July 1 coronavirus news

Universal testing of all students and staff in K-12 schools is not being recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the CDC said schools should test everyone who has had close contact with someone positively tested for Covid-19, as well as those showing symptoms.

Anyway, schools may lack infrastructure to support the testing and follow up, students, parents and staff may balk at getting tested, and testing could cause disruptions, the CDC said.

If schools do decide to implement a testing plan, the CDC said that they should work alongside other agencies, such as state and local health authorities, to work out what would be the best strategy for them.

The number of active duty military personnel with Covid-19 has more than doubled since June 10, according to figures published by the Defense Department. 

There are 6,493 US service members who currently have Covid-19. Since the pandemic began, 12,521 US service members have tested positive.

In the last two weeks alone, the number of cases in the Air Force has doubled. On June 15 there were 700 reported cases, but by June 29 it jumped to 1,366.  

Defense officials say the “uptick” in Covid-19 cases at military installations has happened “largely around where we are seeing it in the civilian communities so in Florida, in Texas, in Arizona, some parts of California,” according to Thomas McCaffery, assistant secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.

The Air Force in particular has report a "hotspot” in San Antonio where Lackland Air Force Base in located, according to an Air Force official. There is also concern around several Air Force installations in Florida, the official said.

McCaffery noted the uptick includes asymptomatic cases and that hospitalization rates remain low. He also claimed the uptick may be in part to doing more testing. But the uptick has come just as the nation is seeing a surge in Covid-19 cases. As a result of that, “right now our focus is on looking at the data we have with regard to our particular installations and health facilities in those areas where there are hot spots in the community and making determinations based on what’s happening on the ground,” McCaffery said. 

The Defense Department is now specifically looking at data to see if the uptick in cases at those installations might be attributable to interactions with members communities where there has been a large increase in coronavirus infection rates. 

Some context: At least seven Air Force bases have tightened restrictions in the last week.

At the Air Force Global Strike Command headquartered in Barksdale, Louisiana, Gen. Timothy Ray has ordered all military and civilian personnel to wear masks in any public spaces where social distancing is not possible. That goes beyond previous suggested guidance, the Air Force official said.

Texas continues to break its own record for highest cases of Covid-19 in a single day, with 8,076 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday.

This is the state's highest number of cases in a single day, bringing the statewide total to 168,062, with 2,481 deaths. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has paused reopening of the state and signed an executive order to close all bars in the hopes that the effort will decrease the spread of Covid-19.

North Carolina has reported the state’s highest single-day increase in cases since the pandemic began, said Mandy Cohen, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, during a news conference on Wednesday.

The department reported 66,513 cases of coronavirus and 1,373 deaths. There were 17,660 tests completed and 901 people are hospitalized.

That’s an increase of 1,843 new cases and 30 deaths in one day, according to the department.

Cooper has also delayed a decision on whether or not to reopen open schools in August.

The governor said he would make a decision “within the next couple of weeks.” 

Cooper said that he has given extra time to the state’s school districts to make a plan to reopen and to make sure teachers and staff are prepared.

The governor of the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, Carlos Moises, tested positive for Covid-19, the state government's press office announced Wednesday.

Moises is now under quarantine at his home. He has reported symptoms of cough, sore throat, and low fever. 

Since the Covid-19 outbreak, eight of 27 Brazilian governors have contracted the virus, Brazilian news agency G1 Globo reported. 

The state governors of Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso, Pará, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, and Roraima have also contracted the virus. 

What the numbers say: Brazil is nearing 60,000 deaths from coronavirus as of Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases. The country has the second most confirmed cases — behind the United States — with more than 1.4 million confirmed cases.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order today, closing indoor service at bars throughout most of lower Michigan “to protect the progress Michigan has made against Covid-19,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

Bars statewide can however continue to serve customers outdoors and Michigan will now allow cocktails-to-go at bars, while restaurants and expand social districts are being given permission for more outdoor seating and areas for people to safely congregate while practicing physical distancing, the statement said.

Recently, health officials in Ingham County linked 107 confirmed Covid-19 cases to an outbreak in a single bar in East Lansing.

US stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, with the Dow sliding into the red just minutes before the closing bell, driven lower by energy and tech stocks. 

It was a rather quiet day in the market, but investors were optimistic about some “positive data” from a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine trial. The drug maker was also the best performing Dow stock of the day.

That said, the focus is on tomorrow morning’s labor market data, including the June jobs report and weekly unemployment claims.

Here's where things ended up today:

New Jersey has reported an additional 423 positive Covid-19 test results for a cumulative total of 171,928, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

There were 45 new confirmed deaths, bringing the statewide total to 13,224 and total probable deaths 1,854.

The daily spot positivity rate is 2.29% for tests recorded on June 27.

Casinos, outdoor amusement parks, water parks along with certain indoor recreation such as bowling alleys, batting cages, shooting ranges and arcades are still on track to reopen tomorrow, the governor said. Gyms will open tomorrow for individualized training only. 

One thing to note: These figures were released by the New Jersey governor’s office and may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced Wednesday that she is extending the face-covering requirement from seven counties to the entire state. 

Brown said the requirement, “generally applies to all indoor places where the public may go. This means grocery stores, pharmacies, and shops. It means lobbies, elevators and restrooms. It means gyms, restaurants, and churches.”

Speaking at a news conference in Portland Wednesday, the governor said there would be exceptions to the rule.

The mandate does not extend to children under 12. It also makes accommodations for those with a medical condition where wearing a mask could be potentially dangerous, for those eating or drinking in a restaurant, and if physical exertion makes it difficult to wear a face covering while exercising, provided a six-foot distance is maintained, she said.