By Joshua Berlinger, Adam Renton, Zamira Rahim and Ed Upright, CNN
Updated 12:53 a.m. ET, August 8, 2020
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9:16 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
US economy added 1.8 million jobs in July — but it's still down nearly 13 million during the pandemic
From CNN's Anneken Tappe
Job seekers exercise social distancing as they wait to be called into the Heartland Workforce Solutions office in Omaha, Nebraska, on Wednesday, July 15. Nati Harnik/AP
The US economy added another 1.8 million jobs in July, a sharp slowdown from June and a small step for an economy that's still down 12.9 million jobs during the pandemic.
It was the third-straight month of improvement after the spring lockdown to stem the spread of the disease decimated the labor market. But the economy added far fewer than the 4.8 million jobs added in June.
The unemployment rate fell to 10.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, but remains above the Great Recession high of 10% that it reached in October 2009.
Hear more:
8:43 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
Baltimore health chief says she wouldn't eat indoors as city restaurants reopen
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
Restaurants in Baltimore will be allowed to reopen at 5 p.m. ET today, with indoor dining limited to 25%, despite White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx naming the Maryland city as an area of concern.
Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa said she herself wouldn’t advise going out to eat indoors at a restaurant, instead encouraging residents to eat outside or order takeout.
She said officials are facing “very tough” decisions to balance health and economic concerns.
“What I want to tell people is even with us opening these things, it is not at all a time to stop being cautious and to lose your vigilance,” she said, advising residents to wear their masks.
Dzirasa said the city’s Covid-19 positivity rate is at about 5.8%. “At the beginning of July, it was 5.1%, and it’s well above the state's average, which was around 4%,” she said.
Dzirasa attributed the rise to larger gatherings.
“I think that particularly in young people, which is where we're seeing this higher rate of cases and this higher positivity rate, they could be asymptomatic and getting together and potentially spreading it,” she said.
The country often records more than 40,000 new cases daily — and sometimes more than 60,000. That means the US is on track to soon surpass 5 million total cases.
Here's a look at new daily cases for the past two weeks:
8:24 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
Libya reports record increase in cases
From CNN's Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul
A Libyan doctor tests for the novel coronavirus with a blood sample taken from a shopkeeper in the Tajura area, a coastal suburb east of the capital Tripoli, on June 1. Mahmud Turkia/AFP/Getty Images
Libya reported 404 new coronavirus cases Thursday, a record high for the country.
Libya has a total of 4,879 confirmed cases and 107 deaths, according to its National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and Johns Hopkins University, but officials fear the case count could be much higher due to the country's extremely limited testing capability.
Last week, local authorities in the port city of Misrata declared a state of emergency after a significant increase in the number of cases there.
Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord extended a curfew for all areas under its control by another ten days, starting on Friday.
The daily curfew will be from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time, with a 24-hour curfew on Friday and Saturday.
On Thursday, the government announced new preventative measures, including making the wearing of masks mandatory in public places and on public transport.
Businesses have been ordered not to accept customers without face masks and must have clear social distancing instructions.
Firms that do not comply with these measures or the curfew hours will face fines and suspension of licenses for repeated violations, the government said.
8:05 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
Two German schools shut again after new cases
From CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Berlin
Goethe High School in Ludwigslust-Parchim, Germany, is pictured on August 7. Iris Leithold/dpa/picture alliance/Getty Images
Two schools in northeast Germany have closed due to coronavirus infections, state authorities announced on Friday. Both schools, the Ostsee elementary school and the Goethe High School, are in the state of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. This was the first German state to re-open for classes, at the beginning of this week following the summer holidays.
In one of the schools, the Goethe High School, a teacher tested positive for the virus but had not yet given any lessons to students, the district of Ludwigslust-Parchim, where the school is located, announced on its website.
The school will remain shut until next Wednesday and all 55 teachers will be also be tested, local authorities said.
“Safety first! We will continuously inform parents, teachers and students about new developments,” Mayor Stefan Sternberg said in a statement on the district's official website.
In the second school, the Ostsee Elementary School in the district of greater Rostock, a student tested positive for Covid-19, according to local authorities.
Rostock district said in a press release that all students and staff will be quarantined.
“The students will not be going to school for a limited amount of time. Our safety concept has the aim of reacting precisely and locally to any possible infection without having to resort to large scale school closures,” Mecklenburg-West Pomerania’s Education Minister Bettina Martin said in a statement published by state authorities.
On Thursday the German government voiced concern over a recent spike in infections across the country, and urged citizens to follow pandemic rules like social distancing, mask wearing and sanitizing more closely.
8:02 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
It's 1 p.m. in London and 8 a.m. in New York. Here's what you need to know
The novel coronavirus has infected more than 19 million people worldwide and caused more than 715,000 deaths. Here's the latest on the pandemic:
Hong Kong to launch universal testing: The city will offer voluntary, universal testing as officials scramble to contain a third wave of the virus.
Cases soar among young: The World Health Organization says the proportion of cases in young people has gone up six-fold during the pandemic.
Hawaii reinstates inter-island quarantine: Officials are tightening restrictions after a surge in Covid-19 cases statewide -- with the majority of the cases on the island of Oahu.
Young women more likely to experience poor mental health in lockdown: A study from University College London suggests that women aged 30 experienced an increase in mental health problems due to Covid-19.
7:50 a.m. ET, August 7, 2020
CDC shuts buildings after virus shutdown leads to Legionnaire's disease risk
From CNN Health's Maggie Fox
Legionella colonies are seen illuminated using ultraviolet light, cultured on an agar plate. Centers for Disease Control/Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says it has closed several buildings it leases in Atlanta because Legionella bacteria have been found in their water systems -- bacteria that likely grew because of the prolonged pandemic shutdown.
It's a problem that people across the country need to be on the lookout for, the CDC says. The bacteria, which can cause deadly pneumonia, grow in warm or stagnant water.
The plumbing in buildings that have been closed for months because of the coronavirus pandemic could provide a perfect breeding ground for Legionella and other waterborne pathogens, the CDC cautions.
It even happened to the CDC itself.
"During the recent closures at our leased space in Atlanta, working through the General Services Administration (GSA), CDC directed the landlord to take protective actions," the CDC said in a statement to CNN. "Despite their best efforts, CDC has been notified that Legionella, which can cause Legionnaires' Disease, is present in a cooling tower as well as in some water sources in the buildings. Out of an abundance of caution, we have closed these buildings until successful remediation is complete."
Passports for sale: How the super-rich have boosted their travel options in a pandemic
From CNN's Kate Springer
For most people, the pandemic has meant fewer travel options. Not so for super-rich families who are increasingly using their money to cross borders that would otherwise be closed to them.
This is the elite world of investment migration, where passport applications are based not on nationality or citizenship, but on wealth and the willingness to move it around the planet.
These so-called citizen-by-investment programs, or CIPs, are currently a growth industry, as are residence-by-investment arrangements, also known as "golden visas."
They're a way for ultra-rich individuals to not only diversify their portfolio by moving their money into a country, but also receive the benefits of citizenship, including a new passport.
Over the past five to 10 years, the primary motivations amongst CIP participants -- who tend to have a net worth of anywhere from $2 million to over $50 million -- have been freedom of movement, tax benefits and lifestyle factors, such as better education or civil liberties.
But with Covid-19 dramatically transforming our 2020, some elite families are also considering healthcare, pandemic responses and potential safe havens to ensure they have a backup plan for the future.
Hawaii reinstates inter-island travel quarantine as Covid-19 cases surge
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
Visitors are seen at Ala Moana Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 29, amid the novel coronavirus outbreak. Kyodo News/Getty Images
Hawaiian officials are tightening restrictions after a surge in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide -- with the majority of the cases on the island of Oahu.
About 200 new cases and two new deaths were reported Thursday, Gov. David Ige said.
There is no question that the virus is surging," he said. "This is the last thing that we wanted to do ... As we reopen our community people let their guard down. It's been very disappointing."
Ige announced that a 14-day inter-island travel quarantine will be in place starting August 11 to stop further spread to other islands.
Bruce Anderson, Director of Hawaii Department of Health, said 117 Covid patients are in the hospital statewide, with 115 of them on Oahu.
More than 53% of the ICU beds on the island are filled, he said.
