California issues statewide order requiring face coverings
From CNN's Cheri Mossburg
Women wearing face masks exit a shopping mall where a sign is posted at an entrance reminding people of the mask requirement Westfield Santa Anita shopping mall in Arcadia, California, on June 12. Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
A new, statewide order is in place requiring face coverings to be worn in most public settings, particularly those indoors, according to a news release from the governor's office.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom is implementing the order in an effort to maintain the progress made in reopening the state’s economy, he said in the release.
“Simply put, we are seeing too many people with faces uncovered – putting at risk the real progress we have made in fighting the disease," Newsom said. "California’s strategy to restart the economy and get people back to work will only be successful if people act safely and follow health recommendations. That means wearing a face covering, washing your hands and practicing physical distancing.”
3:12 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
More than 225,000 coronavirus cases and over 3,800 deaths have been reported in Chile
From CNN's Radina Gigova and Cristopher Ulloa
Health personnel transfer a patient with symptoms of the new COVID-19 coronavirus after being admitted at a hospital in Santiago, Chile, on June 18. Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images
Chile has recorded 4,475 new coronavirus cases and 226 fatalities, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 225,103 and the total deaths to 3,841, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday.
Chile is currently the third country in Latin America with the highest number of cases after Brazil and Peru, and ranks ninth globally, according to the latest numbers by Johns Hopkins University.
"We want to insist that reducing mobility is essential to prevent this disease from advancing," Health Minister Enrique Paris said. "We continue to work on detecting people, isolating them to avoid the spread of the disease."
Authorities said there are currently 1,845 patients intensive care units, with 399 of them remaining in critical condition. Over the last 24 hours, 16,997 tests have been conducted, bringing the total number to 903,166.
2:52 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
All North Carolina corrections inmates and staff will be tested for coronavirus, governor says
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
Gov. Roy Cooper delivers a briefing on North Carolina's coronavirus pandemic response at the N.C. Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 15. Casey Toth/The News & Observer/AP
All North Carolina Department of Corrections staff and inmates will be tested for coronavirus, Gov. Roy Cooper said during a news conference Thursday.
Testing has already begun for all 31,200 inmates and should take around 60 days to complete, Commissioner of Prisons Todd Ishee said during the news conference.
The testing will cost an estimated $3.3 million, Ishee said.
Tests will be analyzed by LabCorp and results will be directly uploaded to the corrections health system, according to Ishee.
So far 717 offenders have tested positive of the 2,809 that were tested, Ishee said.
Almost 10% of the population has already been tested, he said.
1:53 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
New Jersey reports 38 new deaths from coronavirus
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
New Jersey reported 442 new positive cases of Covid-19 on Thursday, bringing the statewide total to 268,107 cases, Gov. Phil Murphy said in his daily presser.
Hospitalizations were back down in the state after an increase was reported on Wednesday.
The daily positivity rate and the transmission rate remained steady in the state at 2.94% and 0.75% respectively.
The state reported 38 new deaths on Thursday, bringing the total number of lives lost to 12,800. Nearly half of those deaths — 6,117 — have been in long term care facilities, the governor noted.
2:57 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
NFL on 2020 season returning: "We will be flexible and adaptable in this environment"
From CNN's Homero DeLaFuente and Jabari Jackson
Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
The National Football League has issued a statement regarding Dr. Anthony Fauci’s comments on Thursday saying, “football may not happen this year.”
Dr. Allen Sills, NFL chief medical officer, said in a statement that the organization will "make adjustments as necessary to meet the public health environment as we prepare to play the 2020 season."
"Dr. Fauci has identified the important health and safety issues we and the NFL Players Association, together with our joint medical advisors, are addressing to mitigate the health risk to players, coaches and other essential personnel," Sills said in the statement. "We are developing a comprehensive and rapid-result testing program and rigorous protocols that call for a shared responsibility from everyone inside our football ecosystem. This is based on the collective guidance of public health officials, including the White House task force, the CDC, infectious disease experts, and other sports leagues."
Sills continued: "Make no mistake, this is no easy task. We will make adjustments as necessary to meet the public health environment as we prepare to play the 2020 season as scheduled with increased protocols and safety measures for all players, personnel and attendees. We will be flexible and adaptable in this environment to adjust to the virus as needed."
Some background: Earlier this week, Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Unless players are essentially in a bubble — insulated from the community and they are tested nearly every day — it would be very hard to see how football is able to be played this fall. If there is a second wave, which is certainly a possibility and which would be complicated by the predictable flu season, football may not happen this year."
In May, the NFL canceled all planned international games due to the pandemic, moving them instead to the US. The league had previously planned to play four games in London and one game in Mexico City.
Hear more:
1:23 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
Retail shopping malls may reopen in New Jersey on June 29
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
A view of the empty parking lot at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey, on March 18. Elsa/Staff/Getty Images
The indoor portions of retail shopping malls in New Jersey may reopen on June 29, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Thursday in his daily news conference.
All mall customers will be required to wear face coverings at all times while inside, and stores will be limited to 50% capacity.
Theaters and arcades will remain closed, and restaurants may provide take out or outdoor dining.
“Certainly malls are part of New Jersey culture and lure. I think as much here if not more so than any American state,” Murphy said.
1:04 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
New York considering quarantine on people entering the state, governor says
From CNN's Melanie Schuman
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a daily news conference in New York, on June 18. NY1 is Pool
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is considering a possible quarantine on people entering New York state as the virus continues to spread.
Reminding reporters about other states, including Florida, which issued a mandatory quarantine on New Yorkers coming to their states approximately 100 days ago, Cuomo acknowledged that experts have advised him to issue a quarantine for people coming to the state and he is considering it now.
He called it a “full 180.”
“Fast forward 100 days. Now we’re afraid they’re bringing the virus to our state. That’s why I say, tale of two cities, two countries, who could’ve, how, how do you explain this. Who would believe this, who would believe this 180-turn around? But, I haven’t made a decision yet, but I have had experts advise me of that. It is a real concern, you’re right it could happen and it’s something I’m considering," Cuomo said.
12:53 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
Arizona reports another single-day high in new coronavirus cases
From CNN's Melissa Alonso and Sharif Paget
Arizona health officials have reported a new single-day high for coronavirus cases for the second time in this week, according to the state Department of Health Services.
Thursday's case count marks the state's highest total reported in a single day, behind Tuesday's 2,392, according to the health website.
12:42 p.m. ET, June 18, 2020
Florida has fewer than 25% of ICU beds available
More than 75% of Florida's Adult Intensive Care Unit beds are occupied, according to state data provided by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
Today, the state reported having 22.86% availability of adult ICU beds available in hospitals across the state, the report stated. The data is current as of 10:30 a.m. ET Thursday.
General hospital beds are at nearly 75% capacity across the state, according to AHCA.
