April 15 coronavirus news

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont will issue new guidelines for wearing masks in public spaces which will "likely be reflected in an executive order within 48 hours," he said in a news briefing in Hartford on Wednesday. 

Lamont said the decision came after consulting with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. 

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has extended the city's stay-at-home order until May 16, her office announced Wednesday.

The mayor signed the proclamation Wednesday extending the order and prohibiting gatherings.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she thinks any discussions on reopening the economy must be based on health care and science.

"The numbers are staggering but each individual story is heartbreaking to hear. So as we have discussions about how we open up our economy, this or that, we understand that this is an assault on the lives and the livelihoods of the American people, and that any decision to open up would be one that should be science-based and health-care-based," she told CNN.

Pelosi went on to say that's why testing is critical. She added that more than a month later, the US still doesn't have "the appropriate, adequate testing" to identify the challenge.

"So really we have been delinquent. We have to have a change in that," she said. "It's one thing to say well, it wasn't done right. But there's no excuse for us to not do it right as we go forward. It's so obvious. Almost sinful."

Watch:

For the second day in a row, Los Angeles County is reporting more coronavirus-related deaths than ever before.

Health director Barbara Ferrer said Wednesday 42 people died, and another 472 coronavirus case were confirmed in the county.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced Wednesday that he has recommended that schools in the state remain closed the rest of the school year.

Dr. Penny Schwinn, the states Commissioner of Education, said at a news conference that schools will be open next school year and students will be going into new grades, but right now the focus is on the health and safety of students, teachers and the community.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday an executive order mandating face coverings in public for people in retail establishments or riding on public transportation. 

The order comes on the heels of Maryland’s deadliest 48 hours of the pandemic, with 87 people reported dead so far this week.

Hogan urged leaders in Washington “to put aside partisan politics” and warned that without additional federal action states could face “devastating” consequences.

Maryland now has 10,032 confirmed Covid-19 cases, and 311 deaths, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

California’s undocumented workers who have been forced out of work as a result of the pandemic will be eligible for payments in a new private-public partnership announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The workers are not eligible for federal stimulus payments. Undocumented workers make up about 10% of California’s workforce, Newsom said.

Because these workers pay approximately $2.5 billion in state and local taxes, Newsom has signed a Direct Disaster Assistance order, which will provide up to $500 for individuals and up to $1,000 for families.

The state will provide $75 million to fund the program and private philanthropists will give $50 million. Some philanthropic foundations that have signed on to donate include the Emerson Collective, the Zuckerberg Chan Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and Blue Shield Foundation.

New York has reported an additional 11,571 coronavirus cases, bringing the statewide total to 213,779 confirmed cases, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said in a statement Wednesday.

Cuomo previously announced 752 people died from coronavirus on Tuesday in New York.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now including confirmed and probable coronavirus case and death counts on their websites. Previously, the CDC was only counting confirmed and presumptive positive cases. 

The CDC is reporting 605,390 cases of novel coronavirus in the United States. The agency says at least 24,582 people have died. 

CNN relies on Johns Hopkins University for its tally and won’t always match the CDC’s count. Johns Hopkins has reported 613,187 confirmed coronavirus cases in the US and 26,950 deaths.