Good evening,
Please find today's daily COVID-19 Update for July 16 below and attached. Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members in the News
Member: Sheldon Jacobson
Members: Tinglong Dai and Chris Tang
Member: Murray J. Côté
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- White House Spokesman Judd Deere issued a statement announcing that President Trump is pushing for a payroll tax cut to be included in the next coronavirus relief package. The statement wrote that "President Trump wants to provide relief to hardworking Americans who have been impacted," and thus "a [payroll tax] cut must be part of any phase four package."
- Senate Democrats unveiled the $350 billion Economic Justice Act, a proposal that seeks to make key long-term investments in Black communities and other communities of color. The legislative proposal would reprogram $200 billion of unspent CARES Act funding during the ongoing negotiations for the fourth relief bill. The initiative includes investments in healthcare, infrastructure, employment, and other areas.
- The Labor Department released their weekly employment data, finding that 1.3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits for the first time in the past week.
Global Response
- The United Kingdom's National Cyber Security Centre published an advisory that a group of Russian cyber attackers are hacking into COVID-19 research centers in the United States, Britain, and Canada. The advisory states that their "campaign of malicious activity is ongoing, predominantly against government, diplomatic, think-tank, healthcare and energy targets to steal valuable intellectual property."
- French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced that wearing masks in indoor public spaces will be mandatory for all citizens – effective next week.
- Chilean Health Minister Enrique Paris announced that the country would kickstart COVID-19 vaccine trials beginning in early August.
State Update
- Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order that prohibited local authorities from being able to mandate that masks be worn in public. He stated that while he "continues to strongly encourage the use of masks," he "hopes that local officials will instead focus on enforcing the existing guidelines on social distancing, large gatherings, and business regulations that have been in place for months." However, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a statement that Atlanta's mask order "will remain in effect, as science and data will continue to drive the City's decisions." After Mayor Bottoms' statement, Governor Kemp announced that his office is filing lawsuit against Mayor Bottoms and the Atlanta City Council, "on behalf of the Atlanta business owners and their hardworking employees who are struggling to survive during these difficult times."
- Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson announced that they would mandate masks across the state beginning this upcoming Monday, July 20th, cautioning residents that the pandemic is "likely to get harder and not easier."
- Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced that the state will require residents to wear masks in public indoor spaces, effective at midnight tonight.
- Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards announced that everyone in the state is still required to wear a mask in indoor public spaces, despite Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry releasing an opinion that the mask mandate was unnecessary.
- New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced that the state would be distributing $25 million in aid to universities and community colleges in the state to help them respond to the pandemic.
- Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that masks will be required in 19 counties of the state, effective tomorrow.
- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo cautioned that New York City restaurants and bars will now face a "three strikes and you're closed policy" if they fail to comply with social distancing regulations and sanitary requirements. He added that heightened violations will lead to an "immediate removal of liquor licenses."
- New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state government would implement a $115 million plan aimed towards closing the digital divide in order to help students across the state benefit from remote learning amid the pandemic.
- Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine announced that face coverings will be mandatory when schools in Pennsylvania reopen.
- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez stated that he is "very, very close" to issuing a stay-at-home order because of an uptick of coronavirus cases in the city.
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks fell today, with all three indices closing with overall losses. The Nasdaq Composite decreased by 0.73%, the S&P 500 by 0.34%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.50%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 3,680,868 cases and 140,957 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 13,916,969 and 591,556 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------------------------------