Coronavirus Watch: Bars closing down again in 2 states
The U.S. hit a new record for daily coronavirus cases yesterday as the governors of Texas and Florida hit pause on their reopening plans, with both states effectively closing bars Friday to limit the spread.
It's Friday, and this is the Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's the most significant news of the day, as of 1 p.m. ET:
- Today's numbers: Almost 2.4 million people have tested positive for the virus in the U.S., and more than 124,000 have died. Worldwide, almost 9.6 million people have tested positive for the virus, and 490,000 have died. See the numbers in your area here.
- How long does the virus live on surfaces? New research has found that it's undetectable on books and other common materials after three days.
- The Coronavirus Task Force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, is holding its first public meeting in almost two months at the Department of Health and Human Services.
- A Paste BN analysis finds that while most cases prior to late May were people 45 and older, most new cases since then are among younger people.
- The Trump administration on Thursday urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act, the same day the government reported that nearly half a million people lost their health insurance during the economic shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Do you have questions about the coronavirus? You can submit them through this form, and we'll answer them. Kathy from Springfield, Illinois, asks: How many times can disposable masks be worn? And how often should cloth masks be laundered?
Many of you have asked similar questions about face masks. That's why we put together a visual guide on how to clean, reuse or hack a coronavirus mask.
TL;DR: While surgical masks are not intended to be reused, the best strategy if you do want to wear one again is to put it in a breathable container such as a paper bag for a week. And the CDC recommends washing your cloth face covering after each use. To clean your cloth mask, you have a few options:
- Use the washing machine and dryer. The water doesn't necessarily need to be hot but use laundry detergent.
- If you don't have access to a washing machine, you can hand-wash with soap.
Your thoughts on navigating this summer could be featured in our daily news podcast, 5 Things. To share your story, go to coronadiaries.io/usatoday. Choose the first prompt, follow the instructions, and record a brief audio message. And to make sure we review your submission, tweet us @usatodaypodcast!
As always, thank you for subscribing! We appreciate you trusting the Paste BN Network with this important information.
– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck