The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
Friday saw the highest number of daily cases reported since the pandemic began.
For the latest Johns Hopkins University US numbers, check this map. CNN’s map, using JHU data, continues to refresh every 15 mins.
3:44 a.m. ET, December 21, 2020
California Governor quarantining after staff member tests positive for Covid-19
From CNN's Hollie Silverman
Governor Gavin Newsom listens to a reporter's question during a news conference in Rancho Cordova, California on June 26. Rich Pedroncelli/Pool/AP
California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) began a 10-day quarantine Sunday after a member of his staff tested positive for Covid-19, a statement from a spokesperson in the governor's office said.
The staff member who tested positive was in contact with Newsom and other staff members, according to the statement.
Newsom and other staff members tested negative for the virus Sunday, the statement said.
The governor and staff will be tested again over the next few days per state guidelines, according to the statement.
3:21 a.m. ET, December 21, 2020
Seoul imposes a ban on public gatherings of more than five people
From CNN’s Jake Kwon in Seoul
A general view shows the Seoul city skyline and landmark Namsan tower early on December 16. Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
Seoul City's Acting Mayor has imposed a ban on public gatherings of five or more people from December 23.
The restriction starts at midnight on December 23 and will continue until midnight on January 3, Seo Jeong-hyup told reporters on Monday.
Weddings and funerals are exempt from the ban and can go ahead with less than 50 people in attendance.
Seoul and surrounding areas of Incheon and Gyeonggi will be impacted by the ban.
Seoul has already instructed bars and restaurants to close at 9 p.m. on Friday in a bid to curb the spread of infections.
3:10 a.m. ET, December 21, 2020
Congress' pandemic relief deal buys time but seeds bitter battles ahead
Analysis by CNN's Stephen Collinson
A "closed" sign on the door of a business in San Francisco, California on December 7. David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty Images
The belated $900 billion pandemic relief deal that Congress announced Sunday offers some rare good news during the holiday season of a brutal year and a measure of short-term help to laid-off workers and shuttered businesses hammered by twin health and economic crises.
The most optimistic interpretation of the agreement is that despite a tortured process, a deeply divided Capitol Hill finally navigated a way to consensus, pushed by a core of more moderate bipartisan senators who catalyzed compromise in a time-honored fashion.
Steps to extend unemployment benefits, make $600 stimulus payments to some adults, raise food stamps and send money to food pantries, speed vaccine deployments and keep businesses like restaurants afloat will make a tangible difference to American lives. But it is not as if Congress had a choice, and its delay significantly worsened the pain of many Americans.
The deprivation caused by the latest Covid-19 surge came at a moment when some jobless benefits had already expired, and many citizens were facing eviction or are going hungry. New restrictions caused by the out-of-control pandemic are stifling businesses and threaten to reverse a halting recovery.
And any ideas that Sunday's breakthrough is a model for a less dysfunctional Washington during a new presidency next year are undercut by the way the bitter process of the last few weeks revealed vast ideological chasms, suggesting the disconnect in a fractured political system is becoming ever more extreme. This was borne out by the fact that Congress keeps having to pass short-term spending bills to avert a government shutdown.
The US Capitol building is seen down Pennsylvania Avenue on December 20 in Washington, DC. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
US Leaders in the House and Senate reached an agreement late Sunday on a$900 billion pandemic relief bill that includes enhanced unemployment benefits and direct cash payments.
There were several changes made from a proposal put forward nearly two weeks ago by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Direct stimulus checks were brought in at the last minute. Direct aid to states and liability protections for companies were left out.
If the new bill passes, it will be the second-largest federal stimulus package after the $2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March.
Lawmakers in both chambers are expected to vote Monday and send the bill to President Donald Trump's desk for his signature -- just in time to get something done before the end of December, when several aid programs in the CARES Act are set to expire, including key pandemic jobless assistance measures and eviction protections.
The full bill text had not been released as of Sunday night. Here's some of what we know so far from summaries released by Democratic and Republican leadership:
Unemployment benefits: The jobless would receive a $300 weekly federal enhancement in benefits for 11 weeks, from the end of December through mid-March under the deal. The amount is half of the earlier federal boost, which ran out at the end of July.
Small business loans: The bill would reopen the Paycheck Protection Program so that some of the hardest-hit small businesses can apply for a second loan. The program stopped taking applications for the first round of loans in August.
Saudi Arabia suspends all international flights to the kingdom
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Hira Humayun in Atlanta
Saudi Arabia is suspending all international flights following news of the new coronavirus variant, according the Ministry of Interior, state news reported Sunday.
The Saudi government has decided to suspend all international flights for travelers for a week -- and that could be extended, according to Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Exceptions to this include foreign flights currently in the Kingdom’s territory which will be allowed to leave.
Entry into Saudi Arabia through land and sea ports is also suspended for a week, with the possibility of being extended for another week.
Those who entered Saudi Arabia from one of the European countries or any country where the epidemic appeared since December 8 have to adhere to measures including quarantining at home for two weeks, starting from the date of entry into Saudi Arabia.
They also need to get tested for the virus during this period, with repeated tests every five days.
“Anyone who returned from or passed through a European country or any country where the epidemic appeared -- during the past three months -- must conduct an examination for the emerging corona virus (Covid 19)," SPA added. The above-mentioned excludes movement of goods, commodities and supply chains from countries where the mutated virus has not appeared, as determined by the Ministry of Health in coordination with the Ministry of Transport.”
2:47 a.m. ET, December 21, 2020
Who gets Covid-19 vaccine next? Older adults and 'frontline essential workers,' US CDC advisers recommend
From CNN's Jacqueline Howard and Jen Christensen
A physican receives a Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine shot at McLaren Flint Hospital on December 17 in Flint, Michigan. Jake May/MLive.com/The Flint Journal/ AP
Vaccine advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 13-1 on Sunday to recommend that both older adults, ages 75 and older, and "frontline essential workers" including first responders be next in line to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
That would put those people in "Phase 1b" of allocating the vaccine nationwide.
That committee vote also included prioritizing adults ages 65 to 75, people ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions and "other essential workers" in "Phase 1c" of allocation.
"They really serve to address the current lack of vaccine supply and address those individuals with the highest risk for disease," Dr. José Romero, chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and secretary of the Arkansas Department of Health, said about the recommendations.
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices met on Sunday to discuss Phases 1b and 1c of vaccine distribution.
In a previous meeting earlier this month, the group voted on Phase 1a, which advised giving the first round of vaccines to health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities.
There are two Covid-19 vaccines -- Pfizer/BioNTech's and Moderna's -- currently authorized for emergency use in the United States.
“Significant disruption” expected in Kent following France travel restrictions on UK
From CNN’s Max Foster in London
Lorries are parked on the M20 near Folkestone, Kent, England as part of Operation Stack after the Port of Dover was closed and access to the Eurotunnel terminal suspended on December 21. Steve Parsons/PA/AP
A UK Department of Transport spokesperson said Sunday that they are expecting “significant disruption” on roads in the port area of Kent area following France’s restrictions on travel from the UK.
“We are expecting significant disruption in Kent following the announcement by the French Government that, from 23.00 on Sunday 20 December, it will not accept any passengers from the UK for the next 48 hours,” the spokesperson said. “As a result we are urging everybody -- including all hauliers -- to avoid traveling to Kent ports until further notice.
The Department of Transport is working closely with Kent Resilience Forum, Kent Council and Highways England to ensure contingency measures are urgently put in place to manage disruption, the spokesperson said. The Prime Minister will chair a COBR meeting Monday to discuss the situation.
According to the Department of Transport, while “severe disruption” in the Kent area is expected, other ports facing France will also be impacted.
Earlier on Sunday French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced France will suspend travel to and from the United Kingdom for 48 hours, due to the “new health risk.” The suspension begins at midnight local and includes “all means of transport,” he tweeted.
2:46 a.m. ET, December 21, 2020
South Korea records highest number of daily virus deaths since the start of the pandemic
From CNN's Jake Kwon in Seoul
A medical staff wearing a personal protective equipment gear waits for residents at a temporary COVID-19 testing site in Seoul, South Korea on December 20. Simon Shin/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
South Korea reported a further 926 new coronavirus cases and 24 deaths on Sunday, the highest number of deaths reported in a single day since the start of the pandemic.
A total of 24 Covid-19 patients died in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 698, according to figures released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDC) Monday.
Another 649 cases were detected in the capital, the Seoul Metropolitan area, the statement said.
Authorities in Seoul are still deciding whether to increase social distancing restrictions to the maximum level, but fear that it may add further strain to the economy.
South Korea has reported more than 50,500 cases.
Read more about South Korea's coronavirus outbreak here.
