Coronavirus Watch: $300 billion small business deal is 'very close'

Negotiators were "very close" to a deal that would send an additional $300 billion in funding to small businesses, while the White House said the U.S. has a lower per-capita death rate than many countries in Europe. 

As protests of "stay-home" orders begin to put more pressure on states to reopen, some states are outlining plans to do so. Here's how to track reopening procedures across the nation, sorted by state.

This is Sunday's Coronavirus Watch, from the Paste BN Network. Here is the latest news, as of 2 p.m. ET.

• The White House and Congress were "very close" to a deal on Sunday for a $300 billion relief package for small businesses, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. The money would replenish a loan program for small businesses, which already depleted an initial $350 billion in less than two weeks.
• In data presented by White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx, the U.S. had a lower per-capita death rate (11.24 reported coronavirus deaths per 100,000 people) than countries such as Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, the UK and the Netherlands. She credited social distancing measures with keeping the rate low.
• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that the state will be taking the nation's "most aggressive" effort to implement antibody testing. Antibodies could provide people with defenses against coronavirus, health experts hope.
• The U.S. has more than 742,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and a death toll above 39,000, according to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus database. Worldwide, more than 2.3 million cases have been confirmed and 163,000 have died. 
• New York also reported 507 deaths on Saturday, the lowest daily mark in weeks. "All indications are that we are on the descent," Cuomo said.
• The decision to reopen some of Florida's beaches was met with criticism on social media. 
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said the company hopes to test all of its employees. The online shopping giant also has plans to open its own testing lab.
• Broadway actor Nick Cordero had his leg amputated because of coronavirus complications, his wife said.

Buy a gift card now, use it later: The Support Local initiative is a great way to help your favorite local businesses get through this difficult time. Here's how to help.

As always, thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network in a time when accurate information is needed the most. 

– Jay Cannon, Paste BN Network and Wires Editor, @JayTCannon on Twitter.