Coronavirus pandemic in the US

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont told reporters this afternoon that the state had hit all of its benchmarks to go ahead with its planned first phase of reopening on Wednesday.

Phase one includes the reopening of some restaurants, offices, retail stores, and outdoor museums, according to the government's website. It was originally also expected to include the reopening of hair salons, but the state announced today that would be pushed back to at least June 1.

In terms of benchmarks, the state has...

Lamont and other officials encouraged residents to remain vigilant. Masks or cloth face coverings will still be required in public, and gatherings should be no more than five people, Deirdre Gifford, acting commissioner of public health and commissioner the department of social services said.

Lamont emphasized that if he feels residents are acting “more casual,” or if he sees a spike in infections, he would not hesitate in changing course.

“Let’s get it right,” he said.

Connecticut is one of the last states to begin reopening.

Indiana reported 492 more cases of Covid-19 on Monday, up to 28,255 total, Dr. Kristina Box, the state’s health commissioner, said.

The state also reported 14 new deaths bringing the statewide total to 1,621 confirmed deaths and 144 probable deaths.

Nearly 184,000 Indiana residents have been tested. At least 40% of the state’s ICU beds and 81% of ventilators remain available.

During the news conference on Monday, one reporter asked about any link between Optum Health providing several testing capabilities for the state, with the company making a $50,000 donation to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s re-election campaign.

He deferred to Dr. Box and said that had nothing to do with Optum’s support, which Dr. Box confirmed, saying roughly seven groups made bids.

A man from Winter Springs, Florida, said he has been stuck on a cruise ship and then hospital ship in an Italian port for 62 days after testing positive for Covid-19 in early April.   

"Some days are really bad and some days are okay," Taylor Grimes, 28, told CNN over video chat Monday.   

Taylor Grimes set sail mid-January from Genoa, Italy as an employee of MSC Cruises. Grimes worked in the jewelry store on their Mediterranean route and said this was his second cruise with the company.

On March 17, a friend of Grimes and fellow employee tested positive for Covid-19, Grimes said. After consulting with the ship doctor and captain, Grimes "voluntarily went into isolation." Fifteen days later, he said he also tested positive.

Grimes has since been tested seven more times and has received a mixture of positive and negative results, he told CNN. 

"We are very concerned about his mental health," Taylor's mother Ann Grimes told CNN. "Last Monday he was sobbing on the phone saying he wanted to go home. He had just tested positive," she added.

The American Embassy confirmed to the Grimes family it is Italian policy that cruise ship employees may not be released from a ship until they have tested negative in two subsequent tests, Ann Grimes said.

Grimes says he tested negative on Saturday, his seventh test to date. Grimes says he is currently awaiting the results of his eighth test and is hopeful it will be negative. Grimes says he can then fly back to the US via commercial airline.    

CNN has reached out to MSC Cruises and has not heard back.   

Watch full interview:

Nearly half of the counties in California are moving further into "phase two" of the state’s four-pronged approach to reopening. Gov. Gavin Newsom said 24 of 58 counties have already begun to move forward.

These counties have reached criteria which include no more than 5% increase in hospitalizations over a week-long period and fewer than 25 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.

What this means: Moving deeper into the governor’s second phase of reopening allows eateries to host in-restaurant dining and shopping malls to open.

Newsom acknowledged the need for counties to “go at their own pace,” saying a one-size-fits-all plan does not work where conditions vary by region.

Churches are expected to allow congregations to meet in the next few weeks, Newsom said, noting that he has been in touch with faith leaders on a regular basis.

Watch here:

Professional sports may return to California in the first week of June, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a news conference.

Events would be expected to be held without spectators and be subject to modifications and prescriptive conditions, Newsom said.

The governor noted that these statewide reopening steps would only occur if the state “holds the rate of transmissions” and keeps the rate of positive cases down.

The sports leagues and local leaders will also have to make “deep stipulations” protecting not only the players, but their support systems as well, Newsom added.

Newsom said he has been talking to league representatives and to other governors and is beginning to organize plans with local leaders on next steps.

Where the state stands on reopening: Newsom also announced that nearly half of the counties in California are moving further into "phase two" of the state’s four-pronged approach to reopening. At least 24 of 58 counties have already begun to move forward. 

These counties have reached criteria, which include no more than 5% increase in hospitalizations over a week-long period and fewer than 25 coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents.

Watch here:

President Trump on Monday pushed back against a restaurant CEO’s suggestion that the restaurant industry will struggle to recover, saying his administration’s work on the issue “negates” his point.

Melvin Rodrigue, President & CEO, Galatoire’s Restaurants, told the President that the restaurant industry appreciates how swiftly the federal government has acted to bring relief. However, he underscored that the industry will likely struggle to make a comeback.

Trump responded: “Well my news negates what you just said, because you would be back into business like you had it,” Trump said. “No seats lost, et cetera, et cetera. So, we’ll see what happens, but it certainly negates it.”

It's unclear which specific “news” Trump was referring to, but in introductory remarks, Trump told the press his administration is “looking at doing deductibility.”

“We’re looking at doing deductibility, so that a corporation can use a restaurant or entertainment clubs, et cetera, and get deductibility. I think that will really have a big impact,” Trump said.

President Trump called Monday a “very big deal therapeutically, cure-wise and vaccine-wise,” touting a jump in the stock market due to positive vaccine news during a meeting with restaurant executives at the White House.

“I do want to say before we go further,” the President said, steering the conversation away slightly from restauranteurs. “This was a very big day therapeutically, cure-wise and vaccine-wise. Tremendous progress has been made as I’ve been saying for two weeks because I’ve been seeing what’s going on and I think spearheading it largely.” 

The President said that the White House is “trying to expedite things,” along with the FDA, to get therapeutics “immediately into those hospitals or wherever the people are located.”

“What big news it is medically,” he said. “We are so far ahead of where you would normally be just from a logistical standpoint.”

“So a lotta good things are happening, so let’s see what happens in the very near future,” Trump concluded, before turning back to the restaurant executives at the roundtable.

None of the participants at today’s meeting are wearing masks. Vice President Mike Pence is seated next to the President, with some distance between them.

Some context: On Monday, Moderna announced that study subjects who received its Covid-19 vaccine had positive early results, according to the biotech company, which partnered with the National Institutes of Health to develop the vaccine, CNN���s Elizabeth Cohen reported.

Watch here:

The Navajo Nation, with the latest case count of at least 4,002 infections of Covid-19, has surpassed New York and New Jersey as having the highest per capita infection rate.

The Navajo Nation, which spans parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, reported a population of 173,667 on the 2010 census. As a result, with 4,002 cases of the disease among its people, the Native American territory has 2,304.41 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people.

By contrast, New York state now has a rate of 1,806 cases per 100,000 and New Jersey is at 1,668 cases per 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University on the CNN website.

The President of the Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez, confirmed the development on CNN Sunday night. Nez said the Covid-19 rate of infection per capita in the Navajo Nation has now surpassed New York.

Nez attributed the virus' spread among his people to close living conditions and few food shopping options.

Nez also noted that the nation has been doing more testing than New York state.

"We are testing very aggressively and the Navajo Nation tested more of their population than any other states throughout the United States of America," Nez explained.

Six major health systems in Los Angeles are launching a campaign to let patients know that hospitals are still open and available to treat all kinds of ailments outside of the coronavirus. 

Cedars Sinai is seeing a decline in coronavirus patients, which now account for only 10% of its current inpatient occupancy.

Cedars has begun opening up their clinics again with modifications to keep patients and staff safer, CEO Dr. Jeff Smith told CNN.

Additional modifications include mask-wearing for everyone, including employees, physicians, patients and visitors, physical distancing, limiting visitors and separating Covid-19 patients from other patients, as appropriate.