Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The Minnesota State Fair announced today they are canceling this year's event for reasons that stem from the Covid-19 pandemic, a statement on the fair's website says.

The fair, which now attracts more than 2 million guests annually, was last canceled in 1946 due to a polio epidemic and only six times total since its founding in 1859, its website says.

Organizers of the event say they considered a variety of less serious options including postponement, extra safety measures, and extending the timeline of the fair to space out crowds.

However, the organizers felt that many of the possible restrictions would not be feasible.

"We keep coming back to the idea that the Great Minnesota Get-Together should be a celebration where we all can gather together to enjoy each other," the website reads. 

"To undertake these types of restrictions runs counter to who we are," it adds.

Ultimately, however, the board of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society made the decision to cancel the fair, the fair's website explains.

"The best thing we can all do right now is to help the world recover and heal," Hammer said. 

"In the meantime, your team of State Fair pros is working hard to come back bigger, better, stronger and smarter in ‘21," he added.

New Jersey is estimated to have a revenue loss of $10 billion, the state's treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio said during a news conference Friday.

Gov. Phil Murphy plans to spend several hours today speaking with federal politicians to encourage more state funding and asked Washington to "step up" and help, he said.  

The numbers: The state is expecting a 33% decline in sales tax revenue, according to Maher Muoio. In comparison, the worst level of sale tax revenue during the Great Recession was 18.4%, she noted.

According to Maher Muoio, the state has placed $1 billion in reserve, has approximately $500 million for spending on hold, and plans to de-appropriate $1.32 billion. 

 A budget plan will be released at a news conference later today with further details. 

California's unemployment rate rose to a record 15.5% in April, which is a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the state’s Employment Development Department (EDD).

This marks a new high for the state, surpassing the state’s 2010 recession mark of 12.3%. 

The unemployment rate in March in California was 5%.

In April, employers lost 2,344,700 non-farm jobs, which represented a 10% spike, according to the EDD. California reported the largest job declines in the country, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The number of unemployed in California rose to almost 2.9 million in two months, breaking a record 2.2 million that took more than two years to reach during the recession.

The EDD reported that every one of the state’s 11 industry sectors lost jobs in April with leisure and hospitality posting the largest downturn.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are planning to visit Baltimore’s Fort McHenry on Memorial Day, but Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young hopes the President reconsiders, saying it sends a “bad message.”

The White House has responded to Young’s plea, saying: “The brave men and women who have preserved our freedoms for generations did not stay home and the President will not, either, as he honors their sacrifice by visiting such a historic landmark in our nation’s history.”  

Young said he is certain that the President could find another, safer way to honor the country’s fallen soldiers. 

“This has nothing to do with him personally. My city is seeing an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, and we don't want to spread it,” Young said. 

Young also said the White House did not give the city a heads up and now leaders are scrambling to prepare. 

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Miami-Dade County is planning to reopen beaches and hotels to guests other than essential lodgers on June 1, according to a news release issued by Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s office.

Gimenez is planning to review the proposed plan on Tuesday.

New Jersey will increase the number of people permitted to gather outdoors from 10 to 25 people, Gov. Phil Murphy announced in a news conference Friday morning.

Recreational campgrounds will open immediately, he added.

While the number of people allowed to gather in groups will increase, individuals are still expected to adhere to social distancing.

Hospitalizations, intensive care unit cases and ventilator intubations continue to decrease across the state, Murphy said.

New York City continues to meet two of the three thresholds it still needs to meet the state’s criteria to reopen the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

There are seven criteria needed in order to reopen. The city is already meeting four of those.

Officials would like to consistently stay under the threshold of 200 people being admitted into hospitals for Covid-19, de Blasio said.

The city is now at 76 people being admitted into the hospital for Covid-19.

New York City is also meeting the threshold for how many people are testing positive for Covid-19, de Blasio said.

Some more data: Officials would like to see that number below 15%. It is currently at 11%. That number is up slightly from the 9% announced on Thursday.

Intensive care unit admissions should remain under 375 people, de Blasio said. However, the city is at 451 people in ICUs in the public hospitals and not meeting that threshold.  

If residents continue to social distance and the numbers move in the right direction, the city expects to move to phase one of reopening in the first or second week of June, de Blasio said.  

All restrictions on youth activities in Florida, including summer camps, are being lifted immediately, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis in a press conference today.

While kids are not immune to Covid-19, he said, the state has recorded zero fatalities for those under the age of 25. 

There were 109 coronavirus-related deaths in New York on Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a news briefing today.

"This number has been stubborn on its way down," he said.

Hospitalizations are down, as well as the number of new daily coronavirus cases, Cuomo said. He added that the level is lower than when the coronavirus crisis began 83 days ago.