June 8 coronavirus news

While states lift more restrictions and more Americans go out to socialize or protest, almost half of US states are seeing higher rates of new coronavirus cases.

But the situation would have been much worse had states not shut down, a new study says.

More than 1.9 million Americans have been infected, and more than 110,000 have died in just over four months, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Some states are seeing increases: Nationwide, 22 states are seeing upward trends in coronavirus cases. About 20 states have seen decreases in recent days, and eight states are holding steady.

One of the states with the biggest spikes in new cases is Florida. The number of new cases reported each day has increased an average of roughly 46% over the past week, just as most of the state entered a second phase of reopening.

While big cities on the coasts were hit hard early in the pandemic, the past few weeks have seen wider spread in inland states, including Arkansas, Texas and Arizona.

In Utah, state Rep. Suzanne Harrison called a recent spike of cases "very concerning (and) approaching exponential."

"Today's 18.5% positive test rate is double yesterday's (9.4%)," she tweeted over the weekend.

Friday, health officials in Utah said they were "very concerned" about the rise in new cases over the past week.

The state has recorded more than 12,000 infections, according to Johns Hopkins.

Track the virus in your state and across the US here.

US stocks rallied on Monday, pushed higher by the momentum that already got the market going last week. Investors are excited about the gradual reopening of the economy and a Friday jobs report that was much better than expected.

Here's where the markets finished up today:

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that he is ordering an independent review of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic by state nursing homes.

The review will be conducted by a third party and will incorporate a “top-to-bottom analysis of all elements of the pandemic and how it was addressed in these facilities.”

The governor said that he wants the review completed by the fall in order to be prepared for a possible second wave of coronavirus.

North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen said today, “The percent of tests that are positive" for the state "is now among the highest in the nation."

She continued: "I am concerned. These trends moving in the wrong direction is a signal we need to take very seriously.”

Here are the numbers: There have been 36,484 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state. At least 938 new cases have been reported today, 739 people are hospitalized and 1,006 people are dead, according to North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

Today marks the highest day of people hospitalized for Covid-19 since the pandemic began, Cooper said. On Saturday, North Carolina had the highest day of new cases — with 1,370. North Carolina is also seeing more viral spread of Covid-19. 

Cooper said Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House Coronavirus Task Force contacted Dr. Cohen on Friday with her concerns.

Major League Baseball is proposing a 76-game season in the league’s latest idea to save the 2020 season, per ESPN. The report details the latest proposal by the owners sent to the players union Monday morning.

ESPN, citing an unnamed source familiar with the negotiations, says in addition to a shortened season, the players would receive 75% of their prorated salaries. Last week, the league reportedly rejected a Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) proposal which offered a 114-game season with players receiving their full prorated salaries. In a statement on June 4, MLBPA Director Tony Clark said the players would resoundingly reject any proposals that asked for further reductions in salaries.

Neither MLB or MLBPA have responded to CNN’s request for details or comment.

Some context: In May, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred appeared on CNN and expressed hope that a new season could be salvaged. 

When asked about the economic impact if there was no MLB baseball this season, Manfred told CNN that losses would be “devastating” and would result in losses approaching $4 billion.

Hear more:

Cuba has gone nine days without a coronavirus death as of Monday, Dr. Francisco Durán, national director of epidemiology at Cuba’s Ministry for Public Health, said at a news conference.

He also said there were only nine new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

Over the weekend, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said the virus was “under control” in Cuba and the government would soon announce measures to gradually reopen the island.

Since the outbreak, Cuban officials have ended nearly all international travel to and from the island, made wearing a face mask in public mandatory and have required everyone ill with the coronavirus to quarantine at government-run hospitals.

Cuba has a total of 2,200 cases of coronavirus and a total of 83 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said he and family members took part in two protests this weekend, and plans to soon be tested for coronavirus.

“To say that black lives matter, that systemic racism must be relegated to history, and we must use this time to transform our society and ourselves so that we finally live up to our nation’s highest ideals," he said.

The governor said he was “honored” to walk alongside community leaders and residents in Hillside, and urged those protesting across the state to be tested for coronavirus.

Murphy said he and the first lady of New Jersey have scheduled their tests.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said that the county will open its beaches no later than Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters at the National Hurricane Center Monday, he said there is a good possibility that the curfew will be lifted tonight, and that they need a little time to prepare to open the beaches. 

Beaches were closed in March and were expected to open today. However, the closure was extended due to the curfew implemented May 30 during the protests over the death of George Floyd.

Canada announced Monday that it would relax some border restrictions for immediate family members of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, including some who have been trying to enter from the United States.

Despite the change, a 14-day mandatory quarantine for anyone entering the country remains in place. 

Trudeau acknowledged that this has been a hard time for some families kept apart because of the pandemic. 

"This is an incredibly difficult time to be apart from a spouse, a child, or mom or dad," Trudeau said. 

Nonessential travel into Canada is currently restricted, and that includes travel across the US-Canada border. 

That mutual border agreement is set to expire June 21 but Trudeau has indicated that "stronger measures" to contain the virus might be needed even if the border reopens to discretionary travel.