Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation extending the Disaster Declaration for all counties in the state in response to Covid-19.
The extension was signed on Monday. The original proclamation was issued on March 13 and has been renewed on a monthly basis since.
"Renewing this Disaster Declaration helps ensure that we have the resources and strategies in place to help communities across Texas respond to COVID-19," Abbott said in a statement. "I urge Texans to take precautionary steps to protect their health by wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitizing their hands. Working together, we will slow the spread and keep our communities safe.”
9:58 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
What's reopening this week: Kids are going back to school and the NFL season will kick off
People watch a film at an AMC theater in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on August 20. Tom Cooper/Getty Images
The US has recorded more than 6.3 million cases of the virus since the pandemic began earlier this year, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.
But today — the day after Labor Day in the US and the unofficial start of fall — some hallmarks of fall and other businesses are starting to reopen.
Here's a look at some of the things that are reopening this week or recently opened their doors again:
Schools: Many students across the country are are going back to today. Sixteen of the nation's largest 101 districts are starting the school year today, including those in Chicago, Houston Independent School District and Dallas Independent School District. Of the 16 districts, 14 of them are beginning their year entirely online. One district — Cyprus-Fairbanks in Texas — is opening either all online or all in-person, with parents choosing which plan they'd like, and another one — Charleston, South Carolina — is opening with a hybrid plan.
Professional football: The National Football League will have its season opener on Thursday, when the Kansas City Chiefs will beginning their Super Bowl title defense against the Houston Texans. Last month, the Chiefs announced it was is planning to have approximately 22% of Arrowhead Stadium’s 76,000 seats filled for the opener.
Senate could vote on slimmed down stimulus bill as soon this week, McConnell says
From CNN's Manu Raju
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pictured in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, on August 25. Timothy D. Easley/AP
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he will introduce the new Republican scaled-back stimulus plan on Tuesday, acknowledging the bill does not have everything that Republicans want in it.
“It does not contain every idea our party likes," McConnell said in a statement. "I am confident Democrats will feel the same. Yet Republicans believe the many serious differences between our two parties should not stand in the way of agreeing where we can agree and making law that helps our nation."
What happens next: A procedural vote to bring up the plan could happen as soon as this week, McConnell said. 60 votes would be needed to overcome the Democratic filibuster and advance the proposal, and the plan is far short of securing the necessary votes.
CNN also reported earlier this morning that Republicans privately acknowledge they have not yet won the backing of 51 of their members for their party’s stimulus proposal.
This comes after McConnell offered a $1 trillion dollar plan in July, but Republicans were badly divided over that proposal and he never brought that plan up for a vote.
9:24 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
First day of school postponed in Hartford, Connecticut, after ransomware virus
From CNN's Adam Levine
Hartford Public Schools in Connecticut said it has postponed the opening of schools for both in person and online learning today, citing a ransomware virus that caused an outage of critical systems within the network infrastructure.
In a statement posted on their official website, officials note that the system in part communicates transportation routes to the bus company “and it is preventing our ability to operate schools on Tuesday.”
“Everyone at Hartford Public Schools was ready to welcome back our beautiful and capable students in person and remotely. We will provide updates when we have additional information to share.”
Officials are working to restore the system.
8:59 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
TSA screened 36% of last year's traffic over Labor Day weekend
From CNN's Greg Wallace and Pete Muntean
Airlines saw about a third of the traffic they did last year over the long Labor Day weekend, according to numbers from the Transportation Security Administration.
The agency said it screened 4.1 million people this Labor Day weekend, from Thursday through Monday. That averages to about 36% of the 11.3 million people screened on Labor Day weekend in 2019.
Monday fell short of the agency’s prediction that it would screen 1 million people. It saw 935,000 travelers.
Friday was the busiest day during the pandemic, when 969,000 people were screened.
8:40 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
Vaccine developers deemed it "critical" to reiterate their commitment to ethics, Pfizer CEO says
From CNN's Naomi Thomas
The vaccine developers involved in the pledge to maintain high ethical standards for vaccines felt the need to reiterate their commitment to high ethical standards and scientific processes, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on NBC’s Today show on Tuesday.
“With increasing public concerns about the processes we are using to develop these vaccines, and even more importantly, the processes that will be used to evaluate these vaccines, we saw it as critical to come out and reiterate our commitment that we will develop our products, our vaccines, using the highest ethical standards and the most scientific [rigorous] processes,” Bourla said.
The nine vaccine makers said they will stand with science, at a time when the world is looking to science — in particular to a vaccine — to help bring us to the end of the pandemic, Bourla said.
“The only rival here is the virus, and the time to get the vaccine to this,” Bourla said.
He called the pledge between nine vaccine makers “historic” and “an unprecedented moment.”
9:25 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
South Africa's economy contracts 17% in Q2, as coronavirus hits
From CNN's Eleni Giokos in Johannesburg
A person walks by a closed liquor store in Cape Town, South Africa, on July 23. Dwayne Senior/Bloomberg/Getty Images
South Africa’s economy shrank by 17.1% in the second quarter of 2020, as it felt the devastating impact of the economic shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In late March, the government shut down non-essential businesses for five weeks to curb the spread of coronavirus; it has since taken a gradual approach to reopening the economy.
Mining and manufacturing were among the worst-hit industries, with only agriculture showing any growth in Q2.
South Africa has seen one of the worst declines in GDP globally according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The country had already entered recession in the first quarter of the year, and has now seen four consecutive quarters of economic decline.
8:19 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
Nine vaccine makers sign safety pledge in race for Covid-19 vaccine
From CNN Health's Jacqueline Howard
Nine biopharmaceutical companies have signed an unusual pledge to uphold "high ethical standards," suggesting they won’t seek premature government approval for Covid-19 vaccines.
The pledge, released on Tuesday, states: "We, the undersigned biopharmaceutical companies, want to make clear our on-going commitment to developing and testing potential vaccines for COVID-19 in accordance with high ethical standards and sound scientific principles."
The companies that signed up to it are: AstraZeneca, BioNTech, Moderna, Pfizer, Novavax, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Merck.
The pledge comes just about a week after US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said the agency could consider emergency use authorization or approval for a Covid-19 vaccine before critical Phase 3 trials are complete.
The nine companies on Tuesday wrote that they pledge to "Only submit for approval or emergency use authorization after demonstrating safety and efficacy through a Phase 3 clinical study that is designed and conducted to meet requirements of expert regulatory authorities such as FDA."
Pfizer and Moderna have vaccines in late-stage, Phase 3 clinical trials in the United States; Johnson & Johnson is preparing to start one.
7:16 a.m. ET, September 8, 2020
As UK coronavirus cases rise, "people have relaxed too much" officials warn
From CNN's Amy Woodyatt in London
People are seen in a park in London's South Bank area on August 10. Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto/Getty Images
As the UK sees a rise in coronavirus cases, officials are warning that "people have relaxed too much."
The United Kingdom recorded 2,988 new Covid-19 cases in a 24-hour period on Sunday -- the highest daily number since May. Another 2,948 new cases were reported on Monday.
Deputy Chief Medical Professor Jonathan Van Tam said the rise in cases was "of great concern."
Speaking to the BBC, Van Tam said that although people had been able to "relax a bit over the summer," with disease levels low following lockdown, "these latest figures really show us, as much as people might like to say, 'Oh well it’s gone away' -- it hasn’t gone away."
"People have relaxed too much, and now is the time for us to re-engage and realize that this is a continuing threat to us," he warned.
"Don't kill your gran": Health experts and officials have directed many of their warnings towards young people.
"The rise in the number of cases we've seen over the last few days is largely amongst younger people … under 25's – especially between 17 and 21," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in an interview with LBC radio on Monday, adding the rise has been most noticeable among “more affluent, younger people”.
He said even though younger people are at lower risk of dying from Covid-19, there is a risk that they could infect other people.
In an interview with Sky News, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick warned young people who are "out enjoying themselves" to exercise caution "particularly when they go home and see their elderly relatives."
Hancock echoed a similar sentiment, telling BBC Radio 1's Newsbeat's listeners: "Don't kill your gran by catching coronavirus and then passing it on."
But some have complained that the government's messaging has been confusing.
In August, the UK government ran an "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme encouraging people to use restaurants, cafes and pubs -- which some say undermines efforts to curtail the virus.
And Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been encouraging people to return to work since May.
UK universities are also set to resume classes soon -- despite Hancock's comments that students going back to university are a "concern."
"For ministers and universities to rely on the behaviour of students, rather than deploying the public health infrastructure needed to control the virus, is a complete shirking of their own responsibility," Jo Grady, general secretary of the University and College Union, said in a statement.
"Students have been told to move, live, study and socialise together," Grady added. "It is totally unacceptable for Matt Hancock to try and suggest that they will be at fault for any second wave."
