July 13 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Steve George, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya, Mike Hayes and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 8:15 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020
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1:26 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

New Mexico closes indoor restaurant seating as Covid-19 cases rise

From CNN’s Konstantin Toropin

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has re-enacted restrictions on indoor seating at restaurants and breweries in response to a rise in Covid-19 cases in the state, a statement from her office said.

The new public health order again prohibits indoor dining at restaurants, which had been allowed with limits since June 1, and restricts indoor seating at breweries, which was allowed with limits since June 15, according to the statement.

The latest numbers: In the past two weeks, the state has seen at least 3,049 new positive cases of Covid-19, representing 20.2% of the total positive cases statewide over the course of the pandemic, according to the governor’s office.

However, the state’s infection rates are not as serious as its neighbor, Arizona, which has led the nation for over a month with the highest seven-day average of new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, according to a CNN analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University.

Both restaurants and breweries can still seat people outdoors at 50% of their capacity and restaurants can continue to operate carry out, pickup and delivery services, the statement said.

The governor also tightened restrictions on gyms and other “close contact businesses” like tattoo shops and salons. Those establishments are now limited to 25% of their maximum capacity, the statement said.

1:21 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

NBA star Russell Westbrook says he tested positive for Covid-19

From CNN's Jabari Jackson

Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook announced he has tested positive for coronavirus. 

In a statement issued on social media, Westbrook said he’s feeling well as he anticipates joining his teammates once cleared from the virus. 

“I tested positive for Covid-19 prior to my team’s departure to Orlando,” Westbrook said in the statement. “I’m currently feeling well, quarantined, and looking forward to rejoining my teammates when I am cleared. Thank you all for the well wishes and continued support. Please take the virus seriously. Be safe. Mask up. #whynot”   

Westbrook and another teammate, James Harden, haven’t joined the rest of the team in Orlando ahead of the NBA restart. The Rockets tip off the season against the Dallas Mavericks on July 31.

Read the tweet:

1:06 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

White House wants to tie new stimulus money for schools to their reopening

From CNN's Sarah Westwood

Des Moines Public Schools custodian Cynthia Adams cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School on July 8 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Des Moines Public Schools custodian Cynthia Adams cleans a desk in a classroom at Brubaker Elementary School on July 8 in Des Moines, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall/AP

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is working on a supplemental funding request for education that would essentially create a new pot of money for schools — but one that districts can only access if they commit to reopening, a source familiar with the plan tells CNN. 

The White House has been told it cannot withhold existing funding from schools to get them to open their classrooms. This is a new working strategy to get around the rules: Instead of threatening baseline funding, the White House will just try to offer additional money to provide an advantage to schools that reopen.

The proposal, which is for now in the works as part of the White House proposal for the next stimulus bill, provides yet another example of aides scrambling to find a workable avenue for plans President Donald Trump has announced without warning or preparation.

Some context: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on CNN yesterday would not deny that the administration would look at withholding funds from schools in order to force their hands. And earlier this morning, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow suggested in an interview with Fox News that there may be a financial incentive for local governments that reopen their schools amid the President’s push to reopen. 

12:55 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

More than 135,000 people have died from coronavirus in the US

There are at least 3,323,432 cases of coronavirus in the US, and at least 135,272 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

 On Monday, Johns Hopkins reported 18,490 new cases and 67 reported deaths.  

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases. 

1:02 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

Patriot League to cancel all competition in the 2020 fall season citing Covid-19 pandemic

From CNN's Jabari Jackson

Georgetown Hoyas Running Back Herman Moultrie III runs past Holy Cross Crusaders defenders during a Patriot League college football game on November 17, 2018 at Cooper Field in Washington, DC.
Georgetown Hoyas Running Back Herman Moultrie III runs past Holy Cross Crusaders defenders during a Patriot League college football game on November 17, 2018 at Cooper Field in Washington, DC. Bradley Rex/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

The Patriot League has canceled all fall college sports for 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The league added a decision on winter sports will be “made at a later date.”

In a statement issued on Monday, the league detailed its plan to cancel the fall sports season as a result of health and safety concerns for all parties involved. Conditioning, strength training and other practice events in all sports “will be permitted provided health and safety conditions support such activities.” 

The United States Military Academy and the United States Naval Academy will be allowed to continue to “engage” in competition “as considered appropriate by their respective Superintendents.” 

The league will also consider having fall sport competition and championships in the spring semester to provide “future competitive experiences to our fall sport student-athletes.” 

12:51 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

Attorneys general sue Trump administration over international student policy

From CNN's Brian Vitagliano

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaks during a news conference on September 16, 2019, in Boston.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey speaks during a news conference on September 16, 2019, in Boston. Steven Senne/AP

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey along with 17 other state attorneys generals, including New Jersey and Connecticut, filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration, aimed at preventing a federal rule that “threatens to bar hundreds of thousands of international students from studying in the United States." 

In a press release Monday, Healy said the lawsuit filed in US District Court in Massachusetts against the Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement challenges what the attorneys general call the federal government’s “cruel, abrupt, and unlawful action to expel international students amidst the pandemic that has wrought death and disruption across the United States.” 

The lawsuit is seeking an injunction to stop the entire federal rule from going into effect while the case is litigated. The attorney generals', according to the release, have requested a hearing as soon as possible on the matter. 

Healey said the lawsuit, “alleges that the federal government’s actions are arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion because they reverse previous guidance without explanation, input, or rationale – in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act – and fail to consider the need to protect public health and safety amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

Separately, there is a hearing Tuesday for a lawsuit filed by Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology seeking to block the directive, arguing it violates the Administrative Procedures Act. 

Remember: Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced last week that international students who are pursuing degrees in the US will have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses, 

The move may affect thousands of foreign students who come to the US to attend universities or participate in training programs, as well as non-academic or vocational studies.

12:37 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

Trump considering incentives to local governments that reopen schools, economic adviser says

From CNN's Betsy Klein and Ali Main

President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House on July 2 in Washington, DC, as White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow looks on.
President Donald Trump speaks during a news briefing at the White House on July 2 in Washington, DC, as White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow looks on. Evan Vucci/AP

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow suggested Monday that there may be a financial incentive for local governments that reopen their schools.

Kudlow reiterated that President Trump is considering defunding schools that do not reopen, but, “I think the President would be willing to consider additional funding for state and local governments if the schools do reopen, so that is perhaps an incentive.”

The Fox hosts asked him about his comments that going back to school shouldn’t be “that hard.” 

“Local conditions will prevail and local guidelines will prevail," he said. "There's a lot of options here. I'm not an expert on all these things. Some of these are architectural issues. Some of these are funding issues. As I said, I think the President would be willing to consider additional funds if all these schools reopen,” he added.

He wouldn’t provide specifics on how much money would be allocated for areas that reopen schools. 

“It's something that probably would be on the table. He has not made a decision. This is a pre-decisional thought, but it can be done," he said.

"I mean this is not...so difficult. We shouldn't be so pessimistic...America is creative and innovative,” Kudlow added. 

He also acknowledged on Fox that the new case rate is “disturbing” but it “doesn’t yet seem to be translating” into another economic downturn. 

12:28 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

People traveling from hotspots to New York by plane must give local officials contact information

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he will soon issue an emergency health order that mandates that people traveling from high-risk states must give their contact information to local officials so the state can enforce the mandatory two-week quarantine.

People traveling to New York state by plane will get a contact form to fill out. If they leave the airport without turning it back in, they will receive a summons and a $2,000 fine. Those travelers may also be brought to a hearing and be forced to quarantine.

New York currently requires anyone traveling from a state with a high infection rate to quarantine for at least two weeks once they enter the state. Cuomo said there have been incidents of travelers coming to the state and not complying with the quarantine, causing outbreaks in communities.

Cuomo added that there are two threats to the state's success in battling coronavirus — people who do not comply with social distancing and other safety measures and outbreaks across the country, that could travel back to New York.

The governor said that because of these two new threats, state officials are adding two new factors to the list of considerations for reopening.

The state previously used three "gauges" on the "reopening valve": Diagnostic testing rate, antibody testing and hospitalization rates.

Cuomo said today that along with those three factors, the state will now also consider the effects of non-compliance and the effect of the national outbreak outside of New York.

12:32 p.m. ET, July 13, 2020

DC reports no coronavirus deaths for 4 consecutive days

From CNN's Lauren Koenig

Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that the District has seen four consecutive days with no coronavirus deaths.

The first DC resident died from coronavirus complications on March 20. Since then, at least 528 individuals have died from Covid-19.

This is the first time since then that the District has seen four consecutive days without a loss of life due to coronavirus.

This comes as coronavirus cases are still slightly trending up.

The city reported 59 new cases today, bringing the district’s overall positive case total to 10,906.

In order to enter phase three of reopening, Bowser has said Washington, DC needs to see 14 days of decreased cases.

The city made it 8 days, but spikes brought it back down to three. Currently, the city has seen 5 days of decreased cases.