Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has processed six times more unemployment claims during the period of March 1 through May 9, 2020 than “the equivalent time period of the 2008-2009 great recession,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Thursday.

Pritzker said during a news conference that more than 1,076,000 claims have been filed in Illinois between March 1 and May 9, as the coronavirus pandemic swept through the state.

In addition to regular unemployment services, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program opened on Monday in Illinois.

Pritzker said IDES processed more than 50,000 applications under the umbrella of this program, which includes self-employed and independent contractors. Official filing numbers for the PUA program will be reported starting May 21.

The governor also announced that Illinois will partner with Coursera, an online training website, to offer free virtual job training and professional certificate programs through the end of 2020 for unemployed individuals in the state. 

A religious rights group headed by the pastor of a North Carolina church has filed a lawsuit against restrictions put in place in the state by executive orders signed by Gov. Roy Cooper. 

In the complaint, the group alleged the executive orders are unconstitutional because they treat religious gatherings less favorably than similar secular gatherings, which they say is a violation of the First Amendment of the Constitution.

The complaint said “absent emergency relief from this court all members and/or attendees of the Plaintiff’s entities will suffer immediate and irreparable injury form the threat of civil and criminal prosecution for the mere act of gathering for free exercise of region and in assembling for worship.”

The lawsuit is asking for a temporary restraining order.

Asked about the lawsuit during a news conference Thursday, Cooper responded, “We don’t want churches to become hotspots for this virus.”

It is about 5:15 p.m. ET in New York and a lot has happened with the coronavirus pandemic. Read up on the biggest headlines below:

Disney’s Broadway production of "Frozen" will not reopen, according to a statement issued Thursday, which cites the “industry-wide shut down and resulting economic fallout” as the reason behind the decision.

The final performance was on March 11 after having played 825 performances. 

There are at least 1,405,961 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 85,194 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

Johns Hopkins on Thursday reported 15,555 new cases and 1,075 deaths. 

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

As some colleges and universities are announcing their decisions to hold classes virtually in the fall, one school in Maine is exploring a different path: not re-opening at all in the fall, until students can be safely back on campus in January 2021.

David Greene, president of Colby College, a private liberal arts in Waterville, Maine, tells CNN, “I would rather open in January and go into next summer and have two full semesters worth of in person instruction, if it were safer to do it at that time than it were earlier in the fall.”

A definitive decision about reopening is not expected until early July when school officials hope to get more clarity and information from medical officials about the progression of testing and therapeutics.

While Greene is not ruling out the possibility of offering virtual classes for the fall semester, he is torn by the chorus he is hearing from students and faculty who miss the on-campus experience. “From both sides there’s a strong interest in having people back as long as it’s safe to do so,” he said.

Safety protocols could involve “testing members of the community on a regular basis both for antibodies and for infection.” 

Greene said he has set up a task force of 10 different working groups as they focus on what reopening will look like. The groups will focus on testing, supply chain issues, personal protective equipment, cleaning, and housing.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he has approved Miami-Dade County’s reopening plan, which kicks off Monday.

The request included reopening restaurants at 50% capacity. 

The governor said Miami-Dade's proposal will be approved and added that he would make a further announcement on the matter tomorrow from Jacksonville. 

President Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida is telling members the club will partially re-open this weekend, and guests will need to maintain social distancing guidelines.

In an email sent to members, guests are told that the main house, where Trump often takes up residence, along with the spa, gym, and tennis courts will remain closed, and the Beach Club will open under new guidelines through June 28.

Mar-a-Lago's staff will be enforcing social distancing guidelines for members who visit the Beach Club and says loungers and tables will be spaced six feet apart and “on the pool deck and in the pool/jacuzzi.” 

The club is also conducting a heightened cleaning regime. Restrooms will be “thoroughly sanitized hourly” and the club will have “sanitizing stations” spread around the pool deck.

It is unclear whether Trump will return to the property before the season ends. He normally visits the club during winter months.

The last time he visited the club was in early March as the coronavirus pandemic was taking hold. 

The President generally stops going to his Florida resort after Mother’s Day, opting for his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey over the summer.

Several Trump Organization golf properties also reopened last week, including the Trump Doral in Florida. The Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, also reopened this month, and the Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC, in Potomac Falls, Virginia, is also open.

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US stocks closed sharply higher on Thursday, bouncing back from steep losses earlier in the day.

Gains in financials and basic materials stocks helped push the indexes higher. Investors continue to be torn between hopes for the reopening of the economy, and a worsening outlook for growth.

Here's where the markets finished the day: