Good morning,
Due to an error on my part, the 7-30 edition of Daily COVID-19 update was not sent last evening as planned, but it is below and attached.
Please note that Ashley Smith will be sending out the Daily Updates over the next two weeks. Please feel free to let her know if you have any comments or questions during that time.
Thank you,
Jeff Cohen
INFORMS Members in the News
Member: Julie Swann
Member: Julie Swann
U.S. Federal Policy Update
- Lawmakers attempted to act on coronavirus relief on the Senate floor in advance of tomorrow's lapse in unemployment benefits, but these efforts were split due to disagreements between Senate Republicans and Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed a procedural motion for an unemployment insurance extension measure – which passed by a vote of 47-42. Majority Leader McConnell stated that this move "makes it pending business for next week," adding that "hopefully [lawmakers] can keep talking and making progress, because no progress is being made anywhere else."
- Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met tonight at 8 PM to continue forward their negotiations for the next coronavirus relief package.
- The Bureau of Economic Analysis released their findings that the US economy contracted by 32.9% between April and June, which is the sharpest quarter drop in recent history.
- For the second week in a row, the Department of Labor released data showing that unemployment numbers continue to be on the rise in the U.S., with a total of 1.4 million people filing for first-time unemployment benefits in the past week.
- White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx encouraged state and local officials to implement stricter coronavirus restrictions, stating that "if the governors and mayors of every locality right now would mandate masks for their communities and every American would wear a mask, and socially distance, and not congregate in large settings – we can really get control of this virus."
- Operation Warp Speed Chief Adviser Moncef Slaoui announced that the federal government operation will fund eight COVID-19 vaccines – five of which are already in phase three of their clinical trials.
- President Trump emphasized that "a permanent shutdown would not be the answer at all," stating that "achieving a temporary reduction in cases is certainly not a viable long-term strategy for any country."
- The White House published a fact sheet regarding the Trump administration's efforts to "promote safe plasma donations to protect Americans and defeat COVID-19."
- The State Department published a release on the G7 countries' endorsement of high-level principles to ensure transportation safety, security, and health, as well as to support global coordination.
Global Response
- The European Union announced that they would gradually lift their travel restrictions for travelers from Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay. However, notably, the U.S. will remain on the list of restricted nations – with no plans to ease restrictions soon.
- World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus sought to warn young people that they are at risk of contracting COVID-19, stating in his daily briefing that "young people are not invincible – young people can be infected, young people can die, and young people can transmit the virus to others."
- Norway's Foreign Ministry announced that they will impose a 10-day quarantine mandate for all travelers arriving from Belgium, due to Belgium's recent increase in COVID-19 cases.
- The Italian government announced that they would extend their state of emergency up to October 15th.
- Due to a rise in COVID-19 cases, the Icelandic government announced that they would implement new restrictions. These new measures include a mandatory two-meter distancing rule, requirement for companies to provide hand sanitizer, and more.
- The UK increased their mandated self-isolation period for anyone who has come into contact with the coronavirus from 7 days to 10 days.
- The Libyan government announced that they plan to implement a full lockdown procedure for five days, effective on Friday – due to an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
- Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced that the Mexican economy's GDP fell by 17.3% in the second quarter of this year – due to ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic. He aimed to provide hope for the third quarter, emphasizing that "the worst has already happened."
State Update
- Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the state could reverse its reopening plan if the positive coronavirus case count continues to rise.
- Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds released new guidance encouraging students to resume in-person learning in the fall. The guidance also specifies that in order to qualify for online-only learning, the county must have a positivity rate of at least 15%.
- Washington, DC Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn announced that public school students in the DC area would receive virtual learning-only instruction for the first term of the school year – from August 31st to November 6th.
- Maine Governor Janet Mills signed an executive order extending rental assistance protections to qualifying families for up to three months, stating that she's "very concerned that Maine people may be facing a housing cliff."
Economic Update
- U.S. stocks were volatile today with the three indices reporting mixed results. The Nasdaq Composite closed up by 0.43%, while the S&P 500 fell by 0.38% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average by 0.85%.
Latest Impact Data
- In the United States: Over 4,628,225 cases and 155,003 deaths in 50 states, 4 territories, and Washington, D.C.
- Worldwide: Over 17,445,482 and 675,455 deaths in at least 204 countries and territories.
In the News
------------------------------
Jeffrey M. Cohen, MBA
Director, Public Affairs & Marketing
INFORMS
jeff.cohen@informs.org------------------------------