 children.

11:21 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

San Antonio is a week away from running out of hospital beds, mayor says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

If coronavirus cases continue to rise at the current pace, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the Texas city is “a week away from running out of hospital beds and ICU capacity.”

“The time is now ticking in terms of our hospital capacity in San Antonio just hike a lot of other big cities in Texas.”

Testing has also seen a change in Texas, Nirenberg added.

“The situation for testing has been playing catch-up in Texas from the very start, and we have now just started to get to a point where we're seeing our positivity rates increase to nearly 22% to 25% nearly week over week,” he said.

Earlier San Antonio was testing everyone regardless of symptoms, which led to a great demand at public labs. But that’s changed now, Nirenberg said, and labs are now focused on getting tests for those who are exhibiting symptoms or may have been exposed to the virus.

“This is a very important week for San Antonio and for the rest of the state of Texas,” he reiterated.

Since the mask mandate went into effect, the mayor says he sees people take the order seriously but Nirenberg criticized the mixed messaging from federal and state leaders.

“We lost a good month with people not realizing how important this is, and we're starting to see that obviously in our numbers with hospital capacity being stretched to the very limit.”

Watch the interview:

10:26 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Washington Nationals cancel workout after Covid-19 test results are delayed

From CNN's Wayne Sterling

Nationals Park is pictured in Washington on July 1.
Nationals Park is pictured in Washington on July 1. Andrew Harnik/AP

The Washington Nationals have canceled their workout scheduled for this morning due to delayed Covid-19 test results.

“Per MLB’s protocol, all players and staff were tested for Covid-19 on Friday, July 3rd. Seventy-two hours later, we have yet to receive the results of those tests. We cannot have our players and staff work at risk. Therefore, we have cancelled our team workout scheduled for this morning," Mike Rizzo, president of baseball operations and general manager said in a statement Monday.

He continued:

"We will not sacrifice the health and safety of our players, staff and their families. Without accurate and timely testing it is simply not safe for us to continue with Summer Camp.  Major League Baseball needs to work quickly to resolve issues with their process and their lab. Otherwise, Summer Camp and the 2020 Season are at risk.”

 

10:33 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Israel shuts down clubs and bars again as Covid-19 cases surge

From Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem

Medical staff work in the Covid-19 isolation ward of Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 30.
Medical staff work in the Covid-19 isolation ward of Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, Israel, on June 30. Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images

Israel has re-imposed a series of strict limitations — closing down event halls, clubs, bars, and more — as coronavirus cases rise across the country. 

The government also announced that gyms and public pools would be closed once again, as will cultural venues. Houses of worship would be limited to 19 people, and restaurants will be limited to 20 people in a closed area, or 30 people in an open area with sufficient distance between tables.

The latest numbers: On Thursday, Israel soared past a 1,000 new cases in one day, hitting a record daily figure of 1,140 new infections. Over the last week, Israel has averaged approximately 800 new cases a day, a near 40-fold increase from mid-May, when the country had approximately 20 new cases a day and appeared to have the virus well under control.

“The pandemic is spreading — it is as clear as the sun. It is rising sharply on a daily basis and is dragging along – contrary to what we have been told – severe cases in its wake,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting Monday.

He continued: “Today, there are around 90 severe cases and the number is doubling every four days. If we do not act now, we will have hundreds, and perhaps over 1,000, severe cases in the coming weeks, which will paralyze our systems. Therefore, we must take immediate steps that will prevent us from having to take even more extreme measures later.”