Teachers win injunction to prevent in-person learning

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that certain sports will be allowed to begin practice and playing on Sept. 21 as the state has reached it's lowest infection rate since the pandemic began.

Sports including tennis, soccer, cross country, field hockey and swimming, all considered lower and moderate-risk sports, can begin competitions. Travel for these sports will be prohibited outside the school's region until Oct. 19, the governor said.

The higher-risk sports -- football, wrestling, rugby, hockey and volleyball -- may begin to practice on Sept. 21 but cannot play against other teams. A date for when competitions can take place was not announced.

"The State has done a lot of research on how we can safely have our students participate in school sports and get the exercise they need, and the guidance we developed will allow lower-risk sports to begin practicing and playing next month," Cuomo said.

Schools will have to limit capacity of indoor facilities to 50% and no more than two spectators per player. Those attending will be required to follow proper social distancing guidelines and wear face coverings.

The city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, will close its bars starting at 6 p.m. on Monday after the University of Alabama reported a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Mayor Walter Maddox signed an executive order restricting all bars from serving alcohol until Sept. 8 -- anyone who violates the order could be fined or sentenced to a maximum of 180 days in the municipal jail.

In a letter to students on Sunday, university President Stuart Bell called the rise in cases on campus to be "unacceptable" and said this is a "critical moment" for the school.

"Make no mistake, this trend is a real threat to our ability to complete the semester on campus," Bell said, adding that "violations to our health and safety protocols" are "subject to harsh disciplinary action, up to and including suspension" from the university.

University police and the Tuscaloosa Police Department will monitor bars, restaurants and off-campus residences where guidelines are not being followed.

ABC News' Janice McDonald contributed to this report.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the COVID-19 infection rate in the state was 0.66% as of Sunday, the lowest since the start of the pandemic.

"It is a great day," Cuomo said at Monday's press briefing, noting that the state has now had an infection rate under 1% for more than two weeks.

However, the western part of the state, including the Buffalo region, has seen an uptick in cases and the infection rate, he said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that it has granted emergency authorization for the first antiviral surface coating approved for use to continuously protect against the virus that causes COVID-19 with a single application.

The product, SurfaceWise 2 from the Texas-based company Allied BioScience, is now approved for use by American Airlines, the Texas Methodist Health Group and at certain locations of the Texas-based clinics Total Orthopedics Sports & Spine.

"This is, I believe, a major game-changing announcement for our efforts to combat coronavirus and COVID19," EPA administrator Andrew Wheeler said on a call with reporters Monday morning.

While the product is intended to deactivate the virus on surfaces between routine cleanings for up to seven days, Wheeler said it’s not supposed to replace frequent cleaning with disinfectants, hand washing, wearing masks or social distancing. He also said that the EPA did not find any adverse health risks from coming in contact with the product on a surface, though the National Institutes of Health has found the main ingredient, quaternary ammonium, can be an irritant and exacerbate asthma.

ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs contributed to this report.