Protests against mandated COVID-19 vaccines pop up across US

A federal judge ruled Sunday in favor of Norwegian Cruise Line and will allow the company to require proof of vaccination on cruises out of Florida despite a state law that bans cruise ships from enacting such an order.

Norwegian sued the state last month contending that the law prevented them "from safely and soundly resuming passenger cruise operations from Miami, Florida."

Florida's law threatens to fine companies $5,000 each time they ask a customer to provide proof that they've been vaccinated.

Florida has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the last couple of weeks, with most cases affecting unvaccinated residents.

Judge Kathleen M. Williams wrote in her decision that Norwegian "has demonstrated that public health will be jeopardized if it is required to suspend its vaccination requirement," and the Florida Department of Health, "identifies no public benefit from the continued enforcement of the Statute Case."

Neither the cruise line nor the Florida Department of Health issued immediate statements about the ruling as of Sunday evening.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney

A Memphis area elementary school sent a message to parents Sunday, just hours before the new school year was about to begin, informing them that the first day of classes would be postponed for a week due to COVID-19 cases among the staff.

The letter from Donelson Elementary School administrators didn't specify how many staff members contracted the virus but indicated they "are simply at a point where opening tomorrow would risk further exposure to students and staff."

The first day of classes is tentatively rescheduled for Aug. 16, the letter said.

-ABC News' Darren Reynolds

Hospitals in Austin, Texas are down to just six available intensive care unit beds as more COVID-19 patients are admitted, officials warned.

City officials said there are 591 COVID-19 patients that are hospitalized. The seven-day average of new coronavirus ICU admissions in Austin's hospitals has jumped from 23.4 on July 4 to 184 on Aug. 6, the city's health department data showed.

Over the weekend, the Warn Central Texas system sent out an alert to residents via text message that urged people to wear a mask, get vaccinated and stay home if possible.

-ABC News' Matthew Fuhrman

The World Health Organization issued a warning Sunday about online scams involving a phony COVID-19 lottery.

The scammers claim to be a financial management firm in London under the name "Capital Finance, Inc. London," WHO said.

The fraudsters allege through emails that the "COVID-19 Lottery Compensation Prize" is brought to you by WHO, in association with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), according to WHO. 

The emails also state that they come from a group appointed by the WHO to process payment of these prizes, and then solicit personal details and in some cases, money from their victims, WHO warned.

"WHO is not offering or conducting a lottery prize to compensate individuals, whose names or contact details are purportedly selected at random, for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic," the UN agency said in a statement.

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik