36 crew members on Norwegian Arctic cruise ship test positive for coronavirus
From CNN’s Arnaud Siad in London
There are 36 crew members on Norwegian Arctic cruise ship MS Roald Amundsen who have tested positive for coronavirus, Hurtigruten Cruises said in a statement Saturday.
As a result, 387 passengers from two July expeditions on the cruise ship have been asked to self-quarantine.
According to the statement, on Friday four crew members tested positive after they had been in isolation for “several” days ago for showing “other disease symptoms” but none associated with Covid-19.
“The safety and well-being of our guests and crew is Hurtigruten’s number one priority. All crew members are closely monitored and screened daily,” the company said the statement.
Additional testing of the entire crew concluded that 32 other crew members were infected with Covid-19, bringing the total to 36.
More details: The ship is currently docked in Tromsø, Norway, with no passengers on board. It was scheduled to sail to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago north of Norway, on Friday afternoon. That trip has now been cancelled. The MS Roald Amundsen had two expeditions to the Arctic, one on July 17 with 109 guests, and another on July 24 with 178 guests on board.
Birx says that reopening schools in areas with Covid-19 increases should be done cautiously
From CNN Health’s Naomi Thomas
In areas with widespread case increases, the cases need to be stopped first before there can be talks about reopening schools safely, according to Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus task force coordinator.
“I certainly would endorse what Dr. Redfield is saying,” she said on CNN on Sunday. “In the areas where we have this widespread case increase, we need to stop the cases and then we can talk about safely reopening.”
“If you have high caseload and active community spread, just like we are asking people not to go to bars, not to have household parties, not to create large spreading events, we are asking people to distance learn at this moment so we can get this epidemic under control,” she added.
As coordinator for the task force, Brix said that she works with Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and looks at the data every single day and that she would do “what the CDC guidelines have recommended, and certainly the director.”
Large indoor gatherings across New Jersey are not a “widespread problem,” state police say
From CNN’s Anna Sturla
The New Jersey State Police does not consider large indoor gatherings to be a “widespread problem,” press officer Major Brian Polite told CNN.
“With that being said, any indoor home gathering must fall within the guidelines set forth in the executive order and any violations of such will result in enforcement,” Polite said.
Some context: The police statement comes after Airbnb removed or suspended 35 listings across New Jersey in order to crack down on “party houses,” according to a statement from Airbnb.
One house party in late July had 700 people, taking more than five hours to be broken up by police, officials said.
Arkansas governor says there is no correlation between Covid-19 spike and lifting of restrictions
From CNN’s Chandler Thornton
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNN the state will not shut down bars and restaurants despite the recent spike in cases.
When asked Sunday if the state’s high number of new cases and deaths could have been prevented had there been restrictions imposed earlier, Hutchinson said the “economy and people cannot be shut down for that long.”
The governor said bars and restaurants would remain open at “limited capacity” because “so far we have not seen any correlation between an increase in cases and lifting of restrictions.”
“We’re going to be dealing with this for some time and so you can’t shut down the economy,” Hutchinson said, adding that he’s issued a mask mandate and “of course the most important about that is that people comply with it.”
More context: The state of Arkansas reported a 10% positivity rate for new coronavirus cases Friday and currently has 43,173 total cases and 458 deaths.
Birx warns that the US is “in a new phase” of Covid-19 pandemic
From CNN’s Veronica Stracqualursi
Dr. Deborah Birx said the US is in a new phase in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic, saying that the virus is more widespread than when it first took hold in the country earlier this year.
“What we are seeing today is different from March and April. It is extraordinarily widespread. It’s into the rural as equal urban areas,” Birx, the White House coronavirus task force coordinator, told CNN on Sunday.
Birx’s comments come as the US has reported more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country.
More context: As of Sunday, the US had reported more than 4.6 million cases of Covid-19 and at least 154,449 Americans have died, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University.
Read more here.
Philippines surpasses 100,000 coronavirus cases
From CNN’s Susanna Capelouto
Covid-19 infections hit a milestone in the Philippines on Sunday with 103,185 recorded cases of the disease.
Health officials reported a record 5,032 new daily cases, which pushed the Philippines over 100,000.
The total number of deaths from coronavirus in the Philippines is 2,059.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the Philippines have the second highest case count in southeast Asia, following Indonesia.
Birx says Americans who are vacationing in Covid-19 hot spots should “assume you’re infected”
White House Coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx said that Americans who have gone on vacation recently to a Covid-19 hotspot should “assume you’re infected.”
Birx told CNN that over the last three weeks she has traveled to 14 states.
“I can tell you across America right now, people are on the move,” she said.
She added that anyone who has “chosen to go on vacation into a hot spot” should “assume you’re infected.”
Bollywood star discharged from hospital after recovering from coronavirus
From Rishabh Pratap in Delhi
India’s Bollywood star, Amitabh Bachchan, says he tested negative for Covid-19 on Sunday and is back home.
“I have tested Covid negative, have been discharged. I am back home in solitary quarantine,” the actor tweeted.
He said “the excellent care and nursing at Nanavati (hospital) made it possible for me to see this day.”
Bachchan along with his son, Abhishek Bachchan, tested positive for coronavirus on July 1 while his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and granddaughter tested positive the next day.
While the other three are back home, Abhishek is still in Mumbai’s Nanavati Hospital.
Abhishek Bachchan tweeted, “I, unfortunately, due to some comorbidities remain Covid-19 positive and remain in hospital. Again, thank you for your continued wishes and prayers for my family.”
He said he was very humbled and indebted by the good wishes and added, “I’ll beat this and come back healthier! Promise.”
India’s minister of home affairs says he has tested positive for coronavirus
From Rishabh Pratap in Delhi
India’s Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah has tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.
“After getting the initial symptoms of the coronavirus, I got the test done and was found positive,” Shah said in a tweet.
He said he has been admitted to a Delhi hospital after doctors’ advice.
According to the minister’s office, Shah was last with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 29 at the prime minister’s residence in New Delhi for a union cabinet meeting.
