Coronavirus updates: CDC now 'strongly recommends' masks on airplanes, public transportation
The goal is to "help safely reopen America’s economy," the CDC said.
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 1.1 million people worldwide.
Over 40 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 criteria for diagnosis -- through clinical means or a lab test -- has varied from country to country. Still, 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 virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.
The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than 8.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 219,674 deaths.
California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 875,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 854,000 cases and over 755,000 cases, respectively.
More than 190 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, at least 10 of which are in crucial phase three studies. Of those 10 potential vaccines in late-stage trials, there are currently five that will be available in the United States if approved.
Latest headlines:
Italy imposes tighter restrictions as cases surge
Further restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 came into effect in Italy on Monday, after a sharp rise in infections.
Under the new measures, all bars, pubs and restaurants across the European country must close from midnight until 5 a.m., while gambling venues must close at 9 p.m. Restaurants are allowed to serve no more than six people per table and only after 6 p.m.
Local festivals are now banned, and mayors can close streets and public squares after 9 p.m. to halt gatherings.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte warned that gyms and swimming pools may also be shut down next week if they don't follow the safety protocols.
"These measures are aimed to avoid another lockdown," Conte said Sunday while announcing the new rules. "The country cannot face another lockdown that would compromise the economic fabric of the country."
The move comes after Italy, once the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, confirmed 11,705 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, an all-time high.
ABC News' Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.
Russia reports nearly 16,000 new cases in new record high
Russia confirmed another 15,982 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, its highest daily tally yet.
An additional 179 deaths from COVID-19 were also registered in the past 24 hours, down from last week's peak of 286. The cumulative totals now stand at 1,369,313 cases and 23,723 deaths, according to Russia's coronavirus response headquarters.
The country of 145 million people has the fourth-highest tally of COVID-19 cases in the world, behind only the United States, India and Brazil.
More than 33% of the newly confirmed cases -- 5,376 -- and over 28% of the newly registered deaths -- 51 -- were reported in the capital, Moscow, according to country's coronavirus response headquarters.
Although Russia has been breaking its own records for daily case counts and deaths almost every day since Oct. 9, authorities there are resisting shutting down businesses again. Few measures have been imposed in Moscow, the epicenter of the country's COVID-19 outbreak and recent surge.
ABC News' Alina Lobzina contributed to this report.
Global case count tops 40 million
More than 40 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to a real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
The global tally crossed the 40 million mark on Monday morning in yet another grim milestone of the pandemic.
The United States has the highest number of diagnosed cases of any country, with more than 8.1 million, but is closely followed by India, which has over 7.5 million. Brazil, Russia and Argentina are also in the top five, according to Johns Hopkins data.
Top Palestinian official taken to Israeli hospital for COVID-19
Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat, who is battling COVID-19, was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Israel on Sunday, according to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Erekat, who lives in the town of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, disclosed earlier this month that he had contracted COVID-19. The 65-year-old has a history of health problems and received a lung transplant in the United States in 2017.
"Following his contraction of COVID-19, and due to the chronic health problems he faces in the respiratory system, Dr. Erekat's condition now requires medical attention in a hospital," the Palestinian Liberation Organization said in a statement Sunday.
Erekat's brother told Agence France-Presse that "his situation is not good."
Erekat, who serves as the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, is one of the most senior advisors to the Palestinian president. He is a longtime proponent of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, there have been more than 42,490 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with at least 381 deaths in the West Bank.
ABC News' Christine Theodorou contributed to this report.
India records lowest daily death toll in 3 months
India registered another 579 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, its lowest daily tally in three months.
An additional 55,722 cases were also confirmed. The country's cumulative totals now stand at 7,550,273 confirmed cases and 114,610 deaths, according to the latest data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
India is only the second country in the world to surpass 7 million total cases, after the United States. Since hitting a peak of 97,894 new cases registered in a single day in September, India's average number of daily cases has steadily declined.
The vast country of nearly 1.4 billion people is still on track to become the pandemic's worst-hit nation within weeks, overtaking the United States, where more than 8.1 million people have been diagnosed with COVID-19.