June 26 coronavirus news

Travelers from the United States are “unlikely” to be allowed into the European Union as ambassadors of the 27 members states have agreed "in principle" to the criteria they will apply as the bloc begins to opens up, several EU officials told CNN on Friday

The agreement is not final as the ambassadors will still need to consult with their respective governments.

Under the current criteria — which takes into account the number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the past 14 days — the US would likely be excluded.

An EU diplomat told CNN that it was very “unlikely” travelers from the US would be allowed in, adding that even though the list had not been finalized “the US’s chances are close to zero.” The diplomat also said, “with their infection rates... not even they can believe in that possibility.” 

Asked if the US was on a draft list of countries whose citizens would not be allowed to travel to the EU starting Wednesday, another EU diplomat would not confirm that list existed but said, “if you run the numbers you can create a list.” 

The first point on the checklist asks whether the country can "be considered as being in a comparable or better epidemiological situation as the average in the EU+ area" with regard to number of new infections, trend of new infections and response in areas such as testing, surveillance, contact tracing, containment, treatment and reporting.

Texas has reported 5,707 new coronavirus cases today, bringing the total to at least 137,624, according to data from Texas Health and Human Services (THHS).

A total of 2,324 people have died in the state, including 28 additional deaths today, THHS said.

On Thursday, Texas recorded 5,996 new coronavirus cases.

According to the state, Texas has performed more than 1.9 million coronavirus tests.

To note: The figures released by the THHS may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said coronavirus death rates in California "are lagging" and thus, do not accurately reflect the toll of the virus.

He warned that with the case count increasing, a rise in hospitalizations and death rates will soon follow. The governor implored people to wear masks and stay six feet apart.

Newsom said the country is in "the midst of the first wave of this pandemic."

“We are not out of the first wave. This disease does not take a summer vacation," the governor added.

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández reimposed a lockdown on the metro area of Buenos Aires, telling Argentines that “cases have grown exponentially” in recent days. 

“Coronavirus is an invisible enemy that one never knows when they have finally defeated it. When it looks like things are calm, it starts to return,” Fernandez said on Friday as he announced that residents in the Buenos Aires metro region will be expected to stay in their homes unless they are performing essential work or purchasing necessary provisions from July 1 to July 17. 

Fernández said that “practically 97%” of new cases in Argentina were detected in the Buenos Aires metro area. 

The president himself has been in self-isolation due to the pandemic at his official residence Quinta de Olivos since June 17. 

The country has reported a total of 52,457 Covid-19 cases with 2,606 new cases, an increase of 5.2% in the last 24 hours, while the death toll reached 1,167 on Friday. 

“Quarantine is a remedy for the pandemic, the only one that we know,” Fernandez said.

He added: “The economy will deteriorate but the economy will recover. What we will unfortunately not recover are those thousand Argentines who have left us.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said he will not lift restrictions on nightclubs, concert venues, theaters, auditoriums, spectator sports and other venues until Covid-19 is under control in the state.

He said that a majority of the new cases are among people under 40, particularly those age 30 to 35.

"They feel completely healthy yet they can be completely infected," McMaster said.

Rates of infection for that age group are "just going up, up, up," he said.

Despite the higher case counts, McMaster said that he will not mandate the use of masks.

The numbers: South Carolina on Friday reported the highest number of people hospitalized in the state, Director of Public Health Dr. Joan Duwve said at the news conference.

There are currently 906 people hospitalized with complications from coronavirus, the largest number the state has seen, Duwve said.

At least 1,273 new cases were reported Friday, bringing the total to at least 30,263 cases and 694 deaths statewide, Duwve said. 

Hospitals are currently at 75% capacity, South Carolina National Guard Adjutant General Major General Van McCarty said at the news conference.

He said if hospitals reach 80% capacity statewide, they will deploy the surge plan. McCarty added that they will reduce elective surgeries if needed to help with capacity. 

"Our preference would be to keep patients in a traditional hospital. We will look to use the alternative measures we've talked about as only a second measure," McCarty said.

The governor of Utah is signing off on requests from two counties to require masks in public spaces. 

Brooke Scheffler, the spokesperson for Gov. Gary Herbert, told CNN that the governor has approved the requests from Salt Lake and Summit counties, although there is still not a statewide face covering rule in effect.

Scheffler said the two county governments are expected to announce details later Friday.

Utah has at least 20,050 coronavirus cases and at least 166 people have died from the virus, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

People commingling during recent racial justice protests are believed to be a contributing factor to the rise in coronavirus cases in California, according to Dr. Sonia Angell, the state's health director.

Angell stressed that with community spread, health officials may not be able to distinguish exactly where someone may have been exposed.

“It’s highly likely given the increased numbers that we’re seeing, that some of this is in fact people who may have been in a crowded situation at one of the protests where there was spread,” Los Angeles Health Director Barbara Ferrer said earlier this week.

Sacramento County reported at least three individual cases that are apparently linked to recent demonstrations, according to California Department of Public Health.

Cleveland Indians President Chris Antonetti told reporters Friday that the organization has had some "isolated " cases of Covid-19. 

The individuals who tested positive were at their homes around the country, including a couple of cases in the Dominican Republic, and a couple more at their training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, Antonetti said.

However, all the members have either recovered or had "mild symptoms," Antonetti said.

Some context: The Major League Baseball season is expected to resume with players reporting to training camps starting on July 1. Games are expected to start on July 23 or July 24. 

Face masks will be required in Jefferson County, Alabama, starting Monday.

The masks will be required at public establishments, according to a public health order declared Friday.

Jefferson County is home to Birmingham, which is the state's most populous city, according to the state's demographic website.

Birmingham adopted an ordinance requiring face coverings be worn in public within the city on April 28 and that order has been extended until July 3, the health order said.

About the order: Face coverings will be required for indoor spaces of business or venues open to the public, outdoor areas open to the public where 10 or more people are gathered and social distancing is not possible, and transportation service areas including mass transit, taxis, paratransit or ride-sharing services, the order said.

Exceptions to the order include children age two and under. Masks can be removed while eating or drinking, during medical examinations or procedures, and hair care services.

Masks can also be removed when there is a risk to personal safety or a need for effective communication, the order said.

Places of worship may "use their own discretion regarding face covering requirements," but are encouraged to recommend congregants to use masks during services, especially during singing or while speaking to other people.