Coronavirus pandemic in the US

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced today two new coronavirus outbreaks in the state.

Reynolds said the state is now aware of an outbreak of Covid-19 at Bishop Drum Retirement Center, a long-term care facility in Polk County, and at Iowa Premium National Beef, a beef processing facility in Tama County.

Iowa Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said that the state health department was "working closely with officials" from two meat packing facilities to control outbreaks

Iowa has struggled with outbreaks at meat processing facilities. 

In addition to today's new outbreak at Iowa Premium National Beef, the Tyson plant in Columbus Junction, Iowa, has been shut down and two employees who worked at there died due to Covid-19, the company said. 

Reynolds announced last week that 2,700 tests were being sent to the Tyson plant in Waterloo, Iowa. The governor has drawn criticism from local officials for not ordering the closing of the Tyson plant in Waterloo.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp announced today the incremental reopening of certain business this week.

Here are some businesses that can reopen as early as Friday:

Theaters and restaurants can open on April 27. Bars, night clubs and music venues will remain closed for now. 

No local ordinance can restrict the openings, which will be implemented statewide. All businesses that reopen must follow social distancing guidelines and screen employees for illness, the governor said.

South Carolina Gov. McMaster said he wants to “slingshot back around the competition” to get back to business so he's allowing some stores to reopen today.

Retail, department and sporting goods stores, as well as flea markets, will be allowed to open at 5 p.m. today at 20% capacity, or five people per 1,000 square feet.

Speaking at a news conference, he said he’d like to “stomp on the gas” and accelerate as fast and as safely as they can. McMaster announced a group called “Accelerate SC” with 29 participants across various industries.

Beaches will be reopened beginning at noon Tuesday.

There have been at least 776,513 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 41,313 people have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

As states begin to include “probable deaths” in their counts, so will JHU. In the upcoming days, these changes may show as surges of deaths in the United States. 

On Monday, Johns Hopkins reported 17,046 new cases and 636 reported deaths. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as all repatriated cases.  

llinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the state is beginning to ramp up testing in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Staff in facilities with known Covid-19 cases will be given pre-shift wellness checks, including taking temperatures. Testing will be ramped up as well. 

The state is also working to test all residents and staff at facilities without known Covid-19 outbreaks.

“This testing at non-Covid facilities will allow us to identify early the presence of COVID-19 in a facility and isolate those cases before widespread transmission,” the governor said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed protests over his statewide stay-at-home order at a news conference today.

"I deeply understand the anxiety” of protesters," he said.

Newsom said his administration shares the same desires and goals to reopen the state, but he warned, “The worst mistake we can make is a personal decision based on politics and frustration that puts people’s lives at risk and ultimately sets back the cause of economic grown and economic recovery.” 

Some background: Hundreds of protesters gathered Friday in Huntington Beach, California, to demand the state reopen. Many protesters ignored the state’s social distancing guidelines during the demonstration.

California will send approximately 70,000 laptops and tablets to students in the next week in an effort to close the technology gap that is creating an obstacle in distance learning.

Gov. Gavin Newsom detailed the tech boost, which provides Apple iPads, Google Chromebooks, along with Microsoft Surface Pros and Lenovo devices, to students. He said the need is quadruple what’s currently being done.

Seven buses will also be converted into mobile hotspots as part of a pilot program, Newsom said. If successful, the buses will be rolled out statewide.

US stocks finished lower on Monday, amid a historic selloff in the oil market.

US oil futures settled in negative territory for the first time in history as demand for the commodity remains thin and storage capacity in the US is at its limit. The May futures contract is also about to expire, which made trading more erratic.

Here's where things stand: 

Remember: As stocks settle after the trading day, levels might still change slightly.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee announced today the order for Tennesseans to remain at home will expire April 30, with the vast majority of businesses in 89 counties allowed to reopen on May 1.

The administration said they will work with individual counties to plan their own reopening strategies.

“While I am not extending the safer at home order past the end of April, we are working directly with our major metropolitan areas to ensure they are in a position to reopen as soon and safely as possible,” said Lee.