The season opener will be on Sept. 10 and Super Bowl LV is set Feb. 7, 2021.
May 3, 2020, 9:06 AM
5 min read
The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 243,000 people worldwide.
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.
Today’s biggest developments:
Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern.
1:55 a.m.: NFL spokesman confirms that the NFL plans to begin season on time
The National Football League confirmed that they will release its full 2020 schedule later this week which includes a season opener on Sept. 10 and Super Bowl LV scheduled to be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida, on Feb. 7 in spite of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We plan to start on time,” said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy.
NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent told The Associated Press this week that the league is doing “reasonable and responsible planning” regarding health and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
Even though the league has not made any alterations to its fall plans, it has, however, been evaluating contingency plans in case things are not able to go ahead as planned.
One of those contingencies is delaying the season until mid-October, according to the Sports Business Journal. Playing games in empty stadiums and eliminating bye weeks have also been discussed as potential options on the table.
One option not on the table, according to ESPN, is gathering players at a centralized location to execute a season as the NBA and MLB have discussed ideas like playing at a neutral site such as Walt Disney World, Las Vegas or Arizona.
For now, the NFL and NFLPA have agreed to keep buildings closed until every state in which a team resides lifts its stay-at-home mandate and teams are currently preparing to conduct offseason workouts virtually instead of in person.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced last week that he will not accept a salary during the pandemic.
The NFL draft that was held last month was the most watched in league history and the NFL raised more than $100 million for coronavirus relief during the draft.
10:54 p.m.: City drops mask requirement over fears of violence
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.
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
