States reopen in US as coronavirus pandemic persists

Intelligence shared between Five Eye nations indicates it is more likely that the coronavirus was spread from exposure in a market than came from an accident in a Chinese lab, according to two western officials.

The virus that originated in Wuhan was not accidentally released from a lab, the officials said, citing an intelligence assessment that contradicts a narrative increasingly being pushed by the Trump administration.

The countries in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing coalition are coalescing around this assessment, the official said, and a second official, from a Five Eyes country, concurred with it. The US has yet to make a formal assessment public.

A third source, from a Five Eyes nation, told CNN that the level of certainty being expressed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and President Trump is way out in front of where the current Five Eyes assessment is. This source acknowledged that there is still a possibility that the virus originated from a lab, but cautioned there is nothing to make that a legitimate theory yet.

The source added that “clearly the market is where it exploded from” but how the virus got to the market still remains unclear.

But without greater cooperation and transparency from the Chinese, it’s impossible to say with total certainty, the first official added.

Five Eyes is made up of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – in which the countries share a broad range of intelligence in one of the world's tightest multilateral arrangements.

The third source said it is also possible the US is not sharing all of its intelligence. While the overwhelming majority is shared among five eyes, there are pockets of information that each country keeps to themselves. When the information is shared, they share sources and methods, and sometimes countries do not want to share sources and methods.

The assessment follows repeated claims by Trump and Pompeo that there is evidence the virus originated at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

“I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan,” Pompeo told ABC News on Sunday.

The US intelligence community issued a statement on Thursday saying they are still working to “determine whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or if it was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan.” The statement said that the Covid-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and State Department did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

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Louisiana is reporting 22 new deaths in the state today –– the lowest number of reported deaths in one day in over a month, Gov. John Bel Edwards said at news conference. 

Edwards said this shows that the people of Louisiana are responding and abiding by the stay-at-home order, reducing contact with individuals, wearing masks and practicing social distancing.

By the numbers: The state will now update the number of people they deem recovered from Covid-19 each week. Edwards announced today that 20,316 people are presumed to have recovered.

At least 9,673 cases of coronavirus and 1,991 deaths have been reported in the state.

Arizona will allow all retail stores to do in-person business again at the end of the week. 

“Friday, May 8 will be a full reopening with strict physical distancing,” Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday.

He said with the number of new coronavirus cases declining, he feels businesses can reopen safely. 

“Arizona is heading in the right direction. We have a downward trajectory,” Ducey said. 

Barbers and salons are also included in Friday's reopening order.

Ducey said restaurants will be able to offer dine-in services again on May 11. The governor said the state is working with the restaurant industry to come up with specific distancing rules.

The governor reminded Arizonans that although more retail options will be opening to them within the next week, the state’s stay-at-home order remains in effect until May 15, so people shouldn’t spend too much time around others.

Nike announced on Monday that it will donate 30,000 pairs of Air Zoom Pulse – a shoe specifically designed for health care workers – to health systems and hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis and New York City, and within the Veterans Health Administration, according to a company statement.

Hospitals across Europe – including Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris and Belgium – will receive an additional 2,500 pairs, according to the statement.

About 95,000 pairs of soccer socks will also be delivered to health care workers in Los Angeles and New York City, the company said.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his appreciation, saying, "Thank you so much for supporting our front line health care heroes."

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A retired paramedic from Colorado who volunteered to travel to New York City and serve as a first responder on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic has died from the virus, Gov. Jared Polis said Monday afternoon.

Paul Cary, 66, left Colorado Springs with colleagues from the national ambulance company Ambulnz, and began working in New York on April 1, according to Polis. Cary later contracted Covid-19 during his work in New York, and died on April 30, his family said in a statement. 

Prior to working with Ambulnz, Cary served as a firefighter and paramedic with Aurora Fire Rescue for more than 30 years, Ambulnz said a statement. 

“Accepting Paul’s commitment to serving others in need, we respected his choice to volunteer to be part of Ambulnz’s response team to the COVID-19 crisis in New York City,” Cary’s family said in a statement to CNN on Monday. “He risked his own health and safety to protect others and left this world a better place. We are at peace knowing that Paul did what he loved and what he believed in, right up until the very end.”

Cary is survived by two sons and four grandchildren, according to Ambulnz.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) announced Monday the league will allow for voluntary, individual workouts to start Wednesday on outdoor team training fields.

According to a statement from the league, “the voluntary, individual player workout phase prohibits access to club facilities including but not limited to locker rooms, weight rooms, and indoor team training rooms. Team weight rooms and training rooms are still only accessible to players receiving medical treatments that can’t be performed at home.”

The NWSL’s moratorium on full team training remains in place through the end of May 15.

The Department of Labor has opened an investigation into American Foods Group, a meat processing facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

More than 150 employees at that facility have tested positive for coronavirus, according to Brown County Health officials. 

A Department of Labor spokesperson confirmed the investigation in a statement to CNN but would not provide more details.

American Foods worker Filiberto Reyes Martinez told CNN that he, along with the workers’ rights group Voces De La Frontera, recently filed a whistleblower complaint to Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Labor over the working conditions at the facility. 

Among the complaints: Personal protective equipment was getting so wet with sweat that some of it “was dripping onto the raw meat” with no replacements readily available and having to work faster due to less workers present.

It’s unclear whether Reyes Martinez’s allegations are connected to the Department of Labor investigation.

The department would not confirm that his complaint is the subject of their investigation into American Foods as it is their policy not to release the names of employees involved in whistleblower complaints.

CNN has reached out to American Foods multiple times since learning of these allegations but has not yet received a response.

Shortly after California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced some stores will reopen with limitations this Friday, San Francisco’s mayor said their city may need more time to open businesses responsibly.

“I would love nothing more than to open restaurants and go to a restaurant myself right now… but we have to do so responsibly so we don’t see the city go backwards in terms of numbers," she said.

Breed also said she wants to give businesses enough time to know the city’s expectations for reopening and assure their workforce capacities are adequately prepared.

“Whenever the opportunity presents itself to open anything in this city, I’m going to be the first one to make sure that it is announced and that it ensures public health,” Breed said.

On testing and social distancing: Breed also emphasized expanding testing capacities and maintaining proper social distancing at heavily-populated areas are crucial while city officials are looking at opening more businesses. 

She said Dolores Park, a large and popular area in San Francisco, has been “a real challenge” due to overcrowding. Breed threatened to shut down the park if officials continue to non-compliance with social distancing orders.

The mayor separately announced that all essential workers in San Francisco will now be eligible for free Covid-19 testing, regardless of symptoms or exposure. 

Miami, Florida, has received more than 10,000 applications for rent and small business relief, according to Soledad Cedro, associate communications director for the mayor's office.

The relief programs include grants of up to $10,000 to pay for up to three months of business expenses and loans from $10,000 to $20,000 to help cover rent, salaries and utilities.

The small business programs have already reached their application limits, but the separate rent and utilities program is still taking applications from Miami residents, Cedro said.