Coronavirus pandemic in the US

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes, Elise Hammond and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 4:00 p.m. ET, May 12, 2020
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12:01 p.m. ET, May 11, 2020

These are the changes some New York businesses will make as they reopen

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that as businesses are allowed to reopen in some parts of the state, they must take certain safety precautions.

"Businesses have to do their part also," he said.

He outlined some of the changes that may come:

  • Some workspaces must be reconfigured to allow employees to practice social distancing.
  • Non-essential work travel should be restricted.
  • Masks could be required for some employees in frequent contact with others.
  • Strict cleaning standards must be set up.
  • There must be continuous tracking, tracing and reporting.

WATCH:

11:56 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Cuomo: New York cases have declined to "about where we started"

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said today that New York's number of new Covid-19 cases has declined to a rate of "about where we started this horrific situation."

"So we see all the arrows are pointed in the right direction. If you look at the number of new Covid cases per day, about 488. That is just about where we started this horrific situation," the governor said.

He said the May 10 numbers mirrored the number of cases on March 19, before New York "went into the abyss of the Covid virus." 

"When you see the number of lives lost, again, we're right about where we started before we really went into the heart of this crisis. And that's what it's been. It's been a crisis and a painful one. But we're coming out of the other side. So in many ways, from my point of view, we're on the other side of the mountain, right?"

WATCH:

11:44 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

161 people died in New York on Sunday, governor says

From CNN's Aditi Sangal

There were 161 people who died on Sunday across the state of New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

"The number of lives lost, still too high." Cuomo said.

He added that the number is "better than it has been."

Of the 161 people who died, 112 were in hospitals and 49 were in nursing homes.

The total number of deaths on Sunday is down from the 207 people who died in the state on Saturday.

11:53 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

New York is entering a "new phase" this week, Cuomo says

State of New York
State of New York

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is entering a "new chapter" of the coronavirus pandemic this week, as the state's stay-at-home order expires on Friday.

"It's a new phase, if you will," Cuomo said. "It's an exciting new phase."

He said some regions in the state will begin reopening after the order expires. He stressed that regions will only open when they are ready: They must have testing and tracing capacity in place and show declining numbers.

11:33 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

No new Covid-19 cases or deaths in Vermont, governor says

From CNN's Carma Hassan

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said there have been no new positive cases of coronavirus or new deaths reported as of yesterday.  

“As I’ve said, we must still be cautious, Vermonters must still remain vigilant knowing how this virus has affected some of our neighboring states,” Scott said in a news briefing on coronavirus today. 
11:31 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

US airlines say more than half of planes are grounded

From CNN's Greg Wallace

A JetBlue Airways Corp. plane taxis next to American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., and Alaska Airlines Inc. aircraft at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, April 6.
A JetBlue Airways Corp. plane taxis next to American Airlines Group Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., and Alaska Airlines Inc. aircraft at Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, on Monday, April 6. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

More than half of the US airline fleet is now sitting idle, according to new numbers from the industry. 

At least 3,162 planes were grounded on Sunday, representing 51% of the fleet, according to Airlines for America, which represents major air carriers. 

The measure includes planes that have not flown in the last seven days.   

The figure has hovered just shy of the 50% mark for several weeks. On Sunday, the group provided figures that showed 3,046 planes — or about 49% — were grounded as of Thursday. 

The aircraft are not needed because airlines have removed from their schedules 73% of domestic departures and 94% of international departures, according to Airlines for America. 

Taking planes out of service and cancelling flights can increase the number of passengers on a given flight. There has been a slight uptick in the number of people flying as well.

11:27 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

NYC schools are on track to open in September, mayor says

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

School buses stand idle on the parking lot of the Bronx borough during COVID-19 pandemic as seen on Wednesday, April, 29.
School buses stand idle on the parking lot of the Bronx borough during COVID-19 pandemic as seen on Wednesday, April, 29. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket/Getty Images

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city's schools are still poised to be open this fall, but he noted that officials are watching the pediatric multi-inflammatory syndrome linked to coronavirus as they assess what's best for students.

 "Anything we do about schools is going to be led by health and safety first - that's absolutely the first question in any reopening. As of this moment, we believe we can reopen schools safely and well in September, but we have to keep a very close watch on this syndrome to make sure that we attack it in every way possible in the meantime."

What this is about: Last week, New York State Department of Health reported some children have developed an inflammatory syndrome possibly linked to the coronavirus. 

"Thankfully most children with COVID-19 only experience mild symptoms, but in some, a dangerous inflammatory syndrome can develop," New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a statement.

New York is investigating if the cases contradict the belief that children are less at risk for coronavirus and what other hospitals should look out for, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.

11:19 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

Mnuchin says "most" states are cooperating with federal guidelines as they begin reopening

From CNN's Ali Main with Betsy Klein

Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, listens during a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 28.
Steven Mnuchin, U.S. Treasury secretary, listens during a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) at the White House in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 28. Al Drago/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin phoned in to CNBC this morning as the stock market opened down.

Mnuchin said "most" states are cooperating with federal guidelines as they begin the process of reopening. Responding to Tesla CEO Elon Musk's threat over the weekend to move the company's headquarters out of California after local officials refused to let the company reopen its Fremont factory, Mnuchin said he agreed with Musk.

"He's one of the biggest employers and manufacturers in California, and California should prioritize doing whatever they need to do to solve those health issues so that he can open quickly or safely or they're going to find, as he's threatened, he's moving his production to a different state," Mnuchin said.

Mnuchin said that there were "ongoing discussions" in the administration on how to assess which states are deserving of federal aid. He reiterated that the President and congressional Republicans are against "bailing out" state pensions. Mnuchin said although Democrats have expressed a desire to "throw a lot of money" at the problem of state aid, he has not heard from Democrats that they are willing to put money toward state pensions either. 

"I think it's very clear there is not going to be bipartisan support that bails out states from previous problems," Mnuchin said. He also highlighted lending facilities opened by the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department to help states with cash flow issues.

Asked why he would not view the issue of states that rely heavily on sales tax revenues laying off workers as they face budget shortfalls with immediacy, Mnuchin said the CARES Act did give lot of money to the states, which was intended for coronavirus-related expenses, not for lost revenues. He said the federal government recently gave states more flexibility in allowing the use of these funds to keep first responders employed.

"The issue of lost revenues is a complicated issue. These are taxing authorities on their own, different states tax different ways. Some states have more issues. Some states have less issues," Mnuchin said, adding that he will continue to discuss the issue with President Trump and Congress.

11:03 a.m. ET, May 11, 2020

110 potential Covid-19 vaccines are in the works, World Health Organization says

From CNN Health’s Devon Sayers

Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

The World Health Organization says 110 potential Covid-19 vaccines are in development around the world, according to documents posted on the organization’s website today.

Eight of the potential vaccines are in clinical trials, including groups from the United States, the UK and China.

Another 102 groups from around the world are in pre-clinical evaluation, including groups at the University of Tokyo, Tulane University, University of Alberta and the University of Pittsburgh — up from 100 on May 5, according to WHO.