Citing the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered bars closed in seven counties including Los Angeles County.
The other counties: Fresno, Imperial, Kern, Kings, San Joaquin and Tulare.
June 28 coronavirus news
By Julia Hollingsworth, Jenni Marsh, Tara John, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN
Updated 12:02 a.m. ET, June 29, 2020
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California governor closes bars in seven counties
From CNN's Kevin Flower
Vice President Mike Pence encourages young people to get tested and people to wear masks
From CNN's Nicky Robertson and Kevin Bohn
Vice President Mike Pence has encouraged young Americans to get a coronavirus test if they have concerns.
During his briefing with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Pence discussed how they can “accelerate results of testing.” He said he would take the feedback to the White House Coronavirus Task Force and the administration’s private partners.
President Trump has repeatedly downplayed the need for increased testing. At his Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally last week he suggested that he had asked for testing to be slowed down.
Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Task Force coordinator, told reporters that Texas health officials are seeing an increase in hospitalization rates among 20- to 40-year-olds, which she said indicated there is a large percentage in this age group who are positive but were asymptomatic.
Pence also encouraged Americans to wear masks, but again deferred to local ordinances for mask requirements.
“If your local officials in consultation with the state are directing you to wear a mask, we encourage everyone to wear a mask in the affected areas and where you can't maintain social distancing, wearing a mask is just a good idea and it will, we know, from experience, will slow the spread of the coronavirus,” Pence said at a briefing at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas on Sunday.
Later in the briefing, Birx said, “I'm really appealing to every Texan to wear a mask.” Pence and Birx both stressed that younger Americans need to take steps to protect older Americans.
This is a moment where you really have -- we have to put our arms around and protect the most vulnerable among us and particularly seniors with underlying health conditions are precisely those for whom the worst outcomes occur,” Pence said.
Pence wore a mask earlier Sunday while visiting a church but has not always worn masks in public events.
First NBA player to test positive for coronavirus still not fully recovered months after diagnosis
From CNN's Homero DeLaFuente
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, the first NBA player to test positive for Covid-19, told the French sports publication L’Equipe that he still has not recovered from the virus.
When speaking with the French sports publication, Gobert revealed that his senses haven’t fully recovered saying, “The taste has returned, but the smell is still not 100%. I can smell the smells, but not from afar. I spoke to specialists, who told me that it could take up to a year.”
Some context: The 28-year-old faced backlash after he touched every microphone during a press conference while discussing the pandemic, just days before testing positive.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the decision to suspend the season on March 11 after the Frenchman’s positive diagnosis.
Gobert plans to join the Jazz in Orlando when the NBA season returns on July 30.
Florida governor attributes Covid-19 surge to socializing and a backlog in testing
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
South Florida, especially the Miami–area, has reported the most new cases in the state and it's mostly due to socializing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a news briefing Sunday.
The uptick in positive cases has been driven "by a big increase" over the last three weeks in younger age groups, particularly those in the 18-to-44 age range, DeSantis said. Graduation parties and gatherings where people aren't adhering to social distancing are responsible for several Covid-19 cases, DeSantis said.
A backlog of testing has also accounted for the current spike, DeSantis said.
Florida was in the 10% positivity range when testing ramped up in March and April, DeSantis said.
In April, that rate dropped and was stable in May and June, at around 3%. Positivity rate is about 12% now, DeSantis says.
Chile reports more than 4,000 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Florencia Trucco
Chile reported 4,216 new cases of coronavirus and 162 new deaths Sunday as Health Minister Enrique Paris praised the effort made by people complying with lockdown procedures.
Chile’s chief epidemiologist Rafael Araos said the country is reporting large numbers "of coronavirus deaths and probably they will keep going up."
"We think that the rate of increase, thanks to the measures that we have been adopting, will eventually slow down," Araos said.
Chile has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in Latin America with a total of 271,982. There has also been at least 5,509 coronavirus-related deaths in the country.
Florida's Broward County to close beaches over July 4 weekend
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
Cities in Broward County will follow Miami Dade County's example and close its beaches ahead of July 4 weekend, the city of Fort Lauderdale said in a tweet.
Beaches in Broward County will closed from July 3 through July 5, according to the tweet.
Several mayors from Broward’s coastal cities will hold a news conference today at 4:30 p.m ET to discuss the measure, according to the tweet.
Read the tweet:
Louisiana reports 1,467 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
Louisiana state officials reported 1,467 new Covid-19 cases over the weekend, according to Louisiana Department of Health.
“Of new positive cases reported today, 43% are people 29 and younger; a third are people 18-29,” said Christina Stephens, spokesperson for Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, in a tweet.
Louisiana health officials also reported nine new coronavirus-related deaths for Saturday and Sunday, bringing the state total to 3,086.
To note: The figures released by the Louisiana's public health agency may not line up exactly in real time with CNN’s database drawn from Johns Hopkins University and the Covid Tracking Project.
Read the tweet:
There have been at least 125,000 coronavirus-related deaths in the US
From CNN’s Melissa Alonso
There are at least 2,530,587 cases of Covid-19 in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally.
Approximately 125,630 people have died from coronavirus nationwide.
On Sunday, Johns Hopkins reported 9,732 new cases and 91 reported deaths in the US. The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
South Florida mayors grapple with residents not following Covid-19 rules
From CNN's Melissa Alonso
Miami Beach's mayor has called for a special commission meeting on Monday to discuss mask usage compliance as Covid-19 cases continue to surge in Florida, according to a tweet from Mayor Dan Gelber.
"We were 1 of the first in the U.S. to require masks indoors & in many places outdoors. But it is clear that there has not been terrific compliance with this rule and other measures," Gelber said in a tweet.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has ordered all of the beaches in Miami-Dade County to close for the July 4 weekend but residents in South Florida continue to congregate despite pleas from officials to social distance.
In Pinecrest, an affluent Miami-Dade suburb, the "largest problem is private house parties," Mayor Joseph Corradino said in a letter to the community this week.
House parties have become prevalent in recent weeks and "are the most dangerous things that impact our community," Corradino said.
"The law does not enable us to enforce the rules we use on public spaces on private property. So, our current option is to appeal to the common sense and decency of our citizens. This danger comes directly from within," the letter said.
Miami Beach code enforcement continues to enforce social distancing mandates from Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach spokesperson Melissa Berthier told CNN.
But, whether Miami Beach's commission will discuss mandating face masks and imposing fines for violators like neighboring city of Miami, "it's one theory," Berthier said.
