Some bars in Nevada will be closing again Friday amid a surge in COVID-19 infections, and Kentucky will join the growing list of states that require face coverings in public.
There’s another significant change in Nevada: Restaurants can no longer serve parties more than six people and must close their bar areas, Gov. Steve Sisolak said.
Meanwhile, in New Mexico, indoor dining at restaurants and breweries will be restricted again starting Monday and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham halted high school sports and said state parks will be closed to out-of-state residents.
Here are some recent developments:
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Caesars Entertainment employees must get tested by the end of next week or else they will not be scheduled to work, says the company.
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A dog in Texas is the first animal in the state to have the virus that causes COVID-19.
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The NBA bubble is taking shape at Disney World. Here’s how it’s happening.
📈 Today’s stats: The U.S. has surpassed 3 million confirmed cases and 133,000 deaths, according to John Hopkins University data. Globally, there have been 12 million cases and over 555,000 deaths.
📰 What we’re reading: California is set to become the first state to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s new policy that prevents international students from staying in the U.S. if their college or university switches to online-only classes in the fall because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Dog has first case of coronavirus in Texas animal
A North Texas dog has been found to have the first coronavirus infection confirmed in a Texas animal, state officials said. The Texas Animal Health Commission announced in a statement that the Fort Worth-area dog was confirmed to have the virus that causes COVID-19.
A private veterinarian tested the animal Tuesday as a precaution after its owners were confirmed to have COVID-19. The veterinarian reported the 2-year-old dog is otherwise healthy, according to the commission statement.
The dog is not the first animal in the nation to test positive for the coronavirus. Ten other animals have tested positive for the virus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website.
State Veterinarian Dr. Andy Schwartz assured that there is no known evidence that pets can transmit the virus, but they can catch it. He advised that pets be restricted from contact with persons with the coronavirus.
Oregon reports largest new daily count of COVID-19 cases
Oregon saw its largest spike of new COVID-19 cases with 389 in Thursday’s new numbers released by the Oregon Health Authority. The previous high was 375 on July 2.
The OHA is attributing the increase in cases to workplace outbreaks and community spread. Oregon has had 11,188 cases of confirmed or presumed COVID-19 since March. There have now been 230 people in Oregon who have died, including 53 in Marion County.
– Bill Poehler, Salem (Ore.) Statesman Journal
Caesars Entertainment employees will not work without getting COVID-19 test
If Caesars Entertainment employees do not get tested for COVID-19 by the end of next week, they will be knocked off the schedule. In response to a spike in coronavirus cases recorded across the country, the hotel-casino company has required all employees in Southern Nevada to get tested.
“We thought mandatory testing would be a good way to identify employees who might be positive for COVID-19 without knowing it and wouldn’t realize they could be spreading the virus at work,” the company said in a statement.
“They will be removed from the schedule if they fail to do so,” the company said.
Workers at Caesars Palace, Paris, Flamingo, Harrah’s and Nobu have until July 17 to get tested.
– Ed Komenda, Reno Gazette Journal
New Mexico closes parks, delays sports, restricts indoor dining
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that under amended public health orders pertaining to COVID-19, indoor seating at restaurants and breweries would again be restricted, effective Monday.
Patio and outdoor seating is permitted to continue at 50 percent maximum legal occupancy with “COVID-safe practices,” and restaurants may continue with carry-out and delivery services. Breweries may continue to provide curbside pickup service as well.
State parks will close to out-of-state residents, and visitors would need to show proof of residency to visit. All camping at state parks remains prohibited, with state parks open for day-use only. The governor also announced a delay to some high school sports in the fall, along with prohibitions against contact sports such as football and soccer.
– Algernon D’Ammassa, Las Cruces (N.M.) Sun-News
Starbucks to require customers to wear face masks starting July 15
Starbucks will now require customers and employees to wear face masks when they enter stores. The policy applies to all company-owned café locations in the U.S., according to a statement by Starbucks.
At select locations where a local government mandate is not in place, customers who may not be wearing a facial covering will have various options to order their Starbucks, including ordering at the drive-thru, curbside pickup through the Starbucks app or placing an order for delivery through Starbucks Delivers.
“The company is committed to playing a constructive role in supporting health and government officials as they work to mitigate the spread of COVID-19,” reads the statement.
Nevada bars to close Friday as state returns to Phase 1 restrictions
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said bars in some counties will have to close Friday, a directive that returns the state to Phase 1 restrictions to fight a spike in COVID-19 cases.
Under Sisolak’s directive, restaurants can no longer serve parties more than six people and must close their bar areas. He also encouraged restaurants to have people eat outside.
The decision comes as the known number of Nevadans testing positive for COVID-19 increased to 24,904 on Thursday morning, according to the Nevada Health Alliance dashboard.
“Masks are not partisan, they’re not political, they’re not a joke,” Sisolak said. “It is costing lives to have people not mask.”
– Brian Duggan, Reno Gazette Journal
Dr. Anthony Fauci says political ‘divisiveness’ has weakened US response
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious-disease expert, said extreme partisanship has hampered the U.S. response to the crisis.
“You’d have to make the assumption that if there wasn’t such divisiveness, that we would have a more coordinated approach,” Fauci said in an interview with FiveThirtyEight’s “PODCAST-19” released Thursday.
Fauci is a member of the president’s coronavirus task force and has been careful not to publicly criticize President Trump, but he has been increasingly blunt in his evaluations, recently saying the U.S. is “knee deep” in cases of COVID-19 and the country’s prognosis is “really not good.”
Fauci’s stances have led to pushback from Republicans such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, who accused Fauci in a May USA TODAY op-ed of trying to “corral our freedom” and “brush away the optimism of the president and the American people.”
– Jeanine Santucci
More on the coronavirus from USA TODAY
Where a face mask is required: Many governors are instituting or renewing orders requiring people to wear face coverings in public as cases continue to rise. Is your state on the list? See it here.
Coronavirus Watch: We have a few ways for you to stay informed. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here, and come together and share the latest information about the coronavirus, coping with lifestyle changes and more by joining our Facebook group.
Where are states on reopening? Some are taking preemptive measures to postpone further phases of their reopening, while others have rolled back their phases to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. See the list.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID-19: New Mexico closes parks; Nevada closes bars; Starbucks masks
