Former hot spots in Europe have recorded dramatic spikes in new coronavirus cases, forcing some countries to reinstate restrictions.
“We have a very serious situation unfolding before us,” Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, told reporters Thursday. “Weekly cases have now exceeded those reported when the pandemic first peaked in Europe in March.”
More than half of European countries have reported a greater-than-10% increase in cases in the past two weeks, Kluge said. Last week, the region’s weekly tally exceeded 300,000 patients.
To ward off a second wave, the British government introduced a ban on gatherings of over six people, down from 10. The new limit will be in place starting Monday, and police will be able to impose a fine and arrest violators.
Meanwhile, in the Czech Republic, the daily cases have grown by more than 1,000 since Sunday. The government reintroduced several targeted restrictions, such as a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people, mandatory mask-wearing, and reduced business hours for restaurants and bars. The Czech government was quick to impose restrictions when the pandemic began but lifted them before the summer and was reluctant to reinstate them.
Austria is limiting private indoor gatherings to 10 people in the face of rising coronavirus infections that have frequently matched those last seen in late March when a lockdown was in place, Reuters reported.
In France, the number of new daily cases averages roughly 8,500 cases. Over 9,700 new cases were reported Wednesday, one of the highest totals reported since the start of the pandemic. French President Emmanuel Macron has resisted reinstating restrictions but admitted Wednesday the virus was circulating “quicker and quicker in certain parts of the country.”
To date, more than 6.6 million coronavirus infections and over 197,000 deaths have been confirmed in the United States.
The U.S. Postal Service drafted plans to deliver 650 million masks to every household, five per household, but the White House scrapped the plans, according to a previously unpublished cache of internal documents.
“There was concern from some in the White House Domestic Policy Council and the office of the vice president that households receiving masks might create concern or panic,” one administration official told the Washington Post.
The Department of Health and Human Services instead devised the $675 million plan to distribute reusable masks “to critical infrastructure sectors, companies, healthcare facilities, and faith-based and community organizations across the country.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio further delayed the start of in-person classes Thursday, announcing that grades will be phased in. Elementary school students will return on Sept. 29, followed by middle and high school students on Oct. 1. This marks the second time de Blasio has delayed reopening after being confronted with teachers who are afraid to return to classrooms and have even threatened to go on strike.
The number of unemployment claims filed last week was higher than expected at 860,000, 10,000 more than what forecasters predicted. The number of workers filing for unemployment benefits dropped precipitously through May, but the decline stalled at the end of the summer. New weekly claims are extremely high by historical standards. The coronavirus pandemic caused an economic shutdown that drove up weekly claims for unemployment benefits that soared in March to as high as 6.9 million.
Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, will go into quarantine until Sept. 29 after being exposed to a person with the coronavirus, his office said Thursday. He has not tested positive for the virus.
“Sen. Johnson is experiencing no symptoms, but was tested late Wednesday because he was scheduled to travel with the President today,” Johnson’s office said. “Sen. Johnson will not be traveling with the President or attending the event in Mosinee tonight.”
Johnson is the second GOP senator to be placed in quarantine due to exposure to the virus this week. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican, announced she had tested negative for the virus after coming in contact with a coronavirus patient.
U.S. airline executives met with White House chief of staff Mark Meadows on Thursday to appeal for an additional $25 billion in economic aid before they are forced to lay off workers next month. The CARES Act enacted in March provided the airline industry $25 billion in aid as long as no workers were furloughed before Oct. 1. With that deadline less than two weeks away, roughly 30,000 airline jobs are currently at risk.
“Without action, [workers] are going to be furloughed on Oct. 1, and it’s not fair,” Doug Parker, CEO of American Airlines, told reporters after the meeting.
Meadows assured those attending the meeting that the White House is very interested in getting something done.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that restaurants, retail stores, gyms, and other businesses will be able to expand to 75% capacity as early as Monday. The standard for reopening applies to 19 of 22 hospitals in regions where coronavirus patients make up less than 15% of all hospitalizations. Bars may not reopen.
