July 6 coronavirus news

By Jessie Yeung, Steve George, Tara John, Melissa Macaya, Meg Wagner and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 11:10 a.m. ET, July 7, 2020

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12:49 p.m. ET, July 6, 2020

New York governor says coronavirus cases declined since reopening

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference in New York on July 1. Byron Smith/Getty Images

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said cases of coronavirus across the state have declined since reopening began in May.

"Every expert warned us on the reopening that you could see the numbers start to go up," Cuomo said noting that that scenario hasn't happened.

He continued:

"Our premise was you could moderate the activity so you could start the reopening but monitor the number of cases and control the phased reopening to keep the number of cases down. And that's just what we've done for the past seven weeks. We're actually down from where we were when we started reopening, which as you'll remember, no one predicted."

New York City will enter phase three reopening today, but unlike other areas, phase three in the city will not include indoor dining. Personal car services and some recreational activities are allowed to reopen.

WATCH:

11:32 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

7 WNBA players test positive for Covid-19

From CNN's Wayne Sterling

Seven players from the Women's National Basketball Association have tested positive for coronavirus, the league announced Monday. The WNBA tested 137 players between June 28 and July 5.

Today, 11 of the 12 teams are set to arrive in Bradenton, Florida, the home of the 2020 season, which will be highlighted by a 22-game regular season followed by a traditional post-season.

The Indiana Fever will not arrive for at least five days "in an abundance of caution due to the CDC’s close contact self-quarantine requirements."

The team announced Monday that two players have recently tested positive for the virus.

Read the WNBA's statement:

11:27 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Harvard's fall classes will all be delivered online

From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield

Harvard University is planning to bring up to 40% of undergraduates back to campus for the fall semester, including all first-year students, the school announced today.

In addition to first year students, Harvard will allow students who need to be on campus “to progress academically” to return as well.

All course instruction however, will be delivered online, including students who are living on campus.

Those returning to campus will be required to be tested when they arrive and then regularly throughout the semester, among other safety protocols including social distancing and dedicated quarantine space in dorms.

If the school maintains their 40% capacity for the spring semester, first-years would return home and the priority is to allow the senior class to return to campus.

The school anticipates making a final decision about that matter in December.

1:08 p.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Restaurants and gyms must close again in Florida's Miami-Dade County

People order at a restaurant in Miami Beach, Florida, on May 27. Lynne Sladky/AP

Restaurants, gyms and other businesses will have to close this week in Florida's Miami-Dade County as coronavirus cases continue to rise across the state, Mayor Carlos Giménez announced today.

"I am continuing to roll back business openings as we continue to see a spike in the percent of positive COVID-19 tests and an uptick in hospitalizations," he said in a statement on the county website.

Starting Wednesday, these businesses must close, according to the mayor:

Restaurants (except for takeout and delivery services)
Ballrooms
Banquet facilities
Party venues
Gyms and fitness centers
Short-term rentals

Giménez said outdoor activities — including condominium and hotel pools — can stay open strict social distancing and masks rules. Summer camps and child care centers can also stay open with certain capacity limits.

Office buildings, retail stores and salons are also allowed to stay open.

Beaches will reopen tomorrow, "but, if we see crowding and people not following the public health rules, I will be forced to close the beaches again," he said.

11:28 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

McConnell emphasizes need to wear masks as cases surge: "Everyone should be doing that"

From CNN's Haley Byrd

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell listens to questions during a news conference in Washington, DC, on June 30. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday that the coronavirus pandemic is “clearly not over” and urged Americans to wear masks and social distance.

"This is not over. We had hoped we would be on the way to saying goodbye to this health care pandemic. Clearly it is not over,” he said at an event in Louisville.

McConnell said wearing face masks is also key, calling it “the single most important thing.”

"Not complicated,” he added of masks. "Totally available now, and everyone should be doing that."

McConnell also said the Senate will take a look at new coronavirus legislation in a couple of weeks.

If there is another bill, he said, it's vital for it to include liability protections for businesses to avoid a “second epidemic of lawsuits in the wake of the pandemic that we’re already struggling with."

“We cannot get back to normal if we have an epidemic of lawsuits,” he said. He also indicated a potential next package would focus on getting kids back to school and opening childcare.

11:22 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Tensions rise over contact tracing between Miami-Dade County and Florida health officials

From CNN’s Rosa Flores and Sara Weisfeldt

Miami-Dade County is the epicenter of the Covid-19 crisis in Florida, yet according to the county, it currently does not have its own contact tracers because only the state is allowed to do that work.

On May 14, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez announced during a press conference that the county would hire 800 to 1,000 Covid-19 contact tracers.

When CNN asked the county today how many contact tracers the county had hired so far, the county replied by email saying that only the Florida Department of Health can contact trace in the state.

“In Florida, the Florida Department of Health is the only entity authorized to conduct contact tracing. We are in discussions with the state on how the County can supplement their efforts. As soon as these discussions conclude, we will have a direction in what we can do to assist in the contact tracing efforts. So, we don’t have our own,” the Miami-Dade statement said.

CNN has reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment and has not heard back.

11:23 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

2.1 million people rode New York City public transit last week

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

A person walks by a personal protective equipment vending machine at the 42nd Street/Port Authority Bus Terminal subway station in New York on June 30. Byron Smith/Getty Images

Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chair and CEO Patrick J. Foye said New York City subways and buses carried 2.1 million customers last week.

He noted that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio "estimated that at the beginning of phase three, we will add an additional 50,000 customers." Phase three begins today, and sports and recreation can resume, including city basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball, dog runs, handball and bocce, according to the city's mayor.

Foye said he expects ridership to gradually increase.

“We expect a meaningful increase after Labor Day when we believe a lot of white collar workers will return to their jobs," he said.

11:08 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Here's a look at New York City's latest coronavirus numbers as it enters phase 3 of reopening

From CNN's Melanie Schuman

New York City continues to meet the thresholds to continue moving forward with reopening, Mayor Bill de Blasio said today.

There were 62 new patients admitted with a suspected case of coronavirus, under the city’s threshold of 200. At the height of the pandemic, 850 people were admitted for suspected coronavirus cases in a single day according to the mayor.

At least 276 patients are in the public ICUs of the New York City health and hospital system, with a threshold of 375.

1% of those tested were positive, with a threshold of 15%. It’s the lowest percentage of positive the city has seen according to the mayor.

As the city entered phase three of reopening, mass transit usage is going up substantially faster than car traffic, the mayor said Monday.

10:50 a.m. ET, July 6, 2020

Coronavirus cases are rising in Texas child care facilities

From CNN's Alta Spells and Kay Jones

Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported at least 1,335 positive Covid-19 cases throughout the state's open child care facilities.

Of those cases, 894 are among staff and 441 are children, a spokesperson for the state department said.

The positive cases are reported in 883 of the state's child care facilities. The department said that there are 12,220 open child care operations throughout the state.

How these numbers compare: On May 15, the state reported a total of 59 cases in 53 child care facilities — 36 staff and 23 children. And on June 15, there were 210 reported cases in 177 facilities, 141 staff and 69 children.