June 23 coronavirus news

The Florida Department of Health is reporting an additional 3,286 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total to 103,503, according to state data. 

On Monday, Florida reached a milestone, reporting more than 100,000 cases. 

Here's a breakdown of daily new cases reported by the state over the last eight days: 

More context: Republican officials in Florida are concerned about the recent spike in coronavirus cases in the state, just two months before Jacksonville is set to host part of the Republican National Convention.

"We clearly haven't beat it," Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican, told CNBC on Monday morning. "So I think everybody is concerned when they read about the cases, the number of cases up."

Arizona reported 3,591 new cases of Covid-19 and 42 deaths from the disease over the last 24 hours, a new record high for both new daily cases and deaths since the state started posting data publicly in mid-March.

The state has been battling a surge in Covid-19 cases and had nine days in the last two weeks where there were more than 1,500 new cases being reported by Arizona’s Department of Health Services.

The state has also been reporting that more than 80% of its available intensive care hospital beds have been in use since last week.

Last Wednesday, Gov. Doug Ducey announced that the state would allow local communities to require masks in public if they choose, but would not issue a statewide order.

“The objective has always been that we could slow the virus.”

President Trump is scheduled to speak at a public event at a Phoenix church today. 

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said that he believes another tax rebate or direct mail checks to Americans “are on the table” as part of an additional stimulus package, but he hopes they would be targeted to those who lost their jobs or are most in need. He stressed that no decisions have been made yet.

Kudlow again said he thinks the discussion on a new stimulus package will begin after the July 4 congressional recess. 

He said “absolutely, definitely” there will not be a second lockdown. He said that while there are some hotspots across the country, case rates are also dropping in many places.

As of this morning, 25 states were seeing an increase in new coronavirus cases over the past week. 

Polish President Andrzej Duda and his delegation will all be tested for coronavirus before their visit to Washington on Wednesday. US officials joining meetings between Duda and President Trump at the White House will also be tested.

Duda is the first head-of-state to visit the White House since the coronavirus pandemic shut down international travel. Senior administration officials previewed the visit on Tuesday.

Duda is expected to raise the issue of relocating some US troops from Germany -- where Trump is planning to cut troops numbers by 9,500 — to Poland.

Also on the agenda for the visit are energy and trade issues, regional security and reopening plans following the pandemic.

Last week, Massachusetts offered Covid-19 testing for people who recently attended large gatherings like the demonstrations and protests to honor George Floyd, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said in a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Out of 17,617 Covid-19 tests that were conducted statewide, 2.5% came back positive for Covid-19, Baker said.

Baker said that this percentage was reasonably consistent with the statewide numbers seen in daily testing for coronavirus.

Baker pointed to several factors that likely contributed to the relatively low number of positives Covid-19 cases. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed raising taxes for the country's upper-middle class earners to help cover added budgetary costs brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, eliminating the flat personal income tax rate for upper-middle class.

In a televised address Tuesday, Putin said the proposed tax increase from 13% to 15% would apply those who earn more than 5 million rubles ($72,900) a year. The additional budgetary funds would be used for medical treatment of children, he said.

Russia has the third highest confirmed cases of the virus in the world, right after the United States and Brazil, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Putin said the economic fallout was a “serious challenge” for Russia.

The country has come under criticism at home and abroad for its response, but Putin claimed early measures by the government helped save “tens of thousands of lives” of Russian citizens.

The Trump administration is racing to replenish the country's national supply stockpile, despite conflicting messaging from officials about the potential severity of a second wave of the virus.

Nearly half of states are reporting a rise in new cases and some continue to break records in their daily reported cases. Behind the scenes, officials are trying to execute on a newly envisioned Strategic National Stockpile, informally called "SNS 2.0," and restock the country's supply before a possible fall resurgence.  

State officials are taking matters into their own hands and working on bolstering their own stockpiles, following the supply scramble that unfolded earlier this year. 

The Health and Human Services Department, which maintains the stockpile, has outlined efforts to replenish its coffers, but hasn't disclosed exactly much supply it currently has. The preparations underway acknowledge the looming possibility of another surge in coronavirus cases. 

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on CNN Sunday that the administration is "filling the stockpile in anticipation of a possible problem in the fall," but on Monday, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow told CNBC there won't be a second wave, saying, "there is no second wave coming. It's just, you know, hot spots."

The administration and state leaders say the rise in cases is due to more testing availability. But epidemiologists argue case numbers should go down with greater testing, because theoretically health officials should be able to trace the cases and slow the spread of the virus.

Read more here.

Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered by a federal judge in Brasilia — the country's capital — to wear a face mask in public or face a fine.

Federal Judge Renato Borelli issued a decision Monday, ordering Bolsonaro to wear mask when in public in Brasilia. The judge’s order said failure to do so could potentially lead to a fine of up to R$2000 a day, about $386 USD.

The decision extends to all government employees in the Federal District, where the capital Brasilia is located. 

Some background: The Federal District government had issued a decree on April 30 making the use of face masks in public spaces mandatory, in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. President Bolsonaro has since appeared in public at several events without wearing the mask, including rallies with supporters. 

Brazil is the country with the world’s second highest coronavirus rate. More than 1.1 million cases and more than 51,000 deaths have been confirmed by Brazilian health authorities.

Syracuse University has suspended all study abroad programs for the fall 2020 semester due to travel concerns during the pandemic. 

The university said it remains concerned about the likelihood of travel restrictions for US travelers, as well as the diminished experience students would likely have abroad, since many countries are still in their own phased reopening, according to a letter sent Monday to study abroad students from Syracuse Assistant Provost Erika Wilkens.

Students who planned to study abroad this fall will be given priority placement for the spring 2021 semester.

Syracuse joins Georgetown, Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Butler, Penn State and other universities that have previously announced canceling study abroad programs for the fall.