Good evening,
Please find today's Daily COVID-19 Update for July 8 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members in the News
Member: David Simchi-Levi
Member: Julie Swann
Member: Sheldon Jacobson
Member: Sheldon Jacobson
Member: Prasad Padmanabhan
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- The White House published a readout of today's press briefing by Vice President Mike Pence and members of the Coronavirus Task Force. In the briefing, Vice President Pence urged that "it's absolutely essential that we get [America's] kids back into classrooms for in-person learning," in order to not "let kids fall behind academically." However, he added that the administration "will be very respectful of the fact that there may some states and local communities that given cases or positivity in that community may adjust to either a certain set of days or certain limitations."
- The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched the COVID-19 Prevention Network, which will offer Americans the ability to volunteer for ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials in the United States.
- White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Deborah Birx stated that they are seeing some "encouraging" trends in Arizona, Texas, and Florida – with early signs that their seven-day averages could begin to plateau.
Global Response
- The country of Austria announced additional restrictions for travelers arriving from Bulgaria, Moldova, and Romania – due to the recent uptick in cases in those countries.
- The Australian city of Melbourne is entering a six-week lockdown today, with the only reasons for leaving home being grocery shopping, work, outdoor exercise, or caregiving.
- British Finance Minister Rishi Sunak announced a $37.7 billion plan to stimulate the U.K.'s economy, with plans ranging from $1,250 for every furloughed worker to a reduction in value-added taxes in the hospitality and tourism industries.
State Update
- The state of Texas reported the highest single-day number of coronavirus-related deaths in one day, with 98 deaths reported.
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that he would be adding three states to its list of states from which visitors must quarantine upon entering New York – Delaware, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that he will sign an executive order requiring all of the state's residents to wear masks both indoors and outdoors if social distancing is not possible.
- Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced an "expansion of the state's mobile testing operation, with twelve COVID-19 mobile testing teams operating throughout Illinois."
- Mississippi State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs announced that 26 of the state's legislators have tested positive for COVID-19.
- West Virginia Governor Jim Justice announced that state officials are aiming for September 8th as their target date for reopening schools.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that they will make a more firm decision on schools reopening when the state's data shows that it is safe to do so.
- Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced that the city is canceling the state's Republican convention – just one week before the event was scheduled to occur. Mayor Turner stated that the decision was made "to protect the health and safety of the employees, the delegates and members of the public," as the city of "Houston is a hot spot right now in a global pandemic."
- New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that bars and restaurants in the city would be limited to 25 occupants in total inside seating, with masks required at all times other than when they are eating or drinking.
- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that "most of the city's schools will not be able to have all their kids in school at the same time," adding that they're aiming to take a "blended learning approach" where kids will have in person instruction 2-3 times per week.
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were volatile today, with all three indices reporting minor gains when the market closed. The Nasdaq Composite rose by 1.44%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.68%, and the S&P 500 by 0.78%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 3,150,776 cases and 134,778 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 12,142,349 and 550,940 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
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Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------