States reopen in US as coronavirus pandemic persists

A Trump administration model projects a steep rise in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the weeks ahead to about 3,000 daily deaths in the US by June 1, according to an internal document obtained by The New York Times.

The projections are based on modeling from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which were put together into charts and graphics by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

An administration official confirmed to CNN the authenticity of the report obtained by the Times, which was distributed throughout relevant agencies over the weekend. The official cautions that the numbers are projections at this point.

When asked for comment, the White House said in a statement that the document obtained by the Times had not been seen by the Coronavirus Task Force.  

Despite White House claims the projections have not be presented and vetted by to the Coronavirus Task Force, a source close to the task force said some members have seen the new CDC projections. Despite what the White House is saying, this source said the estimates should be taken seriously.

The new revelation comes as states begin to reopen their economies this month despite cautionary warnings from public health experts. 

All visitors or travelers passing through the Denver International Airport are now required to wear a face covering, according to a new policy enacted on Monday by airport officials.

Currently all employees at the airport are also required to wear face coverings in an effort to limit the spread of Covid-19, according to Denver International guidelines.

Other coronavirus precautions: The airport is also implementing social distancing procedures. According to the guidelines, TSA lines have been adjusted to provide more space between passengers as they approach the security checkpoint.

The airport also said there are now lines on the floor near customer service booths and lost and found items to show people where to stand.

"We are also implementing procedures for touchless payment, wherever possible," the guidelines say.

Kroger, the country’s largest supermarket chain, announced on Sunday it would begin providing free COVID-19 testing for frontline associates. Testing will be available based on symptoms and medical need. 

The tests will be a combination of self-administered kits and the company’s public drive-through testing sites.

A UFCW union in Los Angeles hailed the decision as a win following weeks of protests at two Kroger subsidiaries, Ralphs and Food 4 Less, in the area.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, grocery workers have called for emergency measures inside the stores and wide access to testing to slow the spread of the virus and keep workers and community members safe. 

The Louisiana Department of Health released the latest updates on Covid-19 cases in the state today as it nears 30,000 total cases.

There are 333 new cases and 22 new deaths reported, bringing the state's total to 29,673 cases and 1,991 deaths. Of the 22 new reported deaths, 12 are in Orleans and Jefferson parishes while an additional 73 deaths under investigation for Covid-19.  

More than 20,000 people have recovered from Covid-19, according to the report. The number of patients hospitalized and on ventilators also continued to drop.

Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to address the latest numbers in a news conference this afternoon. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci told a group of business leaders Friday he’s very concerned about a possible resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the fall, according to two people with knowledge of a call with the CEO lobbying group, Business Roundtable.  

The group hosted the call with the nation’s top infectious disease doctor for about 100 of its members. The business leaders peppered Fauci with questions about when they should reopen their businesses and allow employees back to the workplace.

Facui told the executives to “overshoot on everything” when it comes to safety precautions, specifically on using masks and enforcing social distancing, according to those familiar with the call.

Those measures, including hand washing, should be a higher priorities for CEOs than diagnostic and antibody testing of their workforces, said one of the people.

Fauci de-emphasized antibody testing as a prerequisite for reopening because antibody tests are still unreliable, he told the CEOs, according to one of the people on the call.

Fauci also expressed similar reservations about temperature screenings, reminding the business leaders that temperature checks only work for finding people with symptoms. As a result, temperature checks are not the most reliable screening method since carriers may be asymptomatic. 

The NFL announced Monday that all games in the 2020 season will be played in the United States, thus cancelling the league's annual International Series games, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The NFL planned to play four games in London - two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and two at Wembley Stadium - and one game in Mexico City at Azteca Stadium during the 2020 season. 

"We also thank our incredible fans in those territories for their passionate support of the NFL. We will continue to serve them through our outstanding media partners and by being active supporters of both grassroots football and COVID-19 relief efforts in Mexico and the UK," the statement said.

NFL plans to release its full 17-week schedule for next season later this week. 

The state of Missouri began reopening today — But St. Louis won't.

The city has chosen to keep the stay-at-home orders in place for “another week or two weeks” because the city lacks testing capacity, Mayor Lyda Krewson said Monday.

The city of St. Louis and its region has two-thirds of the cases in Missouri. Over the weekend, St. Louis reported 154 cases, the mayor said.

“The stay-at-home orders have been painful for people staying at home, but they're also painful for people going to work every day — policemen, firemen, water department, refuse workers, hospital workers, grocery store clerks,” she said.

The reopening of the state has added some pressure on the city but she emphasized on reopening only as the coronavirus cases decrease.

“What we have here is a situation where one size does not fit all,” she said. “We're going to continue to look at the data and have that inform us.”

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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker reported 1,824 new coronavirus cases today, about 12% of the 16,000 tests processed in the state yesterday.

Positive test rates have come in under 20% every day for the last seven days, he said.

Hospitalizations have also been decreasing in the past several days with few spikes. The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care dropped to 904, he said. However, Baker said that different parts of the state are in various stages of the pandemic.

While thousands of people are still being hospitalized for Covid-19, Baker said, "the numbers have started to trend in the right direction."

There were 1,621 new Covid-19 cases reported across New Jersey, bringing the total cases in the state to 128,269, Gov. Phil Murphy said today.

An additional 45 people have died from Covid-19 for a total of 7,910 deaths, the governor said. 

The state will continue to review the numbers of Covid-19 cases to see if opening the parks was a good idea, he said.

Murphy said he went to a park this weekend and encouraged more people to wear face coverings because he didn’t see enough people wearing masks.