World Rugby Sevens Series canceled due to coronavirus pandemic
From CNN’s Isaac Yee in Hong Kong
The rest of this year’s World Rugby Sevens Series has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the sport’s governing body said Tuesday.
“HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 in Langford, London, Paris, Singapore, and Hong Kong have been canceled due to the ongoing and dynamic global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic,” World Rugby said in a statement.
“The decision follows detailed and constructive dialogue with the host and participating unions, and has been taken with the health and wellbeing of the rugby community and the wider public as a top priority.”
The early conclusion of the tournament means that New Zealand will be awarded both the women’s and men’s titles after being top of the standings before the pandemic initially suspended the series.
Many US states hit pause on reopening, but experts say spread of coronavirus is now hard to control
From CNN’s Christina Maxouris
At least 16 US states have halted their reopening plans in response to a surge in new infections, but some health officials say the spread of coronavirus will be difficult to control.
“What we hope is we can take it seriously and slow the transmission in these places,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But what I think is very discouraging is we’re clearly not at a point where there’s so little virus being spread that it’s going to be easy to snuff out.”
The US has reported more than 2.5 million cases of the virus and at least 126,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. State and local leaders have said the rise in cases are in part driven by gatherings, both in homes and in places like bars — which some experts called the perfect breeding ground for the virus.
But experts have for long warned that some states also reopened far too soon and too quickly, cautioning the move could lead to more spikes in cases.
States across the US have hit pause on reopening:
- California: Gov. Gavin Newsom shut bars back down across seven counties and recommended their closure in several more.
- Texas: Bars were ordered shut.
- Florida: On-premise alcohol consumption was suspended statewide.
- Arizona: Bars, gyms, and other businesses have been shut down for a month.
- Florida: Beaches in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach were also ordered closed for the upcoming holiday weekend.
- New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday the state will decide later this week on whether to slow the reopening of indoor dining in New York City as it has “been shown to pose risks in other states.”
Read the full story here.
A new swine flu with “pandemic potential” has been discovered by researchers in China
From CNN’s Jessie Yeung
Chinese researchers have discovered a new type of swine flu that can infect humans and has the potential to cause a future pandemic, according to a study released on Monday.
The disease, which researchers called the G4 virus, is genetically descended from the H1N1 swine flu that caused a global pandemic in 2009.
G4 now shows “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus,” said the study, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The new study comes as the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has now infected more than 10.3 million people globally and caused more than 505,000 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
How was it discovered? Researchers detected G4 during a pig surveillance program that ran from 2011 to 2018, in which they collected more than 30,000 nasal swab samples from pigs in slaughterhouses and veterinary teaching hospitals across 10 Chinese provinces.
From these samples, researchers identified 179 swine influenza viruses — but not all of them posed a concern. Some only showed up one year out of the program’s seven, or eventually declined to nonthreatening levels.
But the G4 virus kept showing up in pigs, year after year — and even showed sharp increases in the swine population after 2016.
Can it infect people? Further tests showed that G4 can infect humans by binding to our cells and receptors, and it can replicate quickly inside our airway cells. And though G4 holds H1N1 genes, people who have received seasonal flu vaccines won’t have any immunity.
G4 already appears to have infected people in China. In Hebei and Shandong provinces, both places with high pig numbers, more than 10% of swine workers on pig farms and 4.4% of the general population tested positive in a survey from 2016 to 2018.
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“Exhausted” by conflicts over guests refusing to wear masks, a popular taco spot temporarily closed its doors
From CNN’s Kyung Lah
At first, the attacks directed at Hugo’s Tacos were mainly childish comments made by people who appeared frustrated that they were asked to wear a mask while at the restaurant.
But about a month ago, the comments escalated into screams.
Customers at the popular Los Angeles spot threw drinks and other objects at cashiers, Hugo’s Tacos’ CEO told CNN. They called Hugo’s Taco Stand’s mask rule “stupid” and yelled at the primarily Latino staff to “Go back to where you came from.”
One of the owners tracked the number of attacks last Thursday, and realized it was an hourly onslaught. On Sunday, following this realization, Hugo’s Tacos announced it is temporarily closing down its two locations in Los Angeles.
“Our taco stands are exhausted by the constant conflicts over guests refusing to wear masks,” Hugo’s Tacos wrote in an Instagram post. “A mask isn’t symbolic of anything other than our desire to keep our staff healthy. Both of our locations are going to take a break and recharge.”
The move was unprecedented for the institution, which has operated for 15 years.
Read the full story here.
US reports more than 41,500 new Covid-19 cases
The United States reported at least 41,586 new coronavirus cases and 338 deaths on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
To date, the US has recorded at least 2,590,582 cases of Covid-19, according to JHU’s tally of cases. At least 126,141 people have died from the virus nationwide.
The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
CNN is tracking US coronavirus cases here:
Australia’s Victoria state reimposes lockdown on 10 suburbs
From CNN’s Julia Hollingsworth
The Australian state of Victoria has reintroduced lockdown measures on 10 suburbs around Melbourne following a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
A stay-at-home order will come into effect at 11:59 p.m. local time on July 1 and last until July 29 in 10 affected postcodes, according to a statement from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.
“If you live in these locations, there will again only be four reasons to be out:
“Shopping for food and supplies, care and caregiving, exercise, and study or work – if you can’t do it from home,” the statement said.
Beauty parlors, gyms, libraries and swimming polls in these areas — which have only recently reopened — will once again be restricted, while cafes and restaurants will revert to takeout and delivery only, according to the statement.
On Tuesday, Victoria reported 64 new cases of coronavirus, the 14th consecutive day of double-digit daily increase of new infections.
Japan reports 111 new coronavirus cases
From CNN’s Yoko Wakatsuki
Japan recorded 111 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the second consecutive day of more than 100 new infections, the country’s health ministry announced Tuesday.
To date, Japan has reported a total of 19,305 cases, including 712 infections linked to the Diamond Princess cruise ship. The death toll in the country stands at 985, with 13 fatalities associated with the ship.
The country’s capital, Tokyo, recorded 58 new infections on Monday — the fourth consecutive day the city reported more than 50 new cases.
More than 100 Covid-19 cases linked to one bar
From CNN’s Amir Vera and Sheena Jones
At least 107 coronavirus cases have been linked to a bar in East Lansing, Michigan, health officials said.
The Ingham County Health Department is asking patrons who visited Harper’s Restaurant & Brew Pub between June 12 and June 20 to self-quarantine and report cases of Covid-19, the department said in a statement.
Of the more than 100 positive cases, 12 are from secondary transmission, Ingham County Health Officer Linda S. Vail said Monday night.
The number of positive cases linked to the bar has risen rapidly since it was first reported Tuesday. Initially, 14 positive cases were reported; that jumped to 34 on Wednesday. By Saturday, that had risen to about 85, Vail said.
The bar followed safety guidelines for employees, capacity guidelines and table spacing, Harper’s Restaurant & Brew Pub said in a June 22 statement on Facebook.
“Harper’s re-opened at 50% capacity on June 8th according to the Governor’s executive order, and have welcomed back our employees and numerous customers to our restaurant and brewpub. The extraordinary exuberant response to our re-opening has been beyond our expectations,” the statement on Facebook read.
Read the full story here.
Arizona closes bars, gyms and other businesses after “brutal” increase in Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Kimberly Berryman and Theresa Waldrop
In one of the most drastic rollbacks of reopenings yet, Arizona is closing bars, gyms, movie theaters and other businesses for 30 days amid a “brutal” increase in Covid-19 cases, Gov. Doug Ducey said Monday.
Water parks and tubing must also close, Ducey said at a news conference, and events with more than 50 people are prohibited.
The pullback comes as the state has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases recently. There are now almost 75,000 reported infections, up from 46,689 cases 10 days ago.
“Our expectation is that next week, our numbers will be worse,” Ducey said. “It will take several weeks for the mitigations we are putting in place to take effect.”
The largest increase is from those between the ages of 20 and 44 who now make up 22% of hospitalizations in Arizona, Ducey said.
Sixteen other states have either pulled back on reopenings or have put them on pause as their cases jump. Bars were ordered to close back down in Texas and parts of California. In some of South Florida, beaches were directed to close again during the upcoming holiday weekend, and on-premises alcohol consumption has been suspended in bars statewide.
Read the full story here
