Coronavirus pandemic in the US

At least 1,031 of the roughly 2,800 employees at the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Waterloo, Iowa, have tested positive for Covid-19, according to Black Hawk County health officials.

The numbers were released during a press conference on Thursday –– the same day the plant reopened.

The number of positive cases is more than twice the 444 cases that Gov. Kim Reynolds had reported on Wednesday. 

Black Hawk County health department said the disparity was due to the fact the state’s numbers only included positive cases from the on-site testing at the Waterloo plant. The county numbers included employees who tested positive through local health providers and serology tests that showed Covid-19 antibodies in the workers. 

Some context: Black Hawk County has 1,703 total reported cases and 21 deaths through Thursday at 12:30pm.

Tyson officials also spoke at Thursday’s news briefing, going over the safety modifications, new testing procedures and reopening plan. 

Slaughter resumed at the plant yesterday, processing comes back today. 

The positive tests were first reported in the Des Moines Register.

Tammy and Ann Day said they found out they had been fired from their jobs at JBS meatpacking plant in Greeley, Colorado, via a text message. 

On March 27, the married couple were showing coronavirus symptoms and decided not to go inside after driving to work. They called inside to notify the plant of their situation, they said.

That Monday, they drove to work again, where security took their temperature and turned them away, telling them to go back home. They then said they found out they had been fired via a text from Ann’s supervisor. The couple told CNN’s Erica Hill that they have not heard from the company since then.

According to the Denver Post, a seventh plant worker has died from the coronavirus and another 280 have confirmed cases. The plant was closed for nine days in April for a deep cleaning.

In a statement, JBS told CNN that the couple's “employment was terminated because they didn't show up for work for three consecutive days and did not contact the company. At the time of their termination, neither Tammy Day nor Ann Day argued nor presented any evidence that their absences should have been excused for any reason.” 

The company went on to say that if the couple felt afraid for their health, they could inform them and receive leave.

They said there was no personal protective equipment or masks made available while they were working in the plant. 

“You work at a factory and you get close to people. And it is our extended family. And we're good, but it’s just, you know, I felt like we got left behind,” Ann Day said. “…I feel saddened for what has happened over there.”

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The US Postal Service is warning that the pandemic impacted business in late March and has continued to decline, a trend that threatens its survival.

Its numbers are artificially elevated by mailings tied to the US census. The USPS said compared to the same quarter last year, first-class mail revenue increased by $89 million, 1.4% even though the overall volume of mail was declining by 0.2%, according to the release.

“This growth was due to one-time mailings associated with the 2020 U.S. Census, otherwise First-Class Mail revenue and volume would have each declined.”

The Postmaster General is calling on Congress and the Administration to help shore up its finances.

“We anticipate that our business will suffer potentially dire consequences for the remainder of the year,” said Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan. “At a time when America needs the Postal Service more than ever, the pandemic is starting to have a significant effect on our business with mail volumes plummeting as a result of the pandemic." 

A new report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this morning shows just how widespread the impact of the coronavirus was on the US economy in April.

America lost 20.5 million jobs – the largest single month of job losses since the BLS began tracking the data in 1939, according to the report.

CNN Chief Business Correspondent Christine Romans said other figures in the report paint a "picture of a devastating situation for the American worker in April."

Here are some of the hardest hit industries:

"[Americans are] worried about their family, about educating their kids, about their parents and their grandparents, worried about their job and worried about healthcare all at the same time," Romans said.

She pointed out there is no data that indicates how, and if, these millions of jobs will come back at the end of the pandemic.

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California, the country's most populous state, is taking its first significant step in reopening its economy today, as part of a phased exit from the social distancing measures meant to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic. 

California was the first in the nation to issue a stay home order to all of its nearly 40 million residents, effective on March 19.

Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Health and Human Services secretary, said yesterday that data showing stable hospitalization rates gave authorities confidence to move into this reopening stage. All reopenings in the state will be subject to active monitoring and surveillance, California Gov. Newsom said earlier this week. 

What’s allowed to reopen today: 

What’s not reopening yet: 

What are big cities planning to do?

Downplaying the seriousness of a devastating jobs report, President Trump said he “fully expected” high unemployment rates Friday morning.

The President was speaking over the phone to Fox News when the jobs numbers came down, showing a 14.7% unemployment rate across the US.

“Even the Democrats aren’t blaming me for that,” he said.

Trump went on to tout the strength of the economy before the pandemic, calling it the “best we’ve ever had.”

“Those jobs will all be back, and they’ll be back very soon,” the President said. “People are ready to go. We’ve got to get it open, and safely.”  

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It's Friday morning in the US. Here is what you need to know today:

President Trump said he has not taken a test to see if he has antibodies for coronavirus.

“No, I haven’t but we’re getting that, and we’re leading in that too. We’re leading in everything,” the President told Fox News Friday morning. “And I will do that.” 

Trump said he will take the test “probably soon.” 

America lost 20.5 million jobs in April as the coronavirus crisis devastated the country’s labor market, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday.

It was the largest single month of job losses since the BLS began tracking the data in 1939.

The unemployment rate rose to 14.7%, the highest on record since the BLS began its monthly series in 1948.

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