Over 3.4 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 actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the hardest-hit country, with more than 1.1 million diagnosed cases and at least 66,369 deaths.The city of Stillwater, Oklahoma, has amended an emergency proclamation requiring people to wear face coverings in public after threats of violence.
In a statement, Stillwater City Manager Norman McNickle said that in three hours on May 1, while face coverings were mandatory inside stores in the city, employees were “threatened with physical violence” by people who “cite the mistaken belief the requirement is unconstitutional.” One person even threatened an employee with a gun for asking them to wear a mask, according to McNickle.
“It is further distressing that these people, while exercising their believed rights, put others at risk,” McNickle said in a statement. “As mentioned, there is clear medical evidence the face coverings prevent COVID-19 spread; they are recommended by both the CDC and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The wearing of face coverings is little inconvenience to protect both the wearer and anyone with whom they have contact. And, an unprotected person who contracts the virus can infect their own loved ones and others.”
McNickle and Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce reversed the emergency proclamation late Friday. The city will still require store workers to wear masks, but with the amendment citizens are now just “strongly encouraged” to wear coverings, instead of requiring it.
Stillwater has a population of about 50,000, and is the location of Oklahoma State University. The university sent students home in mid-March and conducted classes online the rest of the semester.
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9 p.m.: Hotel group to give back loan money
The Ashford Group will return the millions of dollars in coronavirus small business loans its real estate and hotel companies received under the Paycheck Protection Program, the company announced Saturday.
Together, its publicly traded companies received more — tens of millions of dollars — from the small business relief program than any other applicant.
MORE: Luxury hotels benefited from PPP loans. So did the investment trusts that own them
As late as this week, they had resisted public pressure to return their funds. But on Saturday, said they would do so to comply with in new guidance from the Small Business Administration.
The group defended taking the loan even as it returned the money, “Some media and members of Congress have falsely implied that Ashford accessed ‘loopholes’ in the CARES Act to qualify for the PPP funds. In fact, Congress designed the PPP to specifically allow companies that own multiple hotel properties to obtain separate loans for each property as a means to prevent the economic collapse of the hospitality industry that is now occurring.”
6:32 p.m.: US suffers deadliest days since outbreak began
America just confronted its deadliest two days in deaths since the country’s first known novel coronavirus death in February.
April 30 and May 1 marked the deadliest 48 hours in the United States’ fight against COVID-19, according to the World Health Organization.
A total of 4,978 people died, according to the WHO’s situation reports, which detail the number of new and total COVID-19 cases and deaths worldwide.
The reports, posted on May 1 and May 2, detail data reported to the Geneva-based organization by 4 a.m. ET Saturday.
The death toll in the U.S. is more than 66,000.
6:05 p.m.: Chicago mayor rails against house parties
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot held a fiery press conference Saturday asking people to immediately stop holding large house parties.
“If you feel like having a dance party — go on TikTok,” she said. “You are risking your own health. … You are bringing death to [your family’s] doorstep.”
The Chicago Police Department vowed to shut down any large gatherings and arrest those in attendance.
The CPD will “shut you down, we will cite you, and if we need to, we will arrest you and take you to jail, period. There should be nothing unambiguous about that.”
