Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY
Hospitals were fast approaching capacity in Florida and Texas, and the Miami area again ordered restaurants closed as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations began to climb. The dour news comes as the U.S. emerged from a Fourth of July weekend of picnics, pool parties and beach outings that health officials fear could fuel the rapidly worsening outbreak. The see-saw effect of eased restrictions and then increases in cases is seeing a number of states reverse course and start to clamp down.
The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub at https://newsroom.ap.org/page/Coronavirus Find AP Virus Alerts here
SENT/DEVELOPING:
VIRUS OUTBREAK-GLOBAL: Hospitals were fast approaching capacity in Florida and Texas, and the Miami area closed restaurants again Monday because of the surging coronavirus, as the U.S. emerged from a Fourth of July weekend of picnics, pool parties and beach outings that health officials fear could fuel the rapidly worsening outbreak. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TESTING INEQUALITY: As the pandemic explodes in diverse states like Arizona and Florida, people in communities of color who have been exposed to the virus are struggling to get tested. SENT: 980 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EGYPT-SILENCING CRITICS: Egyptian security agencies have tried to stifle criticism about the authorities’ handling of the coronavirus health crisis by the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. Rights groups say at least 10 doctors and six journalists have been arrested since the virus hit Egypt. SENT: 1560 words, photos. A 1000-word abridged version also has moved.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COLLEGE AID APPLICATIONS: The number of high school seniors applying for federal college aid plummeted in the first weeks of the pandemic and still remain below last year’s levels. That is according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data. SENT: 970 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOBBYING: Forty lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump have helped their clients secure more than $10 billion in federal coronavirus aid. SENT: 830 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-COAST GUARD ACADEMY: New cadets arrive at the Coast Guard Academy this week for the basic training known as Swab Summer. But because of the pandemic, this summer will be different. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA TAKES FLIGHT: African nations face a difficult choice as infections are rapidly rising: Welcome the international flights that originally brought COVID-19 to the ill-prepared continent, or further hurt their economies and restrict a lifeline for badly needed humanitarian aid. SENT: 810 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA: Roundup of daily developments in Africa; and VIRUS OUTBREAK-BURUNDI: Burundi launched a campaign of mass screening for COVID-19 on Monday in the country’s largest city Bujumbura, indicating that the new president is implementing policies to combat the spread of the disease.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS LOANS: The Treasury Department on Monday released the names of more than 650,000 small businesses that received funds from a government program intended to support the economy as states shut down in April to contain the viral outbreak. Recipients covered a broad swath of industries, with some that were less directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, such as manufacturing and construction, receiving a greater proportion of the loans than the hard-hit restaurant, bar and hotel industries. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS LOANS-THE LATEST; VIRUS OUTBREAK-WEST VIRGINIA GOVERNOR: Billionaire West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice’s family companies received at least $6.3 million from a federal rescue package meant to keep small businesses afloat during the coronavirus pandemic; and VIRUS OUTBREAK-SMALL BUSINESS LOANS-Q&A.
STORE REOPENING-REBOOT: As clothing retailers and others try to stay viable during the coronavirus pandemic, they’re hoping steps like cleaning during store hours, offering hand sanitizer and other safety measures will bring in customers to spend.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AIRBORNE CORONAVIRUS: More than 200 scientists have called for the World Health Organization and others to acknowledge that the coronavirus can spread in the air. SENT: 570 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-TRACKING SEWAGE: Research is indicating that sewage can help reveal trends in pandemic virus outbreaks, and health officials are taking note. SENT: 870 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK NURSING HOMES: New York hospitals released more than 6,300 recovering coronavirus patients into nursing homes during the height of the pandemic under a controversial, now-scrapped policy. SENT: 690 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NOEM: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem accompanied President Donald Trump to Washington aboard Air Force One on Friday night despite having had close contact with Trump’s son’s girlfriend, who had tested positive for the coronavirus. SENT: 550 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW YORK: Nail salons and dog runs were back in business on Monday as New York City entered a new phase in the easing of coronavirus restrictions, but indoor restaurant dining will be postponed indefinitely in order to prevent a spike in new infections. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-NICARAGUA: While the Pan-American Health Organization urges Nicaragua to take more aggressive measures against the coronavirus pandemic and neighboring countries warily eye its outbreak, President Daniel Ortega’s increasingly authoritarian government seems more focused on hiding the virus than treating it. SENT: 880 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-AUSTRALIA: Australian authorities are preparing to close the border between the country’s two largest states, as the country’s second-largest city, Melbourne, recorded two deaths and its highest-ever daily increase in infections on Monday. SENT: 630 words, photos. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: Roundup of devleopments throughout Asia.
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CROWDED BEACHES: Tens of thousands of vacation-goers in Russia and Ukraine have descended on Black Sea beaches, paying little heed to public health measures despite the numbers of reported coronavirus cases remaining high in both countries. SENT: 710 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-EUROPE: Troops in Serbia have set up an emergency 500-bed field hospital, a day after neighboring Kosovo re-imposed a nighttime curfew in four cities. Also wraps in other developments in Europe today. SENT; developing.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN ARTS: The British government has announced almost $2 billion to help the country’s renowned arts and cultural institutions recover from the coronavirus pandemic. After more than three months of lockdown, some theaters and music venues say that without support they may never open again. SENT: 670 words, photos.
FINANCIAL MARKETS: Wall Street is closing higher, joining a worldwide upswell by markets on Monday, as stocks push higher on hopes that the economy can continue its turnaround despite all the challenges ahead of it. SENT: 930 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DELAYED TAX DAY: What to know about the July 15 deadline for filing federal income taxes in the US. SENT: 640 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-CZECH: A group of volunteers in the Czech Republic was working round the clock to prevent critical shortage of ventilators for COVID-19 patients, something that happened in northern Italy. SENT: 590 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-DENISE RICHARDS: Denise Richards says she wasn’t nervous to return to work on the CBS soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful” but instead felt excited. Production had been shut down for three months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 810 words, photos.
FRANCE-FASHION-DIGITAL RUNWAYS: The coronavirus pandemic has instilled chaos into the already-unpredictable Paris Fashion Week. Organizers initially canceled the event, but it later re-emerged as an unprecedented “digital” season. SENT: 900 words, photos.
JAPAN-TOKYO GOVERNOR: Tokyo’s newly reelected governor and her political rival, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have agreed to cooperate on handling the coronavirus outbreak to safely hold the Olympics next year. SENT: 560 words, photos. With TOKYO-KOIKE: Officials of the postponed Tokyo Olympic know they will need defenses against COVID-19 to hold the games a year from now. These might include quarantines for athletes, few fans at the venues, and many other ideas being floated by his organizing committee, the city of Tokyo, and the International Olympic Committee.
SENT:
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HARVARD PLANS: Harvard University’s freshman class will be invited to live on campus this fall, while most other undergraduates will be required to learn remotely from home. SENT: 390 words, photos.
SPAIN-BULL RUNNING FESTIVAL: Residents in Spain’s northern city of Pamplona have dressed up in white clothes and traditional red scarves to mark what should have been the start of their annual San Fermín festival, which was cancelled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 300 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-LOUVRE REOPENS: The Mona Lisa is back in business. Paris’ Louvre Museum, which houses the world’s most famous portrait, has reopened after a four-month coronavirus lockdown. SENT: 240 words, photos.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-HONG KONG AIRLINE: Hong Kong low-cost airline HK Express, part of the Cathay Pacific Group, says it will gradually resume flights on Aug. 2 as Asian governments ease coronavirus-related travel restrictions. SENT: 90 words, photos.
INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:
-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.
-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.
-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.
-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)
-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.
Additional graphics and interactives include:
- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.
-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.
-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.
-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.
-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.
-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.
PHOTOS:
AP photos have moved from India, Spain, Pakistan, France, Serbia, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Philippines, various US, Latin America locations.
VIDEO:
AP video has moved from UK, Serbia, France, South Africa, Australia, various US, Latin America locations.