AMC announces timing for reopening theaters
The film industry has been hard-hit by the pandemic.
The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 747,000 people worldwide.
Over 20.5 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 5.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 165,934 deaths.
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10:10 p.m.: Colorado extends mask mandate
Colorado's mask mandate, which was set to expire this weekend, has now been extended.
Gov. Jared Polis put the policy into place for 30 days starting at midnight on July 16. The mandate requires everyone 11 years and older to wear a mask in public indoor spaces and on public transit or a non-private vehicle, such as taxi or ride-share.
"Our data has shown that mask wearing has contributed to our great success thus far in reducing the spread of the virus and helping more and more of our economy re-open rapidly including our schools," Polis said in a statement to ABC News. "Therefore we expect the mask order to stay in place and support localized efforts to continue mask wearing and raise awareness about the importance of avoiding large groups. Masks and social distancing continue protecting the lives of Coloradans during this pandemic."
After rising through June and July, cases have been decreasing in Colorado in August. After initial heights in April, the cases grew to a high of 870 cases during a second wave on July 27. The state reported just 215 cases on Aug. 11.
9:51 p.m.: AMC to reopen some theaters Aug. 20
One of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic has been the film industry as movie theaters across the country have remained shuttered for months.
AMC Theatres announced it will be opening more than 100 theaters on Aug. 20, and then plans to have two-thirds of theaters open by Sept. 3.
"We already have opened more than half of our theatres in Europe and the Middle East, safely and without incident, and will open all by August 26," the company said in a statement, adding the final third of theaters closed in the U.S. will "open after we get further clearance from state and local authorities that it is safe to do so."
The company plans to show first-run films soon after opening, including the new X-Men film "The New Mutants" on Aug. 28, and "Tenet," the much-delayed Christopher Nolan film, on Sept. 3.
AMC said it plans to implement strict cleaning procedures, social distancing, required masks and "significantly limiting seating capacity."
By screens, AMC is the largest theater chain in North America.
9:25 p.m.: White House releases guidance on reopening schools
The White House has released its own guidance on safely reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic.
The four-page document largely echoes previous guidance that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out for schools, including recommending masks when social distancing is not possible.
There are also specific recommendations for high-risk teachers and students.
The guidelines make an argument for on-campus learning, in line with President Donald Trump's push for in-person instruction this fall.
Trump again called for students to return to schools at a briefing on Wednesday, arguing that online and remote learning isn't good for their development.
"When you sit at home in a basement looking at a computer, your brain starts to wither away," he said. "We have a lot of good experience at that just by taking a look at what is happening in politics."
7:25 p.m.: Big East latest conference to postpone fall sports
The Big East is the latest collegiate conference to postpone the fall season.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, volleyball and field hockey will not compete this fall, officials said Wednesday. The conference is considering having the teams compete during the spring of 2021.
Fall competition for sports in their nontraditional seasons, including baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's lacrosse and men's and women's tennis, also will not be held.
Sports that are not sponsored by the Big East, including football, are not affected.
The move follows similar announcements from the Pac-12 Conference and Big Ten Conference. On Tuesday, both associations said they are postponing fall sports, including football, through the end of 2020 due to the pandemic.
On Wednesday, the Big 12 Conference announced it will move forward with fall sports this year.
4:30 p.m.: California 'turning the corner on this pandemic,' governor says
California, the state with the most coronavirus cases, is "turning the corner on this pandemic," Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.
ICU admissions have decreased by 16% and hospitalizations are down by 19%, Newsom said.
"You can't let your guard down," he warned.
"You want to see those numbers continue to go down? Wear a mask. You want to see those numbers continue to go down? Continue to physically distance," Newsom said.
California has more than 586,000 diagnosed coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University data. California is followed by Florida and then Texas for most cases.
3:10 p.m.: Georgia school with 35 cases moving to hybrid learning
Georgia's North Paulding High School, where images of packed hallways between classes went viral on social media, now has at least 35 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to a letter from school officials to parents.
The high school moved from in-person classes to virtual learning, but on Monday, students will start a hybrid schedule depending on their last name to combine in-person and digital learning.
School officials said Wednesday: "The plan we have developed will reduce the number of students on campus by half, will reduce hallway congestion, will improve traffic flow during class transitions, and will help mitigate other challenges we have identified since in-person instruction started.
1:15 p.m.: All NJ schools can reopen
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday that he's signing an executive order clearing pre-K through grade-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities, to reopen for the upcoming academic year.
Institutions desiring to reopen must strictly enforce social distancing and other protections, Murphy said.
School districts that can't meet all health and safety standards for in-class learning must begin the year with all-remote learning, Murphy said. Those districts must provide plans for reaching those standards and an anticipated date to be back in classrooms.
Any student who chooses remote learning must be accommodated, he said.
"There is no one-size-fits all plan," he tweeted.
Noon: Big 12 Conference moves forward with fall sports including football
The Big 12 Conference will move forward with fall sports this year, officials announced Wednesday.
Athletes in high-contact sports including football will get three COVID-19 tests per week, officials said.
Schools not in the Big 12 Conference must follow those testing rules in the week leading up to games against Big 12 teams, officials said.
"We are comfortable in our institutions' ability to provide a structured training environment, rigorous testing and surveillance, hospital quality sanitation and mitigation practices that optimize the health and safety of our student-athletes," Commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. "We believe all of this combines to create an ideal learning and training situation during this time of COVID-19."
"Ultimately, our student-athletes have indicated their desire to compete in the sports they love this season and it is up to all of us to deliver a safe, medically sound, and structured academic and athletic environment for accomplishing that outcome," Bowlsby said.
Officials with the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences said Tuesday they are postponing all sports, including football.
11:45 a.m.: No guests at the 2020 Masters
This year's Masters Tournament will take place without any guests or patrons, Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, said Wednesday.
The tournament, initially set for April, was rescheduled due to the pandemic and will be held Nov. 9 to Nov. 15.
"We determined that the potential risks of welcoming patrons and guests to our grounds in November are simply too significant to overcome," Ridley said in a statement.
11 a.m.: Over 550,000 diagnosed in Florida
In hard-hit Florida, Miami-Dade County reported 4,105 new cases on Tuesday, the highest one-day reported total for the county during the pandemic, according to data released by the state's Department of Health Wednesday.
Miami-Dade County had been reporting a range between 1,210 and 1,808 new daily cases over the last week.
The exceptionally high number was due to the Department of Health receiving a backlog of testing data dating back to June 23, the department said Wednesday.
"The lab reported over 4,000 cases occurring over the past 7 weeks, but which had not been reported to DOH until today," the department said in a tweet. "Therefore, this backlog severely skews today's daily report for Miami-Dade & is not reflective of current trends. Once DOH was informed of this testing data backlog, we immediately reached out to Niznik Lab & we are investigating the matter, along with Miami-Dade leadership."
Over 550,000 people in the state have been diagnosed with COVID-19. At least 8,897 people have died, according to the Department of Health. The state reported 212 new deaths in the last 24 hours.
10 a.m.: 2020 Paris Marathon canceled
This year's Paris Marathon, set for November, has now been canceled due to the pandemic, officials announced Wednesday.
Organizers said it would be especially difficult for runners coming from abroad to make it to the event.
Runners who were signed up for this year's marathon are automatically signed up for next year's, organizers said.
9 a.m.: NJ district to go all virtual after 402 teachers say they can't work in school
New Jersey's Elizabeth Public Schools will go 100% virtual after 402 teachers said they'd need "special considerations for health-related risks and cannot teach in person," Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer said in a letter to parents Tuesday.
With five weeks until school begins and "insufficient staff to safely reopen," "it is unfruitful to continue to pursue something that cannot occur," Hugelmeyer wrote.
"We will spend the next five weeks working to create the best virtual experience possible," she said.
Meanwhile, New Jersey educators are calling on Gov. Phil Murphy and the state's Department of Education to direct all state public schools to open remotely.
Dr. Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, Patricia Wright, executive director of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association and Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association, said in a letter Tuesday, "reopening schools for in-person instruction under the current conditions poses too great a risk to the health of students and schools staff."
8:01 a.m.: Russia's COVID-19 case count tops 900,000
Russia reported 5,102 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours, bringing its tally soaring past 900,000.
The country also reported an additional 129 fatalities. The nationwide total now stands at 902,701 confirmed cases with 15,260 deaths, according to data released Wednesday morning by Russia's coronavirus response headquarters.
Russia's latest daily caseload is down from a peak of 11,656 new infections reported on May 11.
Russia has the fourth-highest highest number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in the world, behind the United States, Brazil and India, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Tuesday that his country has become the first in the world to grant regulatory approval to a COVID-19 vaccine. Critics say the vaccine was approved before the final Phase III trial and that no scientific data from the early trials has been released so far.
7:16 a.m.: Over 1,000 students in Georgia school district under quarantine
More than 1,000 students in a single Georgia school district have been ordered to self-quarantine this month after at least 70 cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in various schools.
The Cherokee County School District has published data on its website showing at least 1,130 students and 38 staff members from more than a dozen schools are under mandated two-week quarantines. The district reopened its schools on Aug. 3, welcoming back 30,000 students for in-person learning.
Many of the confirmed cases were identified at Etowah High School in Woodstock, Georgia. The Cherokee County School District announced Tuesday that it is temporarily closing Etowah High School, with the hope of resuming in-person classes there on Aug. 31.
"This decision was not made lightly," the school district said in a statement Tuesday. "As of this morning, the number of positive cases at the school had increased to a total of 14, with tests for another 15 students pending; and, as a result of the confirmed cases, 294 students and staff are under quarantine and, should the pending tests prove positive, that total would increase dramatically."
What to know about coronavirus:
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
- What to do if you have symptoms: Coronavirus symptoms
- Tracking the spread in the U.S. and worldwide: Coronavirus map
6:33 a.m.: 1st dog to test positive in North Carolina dies
The first dog to test positive for COVID-19 in North Carolina has died, officials said.
The dog, who had been showing signs of respiratory distress, was brought to the NC State Veterinary Hospital on the evening of Aug. 3 after the owner noticed the onset of distress earlier in the day, according to a press release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The dog ultimately succumbed to the "acute illness," and its owner alerted veterinary staff that a member of the family had previously tested positive for the novel coronavirus but later tested negative.
Samples were collected from the dog and sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories, which confirmed a positive test result for COVID-19. The dog's family along with state health officials were notified.
"A necropsy was performed to try to determine the animal's state of health at the time of death and the cause of death, and the complete investigation is ongoing," the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement Tuesday.
There is currently no evidence that pets play a significant role in spreading COVID-19, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
5:20 a.m.: 2 men face charges for allegedly hosting house party in Nashville
Two men are facing criminal charges for violating public health emergency orders by allegedly throwing a large party at their house in Nashville earlier this month.
The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has issued arrest warrants for Christopher Eubank, 40, and Jeffrey Mathews, 36, who were both reported to be out of state Tuesday night and have been told to surrender upon returning to Nashville. Eubank and Mathews are each charged with three separate counts -- all misdemeanors -- of violating health orders by hosting a gathering in excess of 25 people, not requiring social distancing and not requiring face coverings.
Police said hundreds of people attended the Aug. 1 party at the property owned by Eubank and Mathews, located on Fern Avenue in Tennessee's capital. Patrol officers responded to the home late that night and ultimately directed that the party cease.
Cellphone footage, obtained by Nashville ABC affiliate WKRN, purportedly shows large crowds of people at the party wearing no masks and not maintaining social distancing.
4:39 a.m.: Nearly a third of Kentucky's new cases among teens
Nearly one-third of new COVID-19 cases in Kentucky at the end of July were among those 19 years old or younger, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) obtained by ABC News Tuesday night.
In Mississippi, Black residents represented 58.5% of the state's new cases during the period from July 5 through Aug. 1 -- a 37.2% difference between cases and census racial distribution, according to the FEMA memo.
Meanwhile, the test-positivity rate was greater than 10% last week in Arkansas, where 5,593 additional cases were reported and two counties have emerged as new hot spots. Logan County reported 90 new cases last week, an increase of 428% and a test-positivity rate of 17.59%. Poinsett County reported 74 new cases, an increase of 189% and a test-positivity rate of 15.43%, according to the FEMA memo.
However, the national test-positivity rate continues to decline. Over the past seven days, the rate was 6.6% -- down from 7.9% from the previous week. The nation also saw a 12.7% decrease in new cases as well as a 4.3% decrease in new deaths being confirmed over the last week, compared with the previous seven-day period, according to the FEMA memo.
The memo shows that just five states and territories are in an upward trajectory of new cases, while two states are at a plateau and 49 states are going down.
3:45 a.m.: US records more than 1,000 new deaths from COVID-19
There were 46,808 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Tuesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
An additional 1,082 coronavirus-related deaths were also reported -- more than double the amount from the previous day.
Still, it's the third consecutive day that the nation has recorded less than 50,000 new cases. Tuesday's caseload is also well below the record set on July 16, when more than 77,000 new cases were identified in a 24-hour reporting period.
A total of 5,141,208 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 164,537 of them have died, according to Johns Hopkins. The cases include people from all 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C. and other U.S. territories as well as repatriated citizens.
By May 20, all U.S. states had begun lifting stay-at-home orders and other restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The day-to-day increase in the country's cases then hovered around 20,000 for a couple of weeks before shooting back up and crossing 70,000 for the first time in mid-July.
Many states have seen a rise in infections in recent weeks, with some -- including Arizona, California and Florida -- reporting daily records. However, the nationwide number of new cases and deaths in the last week have both decreased in week-over-week comparisons, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency obtained by ABC News Tuesday night.
ABC News' Brandon Baur, Jon Haworth, Ahmad Hemingway, Josh Margolin, Victor Oquendo, Tanya Stukalova, Christine Theodorou, Matthew Vann, Stephanie Wash and Scott Withers contributed to this report.
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