Delaware extends state of emergency due to Covid-19
From CNN's Chuck Johnston
Delaware Gov. John Carney announced the extension of the state of emergency declaration in the state to combat the spread of Covid-19 and urged residents to "stay vigilant" during Labor Day weekend.
“Delawareans have made real sacrifices to flatten the COVID-19 curve, and keep their families, friends and neighbors healthy. But if we hope to get more children in school, and more Delawareans back to work, we need to stay vigilant, especially this Labor Day weekend. Wear a face covering and avoid large gatherings. Wash or sanitize your hands frequently. Keep your distance from others outside your household. We’re beating COVID-19, but this fight isn’t over," Carney said in a statement
12:36 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020
New York state casinos and NYC malls can reopen next week
From CNN's Brian Vitagliano
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wearing a protective mask attends during the daily media briefing at the Office of the Governor of the State of New York on July 23 in New York City. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that casinos can reopen on Wednesday, on the condition they have enhanced air filtration systems installed.
They are allowed to have a 25% max capacity, and the capacity will be monitored at the door with the New York State gaming commission taking the lead as the enforcement agency.
Table games won’t be allowed on the casino floors unless they can figure out how to put physical barriers between players and dealers, until barriers are approved by the gaming commission, table games are not allowed, according to the governor. There will no beverage service allowed on the gaming floor.
Shopping malls in New York City are also permitted to reopen on Wednesday with a 50% capacity, as long as they too have enhanced air filtration devices installed. Masks and social distancing will be required as well.
Cuomo announced the state conducted 88,000 tests on Wednesday with 898 positive tests recorded, bringing the positivity rate to .99%. There were at least seven Covid-19 deaths reported on Wednesday.
Cuomo said the Covid-19 news out of Western New York is, “not good news,” with positivity rate reaching 1.9%.
"This is truly a serious situation and I hope the people of Western New York takes it as seriously as they should, the scale doesn’t lie in the morning," Cuomo said.
12:26 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020
Stocks tumble one day after hitting record high
From CNN's Anneken Tappe
The Nasdaq Composite tumbled nearly 5% and the Dow fell 700 points — or 2.6% — on Thursday
The S&P was down 3.4%.
Stocks tumbled just one day after hitting a record high. The Nasdaq had climbed above 12,000 points for the first time in history Wednesday.
So what's happening? Well for one, the Nasdaq has been outperforming the other two major stock indexes — the Dow and the S&P 500 — for months, so investors might just be taking making some adjustments after Wednesday's record highs. The Nasdaq remains up nearly 30% in 2020, far outpacing its counterparts.
But there are also technical reasons for Thursday's decline. As US-China relations sour, investors are moving money out of tech, which could get hit the hardest from a potential increase in tariffs.
The Big Tech companies such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, all of which are part of the Nasdaq, have become the safe-haven investment of the summer. But investors have beginning to wonder when the rally will run out of steam, either because of increased regulation or because the economy as a whole picks up enough to void the need for safety picks altogether.
12:11 p.m. ET, September 3, 2020
At least 100 people in Cuba have died from Covid-19
From CNN’s Patrick Oppmann in Havana
At least 100 people have died in Cuba from the coronavirus, the country's top epidemiologist said Thursday.
In a briefing, Dr. Alfredo Duran Garcia reported two new coronavirus related deaths and 88 new cases of the virus.
To date, Cuba has reported 4,214 cases of the coronavirus.
Earlier the Cuban government said the spread of the virus was under control and had begun to reopen the communist-run island.
But after additional outbreaks in Havana, the Cuban government earlier this month shut down travel to and from the Cuban capital and instituted a nightly curfew.
11:43 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
More than half of Ohio State's quarantine and isolation beds are in use, school says
From CNN's Elizabeth Hartfield
Ohio State University reported a total of 269 new cases of coronavirus in students on Monday, according to the most recent data available on the school’s dashboard.
The university has reported a total of at least 882 cases since mid-August, and averaged a positivity rate of 4.5% for the last week.
The school has 165 quarantine and isolation beds left available out of a total of 414, the dashboard shows. So far, 198 isolation beds are in use, as are an additional 98 quarantine beds.
Remember: The school updates its data for 24 hour periods when the complete testing set is available, meaning the latest reported data can lag.
11:38 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
CNN and "Sesame Street" to host town hall on going back to school amid the pandemic
From CNN's Melissa Mahtani
As families try to navigate going back to school during the coronavirus pandemic, "Sesame Street" and CNN are teaming up for the "The ABCs of Back to School, A CNN/Sesame Street Town Hall for Families."
They will be joined by Sesame Street Muppets and school-aged children in a variety of learning environments, with Elmo going to preschool during the week, Big Bird in hybrid learning and Rosita fully remote. The trio will be joined by Abby Cadabby and her brother Rudy, Super Grover and other friends from Sesame Street.
Parents can send in their questions below, along with their full names and phone numbers.
11:44 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
Decision to have indoor dining in NYC will be made this month, mayor says
From CNN's Sheena Jones
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio speaks to reporters after visiting New Bridges Elementary School to observe pandemic-related safety procedures, in the Brooklyn borough of New York on August 19. John Minchillo/AP
A decision to have indoor dining in New York City will be made in September, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday adding that the decision could come as soon as tomorrow.
The mayor made the comment during Thursday’s Covid-19 press conference as reporters asked the mayor about a lawsuit filed by city officials to allow limited indoor dining.
“I said this week we will come to a decision in the next day and definitely in the month of September and give guidance based on all the facts and data,” de Blasio said.
11:36 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
Fauci "sticks by" his encouragement to return to in-person teaching in schools, he says
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
Source: CNN
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN's Jim Sciutto on Thursday that he "sticks by" what he has said previously about reopening schools and encouraging in-person teaching.
"Obviously it isn't all black and white. It isn't all yes or no. But in general, if you're in a situation, in a green zone, where you have a very low level of infection and test positivity then in general you can open the schools with impunity as long as you're heads up and you have a plan of knowing what to do when you see children who are infected," Fauci said on Thursday.
"When you get into the yellow zone and the red zone, it becomes different. You have to do certain mitigations when you're in the yellow zone and in the red zone, it does become problematic," Fauci said, adding that parents and teachers with underlying conditions may have to make different decisions than those who are otherwise healthy.
"I think you have to respect the concerns of people who have underlying conditions," Fauci said. "If someone really is concerned, you have to respect the fact that they may not want to be there — but for others who are generally healthy and don't have underlying conditions, I would encourage them to go and begin the in-person teaching."
WATCH:
11:44 a.m. ET, September 3, 2020
"We should be testing people under certain circumstances who are without symptoms," Fauci says
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard
Source: CNN
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recent update to its testing guidelines "was clearly open to misinterpretation" and people who have been exposed to Covid-19 over a prolonged period of time should get tested whether they show symptoms or not, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, told CNN's Jim Sciutto.
The CDC last week changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines to say some people without symptoms may not need to be tested, even if they've been in close contact with someone known to have the virus.
"The CDC has now clarified that that sentence in a vacuum, the way it read, gave the impression — which was clearly open to misinterpretation — that that means that they're not concerned about community spread and that they're not concerned about testing people who are without symptoms," Fauci said on Thursday.
"Let's clarify that: Community spread is important. People without symptoms do spread the infection and we should be testing people under certain circumstances who are without symptoms, no doubt about that," Fauci said. "Right now certainly, if you have an actionable situation where there is an exposure that's prolonged and consistent with someone who is infected and you are without symptoms you should get tested."
