July 2 coronavirus news

By Nectar Gan, Brett McKeehan, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 0002 GMT (0802 HKT) July 3, 2020

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10:47 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Despite surge in Covid-19 cases, Pence once again says national mask mandate is not needed

From CNN's Nicky Robertson

Vice President Mike Pence answers a question as he holds a news conference in Phoenix on July 1. Ross D. Franklin/AP

When asked about a national mandate on masks in an interview on CNBC, Vice President Mike Pence responded: “I don’t think there’s a need for a national mandate.”

The President also said yesterday he does not think a mandate for masks is needed.

Pence noted that Trump instructed him to make sure that states which are seeing a rise in the number of coronavirus cases have everything that they need.

“We’re going to stay with these states that are seeing rising cases every step of the way,” Pence said.

Pence said that the administration supports governors who are pausing reopening, however, Pence also said “but we’re going to keep opening up America again.”

“PPE supplies are strong, testing is strong, more therapeutic medicines are available every day,” Pence claimed.

Meanwhile, a growing number of US states across the country have mandated the use of masks and face coverings while in public.

With many states starting to lift coronavirus restrictions, more people are venturing out in public, but the number of cases is still rising in nearly half of them.

Read more about the states requiring people to wear masks when out in public:

These are the states requiring people to wear masks when out in public

10:42 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Next Covid-19 relief proposal could include funding for schools, treasury secretary says

From CNN's Maegan Vazquez

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks to the media in the briefing room at the White House on July 2 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Thursday that the Trump administration is considering whether to give money to schools to better equip them to be ready for classes to begin in the fall.

“We’re working with schools and universities. And I think in most cases, schools will be able to open safely. Some schools will need to spend money. One of the things we’ll look at in CARES 4 is if we need to give money to schools to properly equip their areas,” Mnuchin said in the White House briefing room.

Mnuchin said the administration would “absolutely” support the legislation if it included funding for schools.

“We want to make sure that kids are safe and that if there is money that schools need to spend to safely have people in classrooms, social distance, spread things out, change hours — these are all the things we’re looking at,” he added.

10:37 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Georgia governor: "We're not out of the woods yet”

From CNN’s Jason Morris and Maria Cartaya

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp speaks during a press conference in Dalton, Georgia, on July 2. WGCL

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said today Covid-19 continues to spread in the state. “We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Kemp.

“We cannot get complacent,” added Kemp during his stop in Dalton, Georgia, while on his "Wear a Mask" fly-around tour of Georgia ahead of the holiday weekend.

Kemp encouraged Georgians to continue social distancing, washing their hands, and wearing a mask or face covering.

“We don’t need a mandate to do the right thing,” said Kemp. “I just trust Georgians to do the right thing,” added Kemp.

When asked to elaborate, Kemp said "We got a speed limit all over the state, here in town, on the interstate. Not everybody obeys by that.”

“On the rise in cases, I don’t think that surprises me in light of what we’ve been dealing with,” said Kemp.

Kemp said the state’s surge capacity "continues to remain solid."

"Our hospitals are prepared," added Kemp.

“There is good news in our fight. Our case mortality rate continues to decline. Our testing continues to rise,” added Kemp.

10:16 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Taj Mahal and Red Fort will reopen to tourists Monday

From CNN’s Vedika Sud in Delhi and Philip Wang

The Taj Mahal is closed to tourists on March 18 in Agra, India. Yawar Nazir/Getty Images

Famous Indian monuments such as the Taj Mahal and Red Fort will reopen to tourists on July 6, India’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on Thursday.

The popular attractions, along with thousands of monuments, have been closed since March due to coronavirus outbreak in India.

According to India’s Ministry of Homes Affairs, the nation is currently at the second phase, or “Unlock 2,” of the lockdown. During this phase, domestic transportation is allowed to operate in a limited manner, while international traveling is still not permitted.

As of Thursday, India has a total of 604,641 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

10:12 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

US will have capacity to perform 40 to 50 million tests per month by fall, health expert estimates

From CNN Amanda Watts

Brett Giroir, US assistant secretary for health, speaks during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 30. Al Drago/AFP/Getty Images

Admiral Dr. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health for the US Department of Health and Human Services, told lawmakers Thursday that to date, the US has performed more than 35 million Covid-19 tests and is now averaging "over 550,000 tests per day."

Speaking to the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis about the national stockpile, Giroir said he estimates the nation will have the capacity to perform 40 to 50 million tests per month by the fall.

Giroir did not specify which type of test he is referring to – those that check for current infection or those that check for past infection. It is also important to note many individuals have received multiple tests.

“With emerging new techniques like pooling of samples, combined with investments and point of care technologies, that number could easily be 80 million available per month if they are needed,” Giroir said.

10:04 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Trump touts economy as the US reports a record number of new coronavirus cases

From CNN's Jason Hoffman

President Donald Trump speaks to the press from the White House in Washington, DC, on July 2. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump spoke from the White House briefing room this morning to tout a better-than-expected jobs report.

The appearance came a day after the US set a record number of new coronavirus cases in a single day, with more than 50,000 cases reported. It took a little more than two months for the US to record its first 50,000 coronavirus cases.

The President said June’s job numbers, with almost 5 million jobs added, shattered all expectations.

“This is the largest monthly job gain in the history of our country,” he said.

Remember: The numbers today won't necessarily show any cracks in the recovery that may have emerged in recent days as the Covid-19 outlook deteriorates.

President Trump did not take questions after his comments.

9:38 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

Stocks rally following better-than-expected jobs report

From CNN’s Anneken Tappe

US stocks climbed higher at Thursday’s opening bell, boosted by a better-than-expected jobs report.

The US economy added 4.8 million jobs in June, bringing the unemployment rate down to 11.1%.

Here's how the market opened:

The Dow opened 1.4%, or 365 points, higher.
The S&P 500 kicked off 1.2% higher.
The Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.1%. The index finished at an all-time high Wednesday and is on track to hit a fresh record Thursday.

Remember: It’s the last trading day of the week, since markets will be closed for the Independence Day holiday on Friday.

9:32 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

These 5 states reported record-high totals of new cases yesterday

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg, Ralph Ellis, Amanda Watts and Steve Almasy

The United States reported 50,203 new coronavirus cases were reported Wednesday — a record for one day, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

Meanwhile, at least five states — Arizona, California, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas — had record-high totals of new case reports on Wednesday.

California, the most populous state, reported more than 9,000 new cases. That figure included 5,898 cases reported to the state in the past 24 hours and 3,842 previously unreported cases from a five-day period, Ali Bay, a spokesperson for the state's joint information center, said.

Here is a look at the progression of new cases in California:

Arizona reported 4,878 new cases of Covid-19 Wednesday, as well as 88 deaths from the disease over the last 24 hours, state data shows. The numbers are a new record high for both new daily cases and deaths since the state started posting data publicly in mid-March.

Here is a look at the progression of new cases in Arizona:

Meanwhile, many states are pausing their reopenings or rolling back some restrictions.

More than 28 million Californians live in counties where restaurant dining rooms, bars and other indoor facilities are being told to stay shut or close as the number of Covid-19 cases continue to worry state officials.

The closures affect 19 counties representing 72% of the state's population, and include restaurants, museums, zoos, movie theaters, family entertainment, and card rooms, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

9:20 a.m. ET, July 2, 2020

How to safely celebrate Fourth of July, according to an expert

From CNN's Adrienne Vogt

Erin Bromage, CNN contributor and biology professor at UMass Dartmouth, gave tips on how to keep your Independence Day gatherings as safe as possible this holiday weekend.

Here's his advice:

At a barbecue: Limit the number of guests at your barbecue and keep it outside — and if it rains, send people home. “We can't forget the physical distancing. We still need to have that six feet when we're outside,” he says.
At the beach: Go to the beach if you can properly space out from other people. If it’s jam-packed, turn around.
At the pool: You still need to social distance when in the pool. Sorry — that means no playing Marco Polo.
At the fireworks show: When watching fireworks, don’t congregate too closely to others. “If you can actually spread out and create distance between your family and other families, then you can do this safely,” he said.

Bromage said that overall, people need to be vigilant, or cases will inevitably rise once again.

“I get a little bit afraid there's not a lot of moderation in the US public right now. It's sort of [either] people locking themselves away or going out and having parties like they did six months ago. We need moderation. … Be aware that there's still a threat out there, and if we let our guard down even for just one night, we go into the situation that we're seeing in Texas, that we’re seeing in Arizona,” he said.

Bottom line? “Keep your distance, keep it outside, wash your hands often, wear a mask when you can't distance,” he said.

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