This is our daily update of the latest COVID-19 news for Thursday July 16, 2020. Previous daily updates It can be found hereand updated statistics are here.
New York is in Phase 3 of reopening now, what includes Nail salons, tattoo parlors and massage facilities as well as recreation such as tennis and basketball courts; dog runs they are also reopening. A look at preparing for the spread of the coronavirus is here, and if you have lingering questions about the virus, here is our Regularly updated coronavirus faq. Here are some local and state hotlines for more information: NYC: 311; New York State Hotline: 888-364-3065; NJ State Hotline: 800-222-1222.
Here is the latest:
New York City Phase 4 will not include additional indoor activity such as shopping malls and cultural institutions once the city enters the final phase of reopening COVID-19, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced during a press call Thursday.
New York is on track to move to Phase 4 on Monday, but Cuomo said a final decision will not be announced until 4 pm Friday.
All other New York regions have entered Phase 4, which includes low-risk outdoor and indoor activities, such as zoos, gardens, historic sites, shopping malls, and museums. It also includes schools and sports competitions without fans.
Cuomo did not say when those indoor activities could reopen in the city.
On Wednesday, 14 New Yorkers died from the coronavirus, Cuomo said. Hospitalizations decreased from 18 to 813 in the state. The positivity rate was around 1 percent: 769 of the 72,685 COVID-19 tests were positive.
Although the infection rate remains stable, the governor emphasized that increased infection in other parts of the country could again harm New York and doubled compliance with social distancing rules in bars and restaurants.
“That’s one of the things that we are concerned about in New York is the virus that comes from states with high infection rates. It is a pleasure to help Houston, to help Atlanta, to help states across the country deal with it, “he said in the press call, accompanied by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.” It is the right thing to do as Americans. We are also interested because we are all in this together. ”
A new rule will now allow officials to close a store after three violations of social distancing regulations. Previously, officials could revoke a company’s liquor license.
“If we don’t enforce it, the virus will spread,” said Cuomo. “It is that simple. If you eat a piece of cheesecake, you will see it on the scale tomorrow. Our actions create the virus response.”
Cuomo said the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine rules for out-of-state travelers saw a 92 percent compliance rate, which refers to travelers completing forms before leaving an airport. State officials conduct random checks on those who fill out airport forms, though he did not say how many people were checked. A county upstate saw its infection rate increase after New Yorkers flew back from Atlanta last week.
“It is like any other law. You can speed up, yes, but if they catch you, you get the ticket, ”said Cuomo. “This is an entirely new role for the state government. We have no border control. It is not what the state does. “
Governor Cuomo launches a national mask campaign
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today launched a national campaign titled “Mask Up America,” which features short public service announcements from big names. Although the campaign is nationwide, it is made in New York, so the ads also have the motto #NYTough.
Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Kaitlyn Dever, Jamie Foxx, John Leguizamo, Anthony Mackie, Rosie Perez, Ellen Pompeo, and Jeffrey Wright contributed to the public service announcements, which were produced by Tribeca Enterprises Jane Rosenthal and directed by Award winner from the Kathryn Bigelow Academy.
As other states see spikes in infection rates, the awareness campaign aims to “urge all Americans to wear a mask while in public to help stop the spread of the virus.” This week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp questioned the importance of masks and suspended local mask mandates in the state.
“New Yorkers suffered badly when this pandemic hit our state and when we see other states fighting COVID-19 surge, we want to make sure that all Americans know what we know here: that wearing a mask is essential to protect one by another, “Governor Cuomo said. “We can only beat this virus if we are united as one, not divided by ideology or politics. In that spirit, we work with the best and most creative team to convey this vital message in multiple ways and in different voices: I wear a mask to protect yourself and you wear a mask to protect me. It’s as simple as that. Mask Up America. “
The campaign is in partnership with the Ad Council “for use by broadcast and digital media,” and will air in donated media time nationwide. The 30-second television commercials (two of which are available to watch now) are titled: “You Have My Respect,” “Join the Battle,” “Come on, America,” “For the Love of Others.” easy lifting. ” , “” Face data “,” It’s your turn “and” Show some love “.
Medical personnel wearing personal protective equipment work in the NYC Health + Hospitals Metropolitan emergency department on May 27, 2020
John Minchillo / AP / Shutterstock
COVID-19 data disappears from CDC site
Hospital data on patients and hospital capacity disappeared from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website this week, after the Trump administration forced to send the data to the Department of Health and Human Services.
The change, according to the NY Times, “has alarmed health experts who fear the data will be politicized or withheld from the public,” and prompted former CDC chiefs to write an op-ed in the Washington Post titled ” We run CDC. ” No president has politicized his science like Trump. “
A CDC spokesperson told Gothamist this morning: “As of July 15, 2020, hospitals will no longer report capacity, personnel, and data related to supplying COVID-19 to CDC’s NHSN. By therefore, COVID-19 data summaries reported by the NHSN hospital will no longer be provided. ” (You can find more information in this HHS FAQ letter.)
The guide, updated on July 10, stated, in part: “The following [testing, capacity, and utilization] the data will greatly assist the White House Coronavirus Task Force in tracking virus movement, identifying potential strains in the healthcare delivery system, and infoming [sic] distribution of supplies. If multiple facilities are reported at once, it is critical that this data is reported at the facility and county level of detail rather than just a total summary. Data must be submitted according to the specified definitions and formats. Send data once per calendar day. “
Ryan Panchadsaram, who runs Covid Exit Strategy, told CNBC that they regularly use CDC data, but on Tuesday, “we were surprised because the modules we normally go to are empty. The data was not available and was not there. without warning. “
According to the Times, data that had previously been submitted to CDC through its National Health Safety Network would now be forwarded to the “new centralized system, which is managed by TeleTracking, a Pittsburgh-based health data firm. No However, if hospitals were already reporting such information to their states, they could continue to do so if they received a written statement saying the state would be responsible for reporting … Both the CDC network and the TeleTracking system established by Health and Human Services they are based on so-called push data, which means hospital employees must enter data manually, rather than the government accessing an electronic system to obtain the information. “
In an interview this morning, HHS Secretary Alex Azar stated that the agency is solving a problem:
. @ SecAzar tells me that the @ CDCgov system for hospitals to report that the COVID19 data was outdated / insufficient. He said the only difference now that the information is going to @HHSGov is the platform, insisting that CDC, local and state leaders still have access. If before I could see the data but now LMK: pic.twitter.com/4brOyGu3CS
– Weijia Jiang (@weijia) July 16, 2020
Exit Strategy’s Panchadsaram thought about the HHS data:
The Trust for America’s Health, a non-partisan, nonprofit health policy group, called the move to store data directly at HHS a new “counterproductive” system, adding that “planning for this new approach did not involve substantially to officials at the local, state, tribal, and / or territorial levels. This is a time to support the public health system and not take action that may undermine its authority and critical function. “
On Thursday, HHS spokesman Michael Caputo told CNBC: “Yes, HHS has promised to be transparent with the American public about the information it is collecting about the coronavirus. Therefore, HHS has ordered CDC to restore the coronavirus boards that you removed from the public on Wednesday. “
