May 25 coronavirus news

The state of New York and local governments will provide death benefits to frontline workers, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday at the state’s daily Covid-19 news conference.

The governor said public employees who work in the state, whether in a city or county, can qualify and the local or state pension fund will pay for those death benefits.

At the start of the presser, the governor took a brief moment of silence to honor those who have fallen and to give thanks to them on Memorial Day.

The governor then went on to thank all frontline workers for the work they are doing today to fight the pandemic.

We needed the frontline workers to show up so others could stay home and be safe and healthy, Cuomo said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at least 96 people died from coronavirus across the state yesterday — down from 109 on Saturday.

He noted that the overall hospitalization rate, the number of intubations and day-to-day hospitalizations are all down.

"We are making progress here in New York," he said.

WATCH GOV. CUOMO:

There have been 1,646,495 cases of coronavirus reported in the US, and at least 97,794 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases. 

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

Sweden has recorded a total of 4,029 deaths from coronavirus, a spokesperson for the national Public Health Agency confirmed to CNN on Monday. 

This latest increase in deaths comes after a study carried out by Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, revealed last week that 7.3% of Stockholm residents have developed the antibodies needed to fight coronavirus.

The results produced by the study, which was carried out to determine the potential herd immunity in the Swedish population, were a “little lower” than expected, according to Tegnell.

The Public Health Agency says it plans to release results from other regions, which will help to provide a clearer picture of the level of herd immunity in the Swedish population.

Remember: In a divergent approach from its Nordic neighbors, Sweden decided not to impose a mandatory lockdown, allowing businesses and schools to remain open despite the outbreak of Covid-19 within the country. 

Four top congressional Democrats have issued a written statement Monday responding to the Trump Administration's Covid-19 Strategic Testing Plan, calling it "disappointing" and accusing the Administration of not taking responsibility for testing on a national scale. 

The leaders are House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee ranking member Patty Murray and House Energy and Commerce committee chair Frank Pallone.

They continued: "We still need clear explanations for how targets were set, how they will be met and what will be done if they are not. The Trump Administration still does not take any responsibility for ramping up our nation’s testing capacity, instead pushing the burden onto the states," they said. 

More on the report: The 81-page report was submitted to Congress late Sunday. It commits the Administration to obtaining 100 million testing swabs by years-end and distribute them to states. 

President Trump will soon attend a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery to mark Memorial Day.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed some of traditions at the cemetery, CNN's Barbara Starr reported. She noted that the officials attending the ceremony today are standing far apart to maintain social distance.

"This year is different — visually different, of course," Starr said.

Starr explained that burials at the cemetery also look different during the pandemic.

Families attending those burials are wearing masks. The "iconic visual" of a folded flag being handed to a relative is also gone: Now, folded flags are left on a table next to the grave site for contact-less retrieval.

WATCH:

Spain will lift quarantine measures for arriving international tourists starting July 1, the Spanish government announced Monday.

What this is about: Spain currently enforces a two-week quarantine for all international travelers to the country, a measure in effect since May 15. The quarantine measure applies to Spanish, as well as foreign arrivals.

Some more context: Spain’s tourism and hospitality sector have been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the government has come under pressure to revive this part of the economy, which accounts for 12% of GDP and 2.6 million jobs.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signaled the country will reactivate foreign tourism in July, during a press conference Saturday.

The country, under strict confinement measures since March 14 to limit the spread of the coronavirus, is now on a gradual reopening.

Just over half of the population is on Phase 1, including Madrid and Barcelona, and the rest is on the more advanced Phase 2, which allows even more businesses to re-open and more social activities, including weddings with up to 100 guests.

Anger is mounting among Britons who have sacrificed family gatherings during the country’s lockdown, after Boris Johnson defended his chief aide for breaching restrictions by driving across the country while his wife had Covid-19 symptoms.

John Wilson shared a letter to his MP on Twitter on Monday in which he described being unable to visit his wife while she died in hospital with the coronavirus.

“I have delayed writing to you for 15 hours to try and let my rage subside so that I can be coherent and civil,” he wrote in the letter, which has gone viral.

"On the day she died I could not be with her to hold her hand, I just sat by the telephone, I was not able to see her body," Wilson wrote. "In other words under severe mental and emotional distress I, like the vast majority of the population, have complied with your government's instructions in order to protect my fellow citizens.”

Wilson asked his Conservative MP Greg Smith what his view is on Dominic Cummings’ trip to the north of England, and Boris Johnson’s decision to stand by the aide despite outrage in the UK that he was allowed to travel while the public were being told to stay at home.

“This is a letter about the actions and judgment of Mr. Johnson -- not, as many people seem to think, about Mr. Cummings,” Wilson explained too CNN.

His message exemplifies the sentiment of many Brits, who are asking why Cummings has avoided discipline while funerals of more than 10 mourners have been banned and Britons have been asked to stay away from family events.

The Prime Minister said on Sunday that Cummings had "no alternative" but to drive 260 miles across England to stay with his parents while his wife was sick with Covid-19 symptoms, insisting he acted "responsibly, legally and with integrity."

"I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent, and I do not mark him down for that," Johnson added at the government's daily coronavirus briefing on Sunday.

But the scandal has rumbled into a fourth day and has derailed the government’s coronavirus response. "There cannot be one rule for Dominic Cummings and another for the British people," the opposition Labour Party said in a statement.

Vice President Mike Pence reiterated President Trump’s threat to move the Republican National Convention from North Carolina.

He continued: "And I think the President is absolutely intent on ensuring that as we see our nation continue to make steady progress on putting the coronavirus epidemic in the past, that come this August, we’ll be able to come together in a safe and responsible venue and re-nominate President Donald Trump for four more years."

Pence said Trump’s request of Gov. Roy Cooper was “very reasonable.”

Some background: Trump began a solemn Memorial Day railing against North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ahead of the 2020 Republican National Convention, threatening to pull it out of Charlotte, where the convention is expected to be held August 24 to 27.  

Trump contended that Cooper is "unable to guarantee" that the arena can be filled to capacity. 

After the tweets, Pence insisted "we all want to be in Charlotte, we love North Carolina, but having a sense now is absolutely essential because of the rules and regulations that are involved."

"We look forward to working with Gov. Cooper, getting a swift response, and, if need be, moving the national convention to a state that is farther along on reopening and can say with confidence that we can gather there,” Pence said.