By Nectar Gan, Brett McKeehan, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN
From CNN's Melanie Schuman and Elizabeth Hartfield
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has signed an executive order extending the public health emergency in the state.
The extension does not impact the state’s reopening, which is continuing to move ahead. The health emergency was first declared in the state on March 9.
“What today’s action means is we will have the authority to remain vigilant and prepared to act should there be another outbreak,” Murphy said during his daily briefing Thursday.
Each extension expires after 30 days unless renewed.
From CNN’s Anneken Tappe
US stocks ended in the green on Thursday, as the Nasdaq Composite soared to a new closing record.
Investors cheered a better-than-expected jobs report this morning, with a record 4.8 million jobs added in June. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1%.
Here's where the market closed:
Remember: The market will remain closed on Friday for the Independence Day holiday.
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Another US city will be requiring people to wear masks in public.
Beginning July 3, Columbus, Ohio, will require people to wear a face covering when out in public, the city's Health Department announced Thursday.
“We must stay the course of maintaining social distancing, washing hands and wearing facial coverings. So today I am signing an executive order to mandate face coverings in Columbus,” Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther tweeted.
Ginther said the city has distributed more than 40,000 masks.
Asked if employees at the Ohio State House in Columbus would be required to follow the mayor’s order, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said, “I certainly hope that everyone will follow those orders, they are not unreasonable."
"I want to congratulate the mayor and all the mayors for doing this. I think it makes eminent sense to do it," he added.
Read Ginther's tweet:
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
There are at least 152 Covid-19 cases currently linked to a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, Amanda Darche, public information officer for the Ingham Health Department, tells CNN.
On Tuesday, 107 cases were linked to the Harper's Restaurant & Brew Pub. Health officials asked anyone who visited the establishment June 12 and June 20 to self-quarantine, CNN has reported.
The 152 current cases include "128 primary cases and 24 secondary cases," Darche says. Secondary cases are people who were infected but did not visit Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub.
On its website, Harper’s Restaurant and Brewpub says patrons "voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" when visiting.
Some more context: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed an executive order Wednesday closing indoor service at bars throughout most of lower Michigan “following recent outbreaks tied to bars," she said.
From CNN's Gregory Lemos
The mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma, G.T. Bynum, announced today three new initiatives as positive case rates climb to "an unacceptable new normal" in his city.
Speaking at a news conference with his chief health official, Bynum did not address any link to the rise in cases and President Trump’s June 20 rally in Tulsa.
Dr. Bruce Dart, director of the Tulsa Health Department, also did not specifically address any potential community spread that may have resulted from the Trump rally, but did address gatherings where the purpose is to "congregate in close contact with other people" as "a potential risk for spreading Covid-19" and advised people to wear masks and socially distance.
As the city continues to try to balance economic and health risks, here are the initiatives announced by the governor:
The latest numbers: Dart said at least 136 new cases were reported during the week of June 21-27.
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
Important conversations are continuing in Washington around who in the United States will be among the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine once one becomes available, health officials said during a Senate appropriations hearing on Thursday.
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the hearing that the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice has been mulling over who should be prioritized. ACIP held a meeting last week during which it was considered that maybe the highest priority should be given to health care personnel and essential workers.
In a previous ACIP meeting, some other proposed priority groups that were discussed included adults ages 65 and older, long-term care facility residents, people with high-risk underlying medical conditions and pregnant women, among others.
"Clearly the most vulnerable and those individuals who are at greater risk for mortality have to be considered as well as those individuals at great risk for infection because of what they do," Redfield said during the hearing on Thursday, adding that health care workers and caregivers specifically are at an increased risk.
"Depending on which vaccine is approved, it might have particular characteristics making it more or less appropriate in given populations," Redfield said on Thursday. "At the end of the day, it’s really going to be dependent on the characteristics of the particular vaccine product."
Such discussions around how the vaccine should be distributed could extend beyond ACIP, said Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health.
"This may be a moment to actually bring together a group of big thinkers who could take a high-level view of this and lay out a value of principles that could be utilized by the CDC committee ACIP," Collins said during Thursday's hearing.
"That might be something best done by an organization that is not itself governmental," Collins told lawmakers. "We are having a conversation very early on with the National Academy of Medicine about whether they would be the place to convene such a discussion, and we can keep you posted on that."
Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Republican from Tennessee, said during the hearing "put me down as thinking that's a good idea" in regard to including the National Academy of Medicine in discussions around vaccine distribution.
From CNN’s Angela Barajas
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the median age for new cases in Tampa's Hillsborough County throughout the pandemic is now down to 34.
“One of the things that's driven the increase cases has been increasing positivity rates amongst young people," DeSantis said.
Florida's governor made the comments alongside Vice President Mike Pence at the University of South Florida Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in Tampa. The governor addressed the media before a scheduled briefing with other White House coronavirus task force officials.
Earlier today, Florida marked a new record daily high of infections since the start of the pandemic. The Florida Department of Health reported 10,109 additional coronavirus cases, which broke the previous record of more than 9,500 new cases in a single day reported on Saturday. The state's total cases are more than 160,000, according to data released by the state today.
The governor also warned Floridians to take precautions ahead of the July 4th weekend.
He advised people to stay away from enclosed spaces when retreating from the heat, avoid large crowds and “close contact situations”.
“In Florida when it’s hot, people retreat to the AC. They get close together, they have a party. You’re much better off being in the 95 degree heat than being in that enclosed space with poor ventilation," he said.
Watch:
From CNN's Cheri Mossburg
California is launching an ad campaign to encourage residents to wear masks, keep their distance and stay home, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in a news conference.
The public service announcements harness the celebrity power of the state starring Snoop Dogg, Larry David, Kim Kardashian, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
“The evidence is overwhelming. Masks keeps Californians healthy,” Newsom said, adding, “This is not a partisan issue. This is not a political issue. This is a public health issue.”
In addition to PSAs — some of which were released earlier in the pandemic — billboards and other ads will go up in cities across the state.
The campaign will feature languages other than English, including Spanish, Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin and Vietnamese.
Funding for the promotion comes from a combination of public and private funds. The state is contributing just over $10 million and private foundations are kicking in more than $27 million.
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced today that the state will implement a new warning system to provide local health departments and community leaders data and information to help combat Covid-19 flare-ups as they occur in different parts of the state.
The Ohio Public Health Advisory System has four levels to provide guidance on the severity of the problem each Ohio county, the governor said. The levels are determined by seven data indicators that identify the risk level for each county and a corresponding color code to represent that risk level.
These seven indicators include new cases per capita, sustained increase in new cases, proportion of cases not congregate cases, sustained increase in ER visits, sustained increase in outpatient visits, sustained increase in new Covid-19 hospital admissions and ICU bed occupancy.
Here's what each alert level means: