Teachers win injunction to prevent in-person learning

A judge halted an executive order requiring schools to be open five days a week.

The global coronavirus pandemic has now killed more than 806,000 people worldwide, nearly a quarter of those in the U.S.

More 23.2 million people worldwide 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, unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 5.6 million diagnosed cases and at least 176,659 deaths.


NFL had zero players test positive last week

The National Football League announced on Monday that zero players tested positive for COVID-19 from Aug. 12 to Aug. 20

In total, 58,397 tests were administered to 8,573 players and personnel during that time period, the league said in a statement on Monday.

Of the 35,137 tests given to team personnel during that time period, six people were confirmed to be positive, the NFL said.


Florida teachers union wins injunction to prevent in-person learning

A teachers’ union in Florida has won an injunction stopping the enforcement of an executive order requiring schools in the state to be open for in-person learning.

In July, Commissioner Richard Corcoran with the Florida Department of Education issued an emergency order that schools must be open at least five days per week for all students. The order was “subject to advice and orders” given by the Department of Health.

The order was for all brick-and-mortar schools to open by Monday, Aug. 31, according to court documents.

The Florida Education Association, which is the state’s largest teachers’ union, filed a lawsuit against Corcoran and Gov. Ron DeSantis in an effort to halt that order.

Tallahassee Circuit Court Judge Charles Dodson granted the union’s injunction request on Monday, ruling that the order from state officials was unconstitutional.

Dodson in his ruling adjusted the emergency order, removing the requirement that the schools be open five days a week and ordering that the day-to-day decision to open or close the schools be left with those most closely associated to the school including the school board and superintendent.

The judge in his ruling also noted how the hearings last week took place over Zoom due to concerns about safety amid the coronavirus pandemic.


Higher-risk school sports in NY can practice, not play

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.



Tuscaloosa closes bars until September after cases rise at University of Alabama

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.


US reports under 1,000 new deaths for 1st time in almost a week

There were 34,567 new cases of COVID-19 identified in the United States on Sunday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University.

It’s the first time in six days that the country’s day-to-day rise in cases is under 40,000. Sunday’s tally is also well below the national record set on July 16, when 77,255 new cases were identified in a 24-hour reporting period.

An additional 449 coronavirus-related deaths were also recorded Sunday, the first time in a six days that the daily death toll was lower than 1,000. The figure is also under the record 2,666 new deaths that were reported on April 17.

A total of 5,704,447 people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and at least 176,809 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.

Week-over-week comparisons show that the nationwide number of new cases and new deaths has continued to decrease in recent weeks, according to an internal memo from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, obtained by ABC News on Friday night.