Coronavirus: What's happening around the world on July 20
Florida COVID-19 cases soar again, California sees surge stabilize
The latest:
- Florida teachers' union sues to halt the resumption of in-class instruction.
- EU leaders close in on 1.82-trillion euro ($2.8-trillion Cdn) budget and coronavirus recovery fund.
- Lancet editors express cautious optimism regarding 2 vaccines.
- MPs return to House of Commons to discuss extending emergency wage subsidy.
- Alberta sees highest number of active cases of COVID-19 since May 12.
- Wearing a mask became mandatory in Quebec over the weekend.
- How close are we to a vaccine for COVID-19?
The mayor of Chicago shut down indoor service at bars on Monday and Florida reported more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 for the sixth day in a row, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rage across the United States.
The grim news was offset by an apparent stabilization of the outbreak in California and the fewest hospitalizations in four months in New York state, allowing New York City to enter a new phase of reopening.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the number of cases, hospitalizations and intensive care unit admissions were all still rising in the nation's most populous state but not nearly as much or as fast as in recent weeks.
"We are seeing a reduction in the rate of growth but a rate of growth nonetheless," Newsom, a Democrat, said at a briefing in Sacramento.
"Hospitalizations and ICU [admissions] continue to be cause of concern in this state. That's why we want everybody to double down on what we've been doing," the governor said.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, has threatened to impose a new "stay-at-home" order in the country's second-largest city if trends are not reversed. California's high school sports authority postponed athletic competitions, including football, altering a rite of passage for many Americans.
New York, which has recorded far more deaths than any other U.S. state, recorded only eight fatalities on Sunday. The total number of people hospitalized in New York for the disease fell to 716, the fewest since March 18, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. Restrictions eased slightly with zoos and the Statue of Liberty reopening as well as professional sports without fans.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced new restrictions due to take effect on Friday, including a ban on indoor service at bars and shutdown of personal services such as shaves and facials that require the removal of masks.
"While we aren't near the peak of the pandemic from earlier this year, none of us wants to go back there," Lightfoot said in a statement.
Teachers sue in Florida
Metrics nationwide show a continued surge in the pandemic, with 32 states reporting record increases in COVID-19 cases in July and 15 states reporting record increases in deaths.
The illness has killed 140,000 people in the United States and infected some 3.8 million, both figures leading the world. As of 8 p.m. ET on Monday, the global coronavirus case count stood at 14,641,789, with 608,637 deaths and 8,222,979 cases considered recovered, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
WATCH | Miami beaches, restaurants relatively quiet amid Florida surge:
Florida reported 10,347 new infections on Monday, the sixth day in a row the state has announced over 10,000 new cases. Another 92 people died in Florida, increasing the state's death toll to 5,183.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been sharply criticized for his handling of the crisis, said over the weekend that positivity rates and COVID-19-related emergency room visits have been trending lower in recent weeks.
The state's teachers' union sued DeSantis and other officials on Monday, seeking to halt the resumption of in-class instruction.
WATCH | Trump, Chris Wallace spar over COVID-19 mortality rate:
With school due to resume in August or September, many districts across the country are offering only remote learning or limited in-class instruction. Florida is allowing local school districts to establish their own rules on reopening.
U.S. President Donald Trump, whose handling of the pandemic has been criticized by Democrats and some health experts, is pushing for schools to reopen. He also said he would resume holding regular COVID-19 news briefings on Tuesday after a lengthy hiatus.
What's happening with coronavirus in Canada
As of 8 p.m. ET on Monday, Canada had 111,126 coronavirus infections. Provinces and territories listed 97,474 of those as recovered or resolved. A CBC News tally of deaths based on provincial reports, regional health information and CBC's reporting stood at 8,891.
MPs returned to the House of Commons on Monday to debate legislation introduced by the Liberal government that would reform the federal wage subsidy and provide relief to people with disabilities.
The new bill, C-20, would expand the number of companies that qualify for the wage subsidy, change the amount companies can put toward their workers' wages and extend the program to the end of the year.
If passed, the bill also would send a one-time payment of $600 to people with disabilities and extend some legal deadlines for court cases.
Negotiations between the parties produced an agreement to have the Commons sit for two days this week — not just one — to allow for more time to debate the bill. Since the Bloc Québécois has said its MPs will support the bill, the Liberals have the majority of votes required to ensure it passes the Commons on Tuesday.
WATCH | How to avoid putting students, teachers in vulnerable situations:
Alberta now has more than 1,100 active cases of COVID-19, the highest number seen in the province since May 12.
The latest update from Alberta Health Services, released Monday, reported three more COVID-19 deaths, bringing the total in the province to 170.
The numbers have been climbing steadily in recent days. The province reported 165 new cases on Friday, 106 on Saturday and another 97 on Sunday. That brought the total number of active cases to 1,109.
In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford says more regions will be moving into the third stage of the province's reopening plan Friday.
Ford said Monday that Durham, Halton, Hamilton, Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk, Sarnia-Lambton and York Region will progress later this week. He said Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex will not move ahead, as all three have larger case counts than other regions.
WATCH | Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces further Phase 3 reopening details:
Regions in Stage 3 can hold indoor gatherings of up to 50 people, while outdoor gatherings can include as many as 100 people as long as physical distancing measures are in place.
Restaurants are permitted to resume indoor service as long as tables are spaced two metres apart to encourage physical distancing. Fitness facilities, movie theatres and casinos are also permitted to reopen under Stage 3 rules.
- The key metric that will tell us if Canada is headed for a U.S.-style COVID-19 crisis
- Toronto, Windsor not yet ready for Stage 3 in Ontario reopening
- Lockdown fatigue, sense of invincibility causing rise in young adult infections
- 'Vast majority' following expanded mask guidelines, Quebec officials say
- Do masks reduce your oxygen levels? Your COVID-19 questions answered
What's happening in the rest of the world
Weary European Union leaders finally were closing in on an unprecedented 1.82-trillion euro ($2.8-trillion Cdn) budget and coronavirus recovery fund early Tuesday, somehow finding unity after four days and as many nights of fighting over money and power in one of their longest summits ever.
To confront the biggest recession in its history, officials said the EU had as good as a consensus on a 750-billion euro coronavirus fund to be sent as loans and grants to the countries hit hardest by the virus. That comes on top of the seven-year one-trillion euro EU budget. At first the grants were to total 500 billion euros, but the figure was brought down to 390 billion euros.
"There were extremely tense moments. said French President Emmanuel Macron, "But on content, things have moved forward."
One EU official close to the talks said that "we are as good as there."
A diplomat from a big EU nation said the major issues had been dealt with, but that some member states were looking for final small concessions in the seven-year budget.
France, which has reported more than 30,000 COVID-19-related deaths, widened the number of places masks are required.
Effective Monday, masks are now required in France's supermarkets, shopping malls, banks, stores and indoor markets. Masks were already required in museums, on public transport, in cinemas, places of worship and other enclosed spaces open to the public.
A fine of 135 euros ($210 Cdn) can be levied against those who don't comply.
A surge in coronavirus cases in the second-biggest city in Australia could take weeks to subside despite a lockdown and orders to wear masks, the country's acting chief medical officer said on Monday.
Authorities in the state of Victoria, whose capital Melbourne is in partial lockdown amid a new outbreak, reported 275 new cases on Monday, down from a daily record of 438 three days earlier.
WATCH | Stress, denial influencing mask decisions:
Australia has recorded about 11,800 coronavirus cases with a death toll of 123, a fraction of what has been seen in other countries, but quarantine lapses in Victoria triggered a flare-up in infections in June.
Victoria's government has ordered about five million people into a partial lockdown for six weeks and told residents around Melbourne to cover their faces if they have to leave their homes.
India reported more than 40,000 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday, a record high for the country. The 40,425 new cases raised India's total to 1,118,043, including 27,497 deaths.
The health ministry said late Sunday that India's coronavirus fatality rate — currently at 2.49 per cent — is "progressively falling" due to an effective containment strategy and aggressive testing.
In China, limited numbers of moviegoers were allowed back into cinemas Monday following months of closure in cities such as Shanghai, Hanzhou and Guilin where the risk of virus infection is considered low. Customers wore masks, left open seats between them and observed other safety precautions.
A cluster of cases in the far western region of Xinjiang is China's only current outbreak of domestic infections, and mandatory two-week quarantines remain in effect for Chinese arriving from abroad to guard against imported cases.
WATCH | China moviegoers head to the theatre for the first time in six months:
Hong Kong reported 73 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 66 that were locally transmitted, as new restrictions took effect and authorities warned there was no indication that the situation was coming under control.
The global financial hub reported more than 100 cases on Sunday, a record number as Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced that non-essential civil servants must work from home.
South Korea on Monday reported its smallest daily jump in local coronavirus transmissions in two months, as health authorities expressed cautious optimism that the outbreak is being brought under control.
South Korea's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday still reported 26 newly confirmed cases of the coronavirus, 22 that were tied to international arrivals and four that were local transmissions.
With files from CBC News, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
