“What we were seeing in Wuhan five months ago, now we are seeing it here.”
The new coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 570,000 people worldwide.
More than 13 million people worldwide have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to a paucity of evidence, many unreported cases, and suspicions that some governments are hiding or minimizing the extent of their nations’ outbreaks.
The United States has become the most affected country, with more than 3.3 million diagnosed cases and at least 135,582 deaths.
Latest headlines:
This is how the news is unfolding today. All eastern times. Check back for updates.
4:22 am: Russia lifts two-week quarantine for foreigners arriving from tomorrow
A 14-day quarantine will no longer be required for anyone arriving in Russia, according to a decree signed by the country’s main doctor on Monday.
Starting Wednesday, people entering Russia will be required to provide a document, in English or Russian, showing that the coronavirus has tested negative in the past 72 hours.
Alternatively, they can test in Russia and provide the document within three days. This news followed last week’s announcement that Russia is seeking to resume international air travel in mid-July.
Russia confirmed 6,248 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 739,947.
In the last 24 hours, 175 people died, for a total of 11,614.
A total of 8,804 people recovered in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of recoveries to 512,825.
3:17 am: infectious disease doctor from the U of Miami: “Miami is now the epicenter of the virus”
A group of Miami-area medical experts joined Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez at a Zoom press conference Monday morning, making it clear that South Florida is in a position extreme when it comes to the spread of COVID-19.
“Miami is now the epicenter of the virus,” said Lilian M. Abbo, MD, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Miami Health System and Head of Infection Prevention at the Jackson Health System. “What we were seeing in Wuhan [China] Five months ago, now we are seeing here. ”
Experts spoke minutes after Florida announced 12,624 new COVID-19 cases, the day after Florida set a record for any state with 15,300 new cases.
Experts emphasized the need to restrict large gatherings of people indoors, and Giménez said the most important thing to do is for residents to follow safety guidelines.
“The reason [for the spike] we are. There is no sack man. The reason is us, “he said. “We have to change our behavior. He does not. 1 reason is our behavior. ”
What to know about the coronavirus:
1:59 am: Hawaii delays reopening of tourists until September 1
Hawaii Governor David Ige announced that, in light of the increase in cases on the mainland, Hawaii is delaying its reopening to tourists until September 1.
The plan was to allow tourists who tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their trip to Hawaii to bypass that mandatory two-week quarantine beginning in August. But with the increase in cases in the state and the increasing number of cases across the country, officials decided to delay it for a month.
“I am announcing today that we will postpone the launch of the pre-trip testing program until September 1,” Ige said during the press conference. “The outbreaks on the continent are not under control and we do not believe that the situation will change significantly by August 1.”
Ige said: “We thought it would be better for everyone here in the state of Hawaii to delay the start of the program until September 1. I know this increases the burden on companies here in Hawaii … we still believe in the program. pretest and we will take steps to safely implement it. ”
Marilyn Heck, Alina Lobzina and Alexandra Faul of ABC News contributed to this report.
.