Coronavirus pandemic in the US

Economists polled by Refinitiv expect Thursday's initial jobless claims release to show 2.5 million Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits last week.

This would bring the total number of first-time claims filed since mid-March to 36 million — and it would mark the eighth consecutive week of claims in the millions.

Though the figures have been falling every week since they peaked at 6.9 million initial claims in the last week of March, these high levels mean that the economy and its people are still hurting.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly jobs report, America lost more than 20 million jobs in April alone, pushing the unemployment rate to 14.7%.

The weekly first-time unemployment claims don't equal lost jobs, but they are the closest to a real-time measure of the economy and the labor market. Overall, the message seems to be that things aren't getting worse, but we're still in an unprecedented downturn.

Mississippi will end its temporary suspension on evictions on June 1, Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday. 

Reeves' executive order suspending evictions went into effect on April 3.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said about 95% of all retail businesses that closed in the city due to Covid-19 can reopen for curbside pickup or delivery beginning May 18.

Breed said at a news conference Wednesday that as long as a business directly connects to a street to accommodate pickup or delivery, it can reopen to the public. The order, however, does not include shopping malls.

Businesses that reopen will be required to follow guidelines on the use of face coverings and physical distancing, she said.

“I’m really excited about this because this is going to not only support the jobs that hopefully many will return to as a result of this, it will support the communities and the people who love these businesses and want to see them continue,” Breed said.

The United States could see an outbreak of vaccine-preventable diseases this fall because of disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told a Congressional committee Wednesday. 

Gottlieb testified that there’s also been an increase in cancer patients missing chemotherapy appointments and a significant reduction on other follow-up health care visits since the coronavirus pandemic began spreading in the US earlier this year and shelter-in-place orders took effect in most states in mid-March.

“So, we're seeing public health consequences from the actions we took, there's no doubt about that. Now, the alternative was equally challenging, because without breaking the epidemic, we really wouldn't have a functional health care system and public health,” Gottlieb said.

The past 24 hours have seen more people in Illinois die due to Covid-19 than any other day yet, Illinois Department of Public Health Director, Dr. Ngozi Ezike, announced Wednesday.

The director announced 192 new Covid-19 related deaths, bringing the total state count to 3,792 deaths.

The state reported 1,677 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number of cases across the state to 84,698, Ezike said.

Ezike said testing capacity is increasing statewide, and to date 489,359 tests have been performed — 17,668 in just the last 24 hours.

US stocks finished lower on Wednesday, with the Dow logging its worst day since the start of the month.

Dire words from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell at an event this morning weighed on the market all day. The central banker said negative interest rates are not on the table and that significant risks in the economy remain. Powell added that the unemployment rate would likely peak in the coming month before declining.

Here's where the markets closed:

The Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Madison, Nebraska, has resumed limited operations, after shutting down at the beginning of this month for deep cleaning, sanitization and testing of employees, according to the company. 

In a joint statement, Tyson Foods and the Elkhorn Logan Valley Public Health Department announced that 212 of the employees at the Madison plant had tested positive for Covid-19. 

The statement said 112 of the cases were identified through mass testing from May 1 through May 4 and 100 through local health care providers. Tyson called the testing event "facility wide" but did not specify if all 1,467 of the people who work at the Madison plant were tested. 

According to the statement, "team members who test positive receive paid leave and may return to work only when they have met the criteria established by both the CDC and Tyson."

Some context: On Tuesday afternoon, CNN had asked the health department for an update on the numbers in Madison.

A health official told CNN they had completed testing and had the results waiting, but could not release the information until it received the consent of Tyson, by order of the governor. 

Last week, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts announced the state would only be publishing “aggregate numbers,” which means the total number of positive Covid-19 cases in food processing plants Nebraska-wide, rather than data from individual sites. He said this would also apply to long-term care facilities, like nursing homes. 

Since May 7, CNN has repeatedly asked Ricketts office for clarification on his order, as well as examples of a person who tested positive for Covid-19 and lying about working at a processing plant. The governor's office has not responded. 

Tyson added in the statement that it intends to disclose verified test results at other plants to "health and government officials, team members and stakeholders as they become available as part of its efforts to help affected communities where it operates better understand the coronavirus and the protective measures that can be taken to help prevent its spread."

The famed Hollywood Bowl amphitheater in Los Angeles announced Wednesday it will not open for the 2020 season.

The venue said the decision was made "in response to the latests guidance of public health officials and in an effort to protect artists, audiences, and staff from the spread of Covid-19."

With a seating capacity of over 17,000, the Hollywood Bowl hosts about 110 concerts each summer and is one of the largest outdoor amphitheaters in the world, according the venue.

It closed for 12 days in 1951 but has never been shuttered for an entire season.

As California prepares for fire season amid the coronavirus pandemic, the director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) said a solution is to put fire evacuees into hotel rooms instead of congregate facilities like a large dorm room or a school gym, which the state typically uses.

The state is also looking into partitions and segregating appropriately at school gyms in addition to using air purifiers and air cleaners, Cal OES Director Mark S. Ghilarducci said.

People will also be evacuated in advance so they have more time to prepare and practice social distancing.