The latest developments on the coronavirus pandemic for April 27, 2020
NEW YORK - FOX 5 NY is updating this blog with the latest developments on the coronavirus outbreak so you can get the information in one spot.
9:35 PM: Sales of homebrewing and home wine-making equipment have shot up during the pandemic.
9:30 PM: The Los Angeles Lakers NBA team have returned $4.6 million from the federal coronavirus business relief funds.
9:00 PM: The government of British Columbia, Canada, is making plans to relax provincewide restrictions; a firm date has not been set.
8:45 PM: The FBI reports an uptick in hate crimes and harassment against Asian Americans since the outbreak of COVID-19; many Asian-American celebrities are speaking out against hate.
7:56 PM: Poll: Americans' support for mail-in voting has jumped amid concerns about the safety of polling places during the coronavirus pandemic.
7:05 PM: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says all businesses and social events will be allowed to reopen next week as long as residents and business owners continue to practice proper social distancing requirements.
7:04 PM: The pandemic has hit Idaho nursing homes very hard; at least 150 cases reported at 16 different long-term care facilities; at least 26 people have died.
6:28 PM: The NBA delays plans by at least 1 week that would allow teams to reopen their practice facilities.
5:07 PM: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says restaurants, retailers, malls and movie theaters in his state will be allowed to re-open with restrictions beginning on Friday, May 1.
5:05 PM: California Gov. Gavin Newsom scolds beachgoers in Southern California for getting too close to each other over the weekend.
4:46 PM: Connecticut is working on plans to ramp up testing, including of asymptomic people, in order to implement lifting of restrictions.
4:37 PM: Gov. Lamont says the 3-day rolling average of new hospitalizations is down, which is good news.
4:35 PM: Connecticut officials discuss efforts to partner with restaurants and food programs to make sure state residents continue to have access to adequate food; one plan is to allow people to use SNAP benefits for online ordering of groceries and home deliveries.
4:25 PM: Gov. Lamont talks about potential issues with the food supply and the possible effect on families that are already food-insecure; says the state will work to "shore up" its food supply.
4:20 PM: Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont holds an update on the state's response to the coronavirus crisis | WATCH LIVE: https://fox5ny.com/live
3:28 PM: Hotels and home-sharing companies are beefing up their cleaning efforts in order to soothe jittery travelers.
Hilton said Monday it’s teaming up with RB — which makes Lysol and Dettol disinfectants — and the Mayo Clinic to develop new cleaning procedures that will be in place by June. The news follows Marriott’s announcement last week that it’s creating a cleanliness council to develop new standards. Marriott’s council includes infectious disease specialists and an expert from EcoLab, which makes commercial cleaning products.
Airbnb also said Monday that it’s developing cleaning protocols for its hosts with guidance from former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and EcoLab. Airbnb said starting in May, guests will be able to see if a host commits to Airbnb’s new cleaning protocol, which includes requirements for cleaners to wear masks and use certain disinfectants. As a precaution, hosts will also be required to observe a 24-hour waiting period before booking new guests in a property.
Hospitality companies have been hammered by the new coronavirus. U.S. hotel occupancy is at a historic low, and many hotels worldwide have closed temporarily and furloughed staff. Airbnb has promised $250 million in reimbursements for hosts to help make up for lost business.
2:45 PM: The Michigan Corrections Department says a 12th inmate has died from COVID-19 complications at Lakeland Prison; more than 50% of inmates have tested positive.
2:17 PM: Republican lawmakers in Illinois demand more information on inmates who have been released due to the claiming some have violent criminal histories and could threaten public safety.
2:15 PM: Several groups sue the government of Toronto, Canada, over its handling of homeless people during the pandemic.
2:13 PM: Stocks around the world rallied Monday as governments prepare to gradually lift restrictions that are meant to slow the coronavirus outbreak but are also erasing businesses and jobs.
Banks, hotels, smaller companies and other businesses that stand to gain the most from people re-emerging from their homes jumped to the biggest gains. They helped drive the S&P 500 up 1.3% in afternoon trading, at the start of a week chockablock with market-moving events.
Several of the world’s largest central banks are meeting this week, including the Bank of Japan, which announced its latest stimulus measures to prop up markets. A slew of the biggest U.S. companies are also scheduled to report how much profit they made in the first three months of 2020, including the handful that most heavily dictates how the market moves. More importantly, CEOs may also talk about how they see future conditions shaking out.
1:35 PM: Murphy: As I remask, I want to thank everybody. We will be here tomorrow at 1 p.m. I'll be shocked if that will be shifted. We will be announcing the members of the commission. Please keep doing what you're doing because it's working. It's in your hands.
1:23 PM: Murphy asked if there will be restrictions coming in from elsewhere.
Murphy: I can't imagine that a restaurant in Jersey City is going to have a different protocol than one in Lower Manhattan. That's an example.
1:18 PM: Murphy asked about getting people to stay home as the weather gets warmer. He was also asked about sustained reductions in hospitalizations, and if only the sick are getting tested.
Murphy: I am worried about fatigue. At one level, Sheila and I, appreciate it and understand it. Folks have been incredibly compliant. While it stinks, the alternative is worse. The road back to some sort of normlacy will happen I just can't hang my hat on when. The positive test case curve has the least usefulness. It's not hard numbers.
Persichilli: As we start testing more asymptomatic people, we are hoping that rate (positivity rate) will come down.
1:13 PM: Murphy: We gave mayors the control to manage their own parks.
1:11 PM: Murphy asked about Memorial Day.
It's four weeks from today. I can't give you a full answer. I hope we have some semblance of norm on the shore this summer but I just can't envision being in tight spaces or on the beach. We want people to be in their primary residence in the offseason.
Jersey shore summer concerns
Gov. Murphy says he can't see things being business as usual at the Jersey shore this summer.
1:06 PM Murphy: Never mind the end of May. I think we will be in a dramatically different place in testing three months from now.
1:02 PM: Murphy asked about backlog at Dept. of Labor and why can't more businesses open for curbside and delivery.
Murphy: The backlog is back to pre-crisis. We will get more information on that. I think this is weeks and not months. You have to continue to stay home. I will give an update on schools by May 15.
12:58 PM: Murphy asked about when stay-at-home would be lifted regionally and the outage on the unemployment site.
Murphy: Stay at home and that allows us to move in that direction. It could take weeks. You won't lose one penny of your money.
12:53 PM: Murphy asked about the longterm care facilities and the stats include only residents or residents and staff? Also, what are your priorities as to which businesses will come back first? What's the plan for prison testing?
Murphy: Don't expect a last in, first out schedule. It's going to be the workplaces and other venues when we have a high degree of confidence that social norms can be maintained. Concerts, as an example, will not be any time soon. The food chain. I hope we can get to parks sooner. It's got to be done the right way. I believe we are testing in prisons.
Persichilli: We have a testing task force and we are looking to define who is vulnerable.
12:52 PM: Murphy asked about mail-in ballots left in lobbies. Do you plan to address this issue?
Murphy: I don't have an answer. We'll get the team on it. There is no update on July 7.
12:48 PM: Murphy: The positivity rate has slowly begun to drift down.
12:47 PM: Persichillli: More than 16,000 cases in longterm care facilities.
12:43 PM: Dept. of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli: 6407 hospitalization. 72 percent are on ventilators. We are seeing a slight decline in our northern part of the state and a slight uptick on the southern part of the state. 2,146 new cases from 10 p.m. last evening. It's not comparable to what we've been reporting. 106 new deaths 6,044 total. The break down: White 53.2 percent. Black 20.3 percent. Hispanic 16.3 percent. Asian 5.1 percent. Other 5 percent.
12:38 PM: Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver: We have to prioritize health. The roadblock is reflective of the sentiment of the people of New Jersey. I think the road map is very measured.
12:36 PM: Murphy: This is not a partisan point right now. This is doing what's right for our state, our people and our country.
12:31 PM: U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski: In the first CARES bill we approved $150 billion for our states. We intended this money to be helpful to the states. We felt that we had an explicit commitment from the Trump administration that that would be the case. That was not the case. The State of New Jersey was told it could not be used for lost revenues. We have gone back to Speaker Pelosi. We in New Jersey we get 90 cents back for every dollar we pay in taxes. Finally, we are talking about state and local government. I represent the 7th District in NJ. Not one town has more than 50,000 people in it. Every single one is seeing tax revenue dry up. This is about the survival of small town America.
12:26 PM: U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski: Despite all of the things we may still be arguing about, the majority of New Jerseyans believe we are doing the right thing. I hear folks in my district say they are not looking for a date, they are looking for a plan. They understand that a reopening is not something a governor can make happen with a magic wand. It has to be made based on science and sound public health advice.
12:25 PM: Murphy: You have kept this curve flat enough to allow our hospitals to sustain the influx of patients.
12:23 PM: Murphy in the course of two months our entire world view changed. We know that this war is still far from over.
12:22 PM: Murphy: If we have a resurgence. We must use this opportunity to fortify gaps. Make sure we have the bed capacity, ventilators and staff. We will build our own stockpile of PPE. We have purchased of ventilators. We will not be sending them back.
12:19 PM: Murphy: I want nothing more to see every main street be filled with shoppers and diners. I want to see the shore humming through the summer. We will move as quickly as we can but as safely as we must.
12:14 PM: Murphy: We are expanding our testing. We will have a flexible testing plan for all residents who need it. We will expand our partnerships.
Stay-at-home order to continue in New Jersey
There is no end in sight for the stay-at-home order in New Jersey.
12:12 PM: Murphy: The stay-at-home order will remain in effect until further notice.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/nj-stay-at-home-order-continued-indefinitely
12:09 PM: Cuomo asked about breach of personal information
Melissa De Rosa, Cuomo aid: There were 3 dozen people and it was a human error. It wasn't malicious. They are going to receive free credit reporting.
12:08 PM: Cuomo asked about casinos.
Cuomo: You have to look at the industry and how they are going to conduct their business.
12:05 PM: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy says there are 2,146 new cases bringing the total to 111,188. 106 new deaths reported bringing the total to 6,044. He notes that there may be a lag in the numbers due to the late reporting.
12:00 PM: Cuomo asked about what he discussed with the President this morning.
Cuomo: The last bill that passed that only did small business help should have included state and local. Police, fire, school teachers and hospital workers. It's not about money. You want to tally up who owes what to whom? Go ahead.
11:59 AM: Cuomo asked about Mayor Bill de Blasio announcing 1,000 miles of streets opening.
Cuomo: It's very hard to maintain social distancing in a NYC sidewalk. I had said NYC should open streets.
11:57 AM: Cuomo asked if the models were wrong
Cuomo: We changed reality. A model said the curve would go like this. The number was much, much lower. Were they wrong? No. You changed reality.
11:55 AM: Cuomo: A.J. Parkinson: I respect elected officials who are not typical politicians. Gov. Andy Beshear stood up to Senator McConnell that it wasn't fair that the states were not getting enough aid.
11:52 AM: Cuomo: Build it back better. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire started a whole new level of worker safety. The Great Depression, FDR pivoted to an entire new economic structure. We went through 9/11 and we are better and safer as a society for it. After Superstorm Sandy, we changed our infrastructure along the water front. It's that process that we have to go along with here. Let's have a society with more social equity. The poorest among us always pay the highest price. Why is that?
11:50 AM: Cuomo: We are stopping the dumping of milk and getting it to the people who need it. These companies will be buying the excess milk, cheese, yogurt and we will give it to the food banks down state.
11:49 AM: Cuomo: 25 million dollars emergency funding to the food banks.
11:48 AM: Cuomo: We are going to do a survey of NYPD, FDNY- 1,000 respectively - to find out what is the infection rate. They paid a terrible toll. The attendance rate is now good again. We'll also be doing 3,000 healthcare workers and we will be doing 1,000 transit workers.
11:45 AM: Cuomo: The medical facilities that were built, I spoke to the President about leaving them in place as we get through the flu season. Javits Center, we have to think about, because the Javits Center is in the convention center. It has 2500 beds. Westchester County Center, same issue. Question mark on those facilities when we take them down or how we take them down. Javits will be on hold. I want to thank the Army Corps of Engineers. The President got it done.
11:44 AM: Cuomo: We look at the dials, hospitalization rate. What does the antibody testing tell you? They tell you who was infected and now resolved. What is the diagnostic testing? Those dials will give you the fourth dial which is the infection rate or the RT rate of transmission.
11:40 AM: Cuomo: First do you meet the CDC guidelines, second do you bring back manufacturing in the first phase? How do you do social distancing? How do you do monitoring? Health care capacity. We want to open a region, how many beds will you have available if that number goes up. Are you contemplating what's going to happen when the flu season takes over? Do we have testing in place? When we isolate a person, where do we go? We have a hotel, etc we can put you in for two weeks. We have to coordinate as a region.
11:38 AM: Cuomo: Reopening. We want to unpause May 15. I will extend them in many parts of the state but some regions you could make the case that we should unpause on May 15, but you have to be smart about it. There is no light switch where everyone goes back to doing what they're doing.
11:35 AM: Cuomo: 14.9 percent tested positive up from 13.9 percent. Men are still more likely to have the virus than women. Long Island 14 percent. By race, Latinos went up 10 percent. No one can explain why. The age breakdown is fairly consistent at where it was.
11:34 AM: Cuomo: 1,000 new cases daily. 337 lives lost. Still tragically hight but on the decline.
11:32 AM: Cuomo: Monday. This is the total hospitalization rate. It's basically flat. It might be a reaction to the weekend. Sunday discharges may be down, We don't want to see flat.
11:30 AM: NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a briefing on the coronavirus. Watch live at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
11:06 AM: The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds will be honoring American medical workers with flyovers across the nation including New York and New Jersey. On Tuesday, the U.S. military's two top flight demonstration teams dedicated to showcasing America's air prowess, will be visiting Manhattan and Newark at noon and then Trenton around 1:45 p.m. before heading to Philadelphia.
11:01 AM: De Blasio ends coronavirus briefing.
10:59 AM: De Blasio: Everything we are doing with the new testing is moving us forward. There is a lot more to come in the month of May.
10:55 AM: De Blasio asked about contact tracers and how much they will be paid. And, when will other businesses open with the right precautions.
De Blasio: We are very much in the throws of this. We are not going to make a sudden move that sets us back. We want to be very smart about that. The annualized pay is in the $55,000 - $65,000 range.
10:50 AM: De Blasio asked about task forces and if the city is waiting for the task forces before reopening and if he is using the task forces to fulfill his failed campaign goals.
De Blasio: No, the reopening will move as quickly as is safe and healthy. I've said with those sector specific groups, we will start meeting with them right away.
10:46 AM: De Blasio: I have been watching carefully as I've been going around the city and people are distancing. It's pretty remarkable. I've gone to public hospitals, looking around the neighborhoods, talking to our different commissioners, it became clearer and clearer, parks were filling up but people were doing a good job keeping distance. But it's going to get warmer, what new stresses and strains is this going to create.
10:41 AM: De Blasio asked about the areas picked for open streets.
De Blasio: From a health perspective, where are the most people going to be. We've already seen that on the few nice days we've had. There is going to be a focus on the communities hardest hit.
Health official answers question about self swab testing: They will be in a separate, protected area where a health care worker is observing. For health care workers who need to be tested, we may allow them to go into a separate room.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot: There are other places where we do self-collection.
10:36 AM: De Blasio asked about percentage of people testing positive and why separate the public health lab number.
De Blasio: The indicators were developed because we wanted everyone to see where we were going and to see that if you didn't have transparency indicators you could really set up that horrible boomerang scenario of the disease reasserting. The public health lab is a rarified slice. It's a high bar. We wanted a high bar. We wanted to cross check all our indicators. So far, what we have been seeing tracks with what is happening.
Health official: The public health lab is testing the sickest patients. The most important message is that the trend is down. We test fewer people in the public health lab.
10:34 AM: De Blasio asked to explain what the street closure plan will look like and who is picking the streets and what the first streets will be.
De Blasio: The streets around parks allows the natural expansion. We'll figure out together where to focus. Yes, there will be enforcement. Bids have come forward, certain neighborhood entities, that the NYPD knows can manage something, that makes sense. The timeline is as quickly as possible through the month of May. Where will be in the places with the most activity.
De Blasio: We want to give drivers the message to slow down. That world view makes us very cautious to trusting that if you create a situation without protection you don't create a safety problem. Areas around parks, you capture the natural flow of people.
10:26 AM: De Blasio asked why he thinks NYC has been an epicenter for this pandemic over other major cities.
De Blasio: We are going to keep researching that question moving forward. There are many reasons it made sense, sadly, why we were in the crosshairs. A lot more we will say over time. Thank God this city long ago dedicated itself to building a strong public health apparatus.
10:25 AM: De Blasio: This week we will have an update on the grading policy. I think we need fair and clear standards that account for how difficult this experience has been.
10:20 AM: De Blasio why there are two samples collected in the self-swab test and how come this reduces the need for personal protective equipment.
De Blasio: It's two samples and it's helpful for cross-checking and ensureing validity of test. It's twice the size of a swab and place way deep. The patient often reacts by coughing or sneezing on the healthcare worker.
Health official: Sometimes a swab will be sufficient. If we may find that adding spitting doesn't improve the test characteristics, we may change it.
10:17 AM: De Blasio asked about studies that show outdoor transmission is low and if restaurants can be given the most outdoor space as possible.
De Blasio: You still have to have those precautions but there is something appealing about shifting outdoors. I have not read that particular study. We get new information all the time. I am very intrigued with that idea.
Dr. Oxiris Barbot: My team and I have begun those conversations about lifting layers of social distancing.
10:14 AM: De Blasio asked about elections. Tomorrow would have been the presidential primary. The governor says municipalities should send out absentee ballots and keep open polling sites.
De Blasio: I think the absentee ballot is very important. The first question is health and safety. I think the absentee ballot approach is the way to go. It's the safest approach.
I was a proud supporter of Senator Sanders. He decided to leave the race and support Senator Biden. I am looking forward to getting this recovery the right way and having elections again as an indicator of our renaissance. I think that will happen in the fall.
10:13 AM: De Blasio makes statement in Spanish.
10:10 AM: De Blasio: Now, the indicators for today. They are broadly good. We keep making progress. Daily number admitted for suspected COVID-19 is down meaningfully to 122. Dailly number in ICUs is down 766 and percentage testing positive is stable at 29 percent. Public health lab tests at 55 percent.
10:06 AM: De Blasio: The city council came forward to say let's keep looking for solutions that helps open up space. We have reached an agreement. Over the next month we will create a minimum of 40 miles of open streets. As this crisis continues, the goal is to get up to 100 miles of open streets. We will focus first on streets in and around our parks. Some places will be able to expand sidewalks. And then figuring out where they will have the biggest impact.
10:05 AM: De Blasio: We are going to continue to pull back alternate side parking but we will suspend it through Tuesday, May 12.
10:02 AM: De Blasio: We are hiring. If you have experience in the healthcare field, we need you right away. We are hiring immediately. 1,000 contact tracers immediately. They will be working with all the health care personnel already. Training will be so important to determine if anyone needs follow-up. Go to the Fund for Public Health, FPHNYC.org.
10:01 AM: De Blasio: We are going to build a contact tracing network in this city for the month of May. Every time someone tests positive we can swing into action and test their contacts.
10:00 AM: De Blasio: There is still a crisis of supply affecting the labs. It's been the same story from the beginning. We don't see the federal government securing the supply chain. That needs to be fixed immediately so we can take a big step forward in May.
9:57 AM: De Blasio: This will go up to 20 tests per hour.
9:56 AM: De Blasio: We need the private labs to agree to do it immediately to take these simpler tests.
9:53 AM: De Blasio: The tests have been laborious. We had to take precautions. Every single patient. It was a slow process. The good news I have today is that there is a better way to do testing. We are calling it 'self-swab' tests. The worker explains how to administer the test. You take what looks like a cotton swab and put it in your nose and spit into a tube and that's all they need for testing. Simple and safer for the health care worker. The health care provider sends it off to the lab for results.
9:52 AM: De Blasio: As of this morning there will be 8 Health and Hospitals testing centers open for business across the city. There have been over 5,000 tests and H&H sites since testing began. There will be 10,000 tests or more at these sites this week.
9:51 AM: De Blasio: Today we are beginning to see an easier way for testing.
9:49 AM: De Blasio: Everyone wants more certainty. We constantly feel like we are fighting an invisible enemy. We want to know what it means for our own safety and the ones we love. Testing is the way forward. It's been a long fight just to get the testing we need.
9:48 AM: Mayor Bill de Blasio holds coronavirus briefing. Watch LIVE at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
8:49 AM: The pandemic has sickened thousands of America’s first responders and killed dozens more. But many have recovered, and they're going back to work — back to the crime scene, back into the ambulance, back to the jail. Going back to this deadly pandemic's front lines.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/anxious-wary-first-responders-back-on-the-job
8:37 AM: The Internal Revenue Service has made an update to its "Get My Payment" tool to help Americans track their coronavirus-prompted stimulus payments.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/irs-updates-get-my-payment-tool
8:20 AM: From the MTA:
The MTA will continue to operate on an essential schedule until further notice. B, C, W, Z and the 42nd Street Shuttle between Times Square and Grand Central is suspended citywide. Expect additional service changes in express trains.
For alternative service:
For B train service: Use D and Q train service instead
For C train service: Use A and E train service instead
For W train service: Use N and R train service instead
For Z train service: Use J train service instead
For the 42nd Street Shuttle: Use 7 train service instead
Consider alternate routes and allow for additional travel time. For more information, please visit www.mta.info.
8:18 AM: U.S. stock futures rose Monday morning, after opening slightly lower Sunday night, as a new round of cash heads to small businesses hit hard by the coronavirus.
7:00 AM: Watch Good Day New York live at this link: https://fox5ny.com/live
6:53 AM: A video circulating on social media went viral Sunday, after dozens of young people crowded into a home in Chicago's Galewood neighborhood for a party Saturday night.
6:49 AM: Georgia restaurants have been given the green light to start offering dine-in services again. It's part of phase two of Governor Brian Kemp's plan to reopen the state.
MORE: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/georgia-restaurants-prepare-to-resume-dine-in-services-monday
5:36 AM: The latest statistics in the pandemic for NY, NYC and NJ:
5:16 PM: The mayor of Beaumont, Texas, has apologized after going to a nail salon in violation of the stay-at-home order. Becky Ames said in a statement: "I should have never entered the salon last Tuesday. I did not intend to take personal privilege while asking others to sacrifice and for that I am truly remorseful. My heartfelt apologies to all of the citizens of Beaumont for my lapse in judgement."