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Coronavirus: San Francisco delays reopening of indoor dining as U.S. nears 3 million cases

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Covid-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. continued to rise on Monday. While deaths nationwide have remained low, health officials, including White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, have warned deaths can lag hospitalizations and could still increase.

Here are some of the day's top developments:

national
  • Global cases: More than 11.83 million
  • Global deaths: At least 544,415
  • Top five countries: United States (more than 2.99 million), Brazil (over 1.66 million), India (over 742,000), Russia (over 699,000), Peru (over 309,000)

The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University as of 10:15 a.m. London time on Wednesday.

French PM rules out another nationwide coronavirus lockdown 

Jean Castex has been nominated as the new prime minister of France.
GONZALO FUENTES

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday that confinement measures would be re-imposed on a targeted level, rather than nationwide, if there were any further coronavirus outbreaks. 

"We must be ready for a second wave, but we would not proceed to a general lockdown like in March, as that has terrible economic and human consequences. Any new lockdown would be targeted," Castex told BFM television, according to Reuters. 

To date, France has recorded more than 206,000 cases of the coronavirus, with 29,936 related deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. — Sam Meredith

Trump says White House will pressure governors to reopen schools

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an event on reopening schools amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in the East Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 7, 2020.
Kevin Lemarque | Reuters

President Donald Trump said his administration will pressure state governors and educators to reopen schools in the fall, despite soaring infections in several states and an overall increase nationwide. "We're very much going to put pressure on the governors and the schools to reopen," Trump said at a White House event on school reopening plans.

"Open your schools in the fall," the president told attendees, who were seated close together despite the fact that very few were wearing masks. 

As September approaches, there are few concrete plans in place at either the state or the federal level about how to open schools safely.

And as the rate of coronavirus cases has climbed across several states, parents and educators are increasingly worried about whether there is any way to make in-person school safe for both students and teachers. — Christina Wilkie

MLB Covid-19 testing hits snag because FedEx didn't operate over July 4

A detailed view of an official Major League Baseball with a surgical mask placed on it sitting outdie of Comerica Park on July 1, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan.
Mark Cunningham | Getty Images

Major League Baseball hit a snag with its coronavirus testing less than a week after teams welcomed back players in preparation of an abbreviated season.

FedEx, which has an exclusive contract with the MLB to retrieve and deliver testing kits to the facility it's using in Utah, wasn't operational over the July 4 holiday weekend. MLB used a service from another airline for delivery of some of the test results to teams.

The San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros and Washington Nationals all suspended practice because of the delay in results. Opening games for the 60-game season are scheduled to begin later this month.

Tilman Fertitta calls for federal business reopening rules

Federal government needs to provide clarity for businesses, Landry's CEO Tilman Fertitta
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Federal government needs to provide clarity for businesses, Landry's CEO Tilman Fertitta

Landry's CEO Tilman Fertitta said the United States needs federal rules for how businesses can open during the coronavirus crisis, saying the constant changes to local rules are harmful for companies.

"At some point, the federal government has got to take it away from the states and you've got to have clarity. This is so hard on businesses, it's so hard on our employees," Fertitta said on "Power Lunch."

In states like Texas, Florida and California, local leaders have paused or reversed course in their reopening plans, CNBC's Jesse Pound reported. Fetitta said the national rules should include setting a capacity level for businesses to reopen to for the rest of the year. –Suzanne Blake

Florida reports reduced ICU capacity as cases surge 

More than 40 Florida hospitals in multiple counties across the state have maxed out their ICU capacity or are close to running out of intensive care beds, according to the state's Agency for Health Care Administration. More than 5,000 Florida patients were using roughly 83% of the state's more than 6,000 ICU beds, according to Florida's health agency, which is responsible for licensing the state's health-care facilities.

Overall, the state's hospitals are now running at 78% capacity, according to AHCA. ICU beds are running out at several hospitals in some of the state's most-populated counties, according to the report, including Miami-Dade County, Orange County, Hillsborough County and Broward County, which are respectively home to Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.  — Noah Higgins-Dunn

Trump administration gives formal notice of withdrawal from WHO

The Trump administration has submitted to the UN secretary-general its notice to withdraw from the World Health Organization by July 6, 2021, a senior administration official confirmed to CNBC.

The notice to the UN was the first step in a yearlong process that will rely on several factors outside of Trump's control, including cooperation from Congress and Trump's own reelection in November, neither of which are assured.

The move, which Trump announced in late May, comes as coronavirus cases are again surging in the United States. —Amanda Macias

Microsoft takes down domains for virus-related scams

Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft Corp., pauses during a Bloomberg event on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020.
Simon Dawson | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Microsoft said it has blocked domains that attackers used to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic as they attempted to trick people into offering access to personal information. A federal court in Virginia allowed Microsoft to take action after the company observed attacks that sought to gain access to people's Office 365 accounts, the company said in a blog post.

One email message tried to coax its recipient into clicking a link by teasing a "Covid-19 bonus." Attackers employed fake domain names like officeinventorys.com and officesuited.com, according to Microsoft's court complaint. — Jordan Novet

Trump heads to U.S. military's Southern Command in Florida as cases surge

President Donald Trump will head to Florida to meet with members of the U.S. military's Southern Command, the combatant command responsible for overseeing counter-narcotic operations.

The trip to Doral, Florida comes as "The Sunshine State" reports a steady uptick of coronavirus cases. On Saturday, Florida reported 11,445 coronavirus cases, the highest single-day total since the pandemic began in December, according to the state health department.

The White House has repeatedly said that both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are tested on a daily basis for the coronavirus and have only produced negative results. —Amanda Macias

WHO says it shouldn't 'be a surprise' if deaths start to rise again 

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO's emergencies program, said that it shouldn't "be a surprise" if the global death toll from the coronavirus begins to pick up pace again as the pandemic shows signs of accelerating across the globe. For the month of June, reported Covid-19 cases across the globe have accelerated but deaths have fallen from a previous peak and have since remained steady, he said. However, WHO officials warn that there's a lag between rising cases and rising deaths.

"Some of this may be lag, we may see deaths start to climb again because we've only really experienced this rapid increase in cases over the last five to six weeks," Ryan said. "I don't think it should be a surprise if the deaths start to rise again. It will be very unfortunate, but it may happen." 

He added, however, that there have been advancements in caring for coronavirus patients, which has allowed for those most at risk to receive care quickly. Some drugs, like dexamethasone, have been effective when treating those who are seriously ill and as testing increases, the number of fatalities has become a smaller proportion compared with cases. — Noah Higgins-Dunn

State Fair of Texas canceled due to coronavirus outbreak

The mascot for the Texas State Fair Big Tex greets fans as they enter the fair grounds during the NCAA Red River Rivalry game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl Stadium at Fair Park in Dallas, Oct. 12, 2019.
Albert Pena | CSM via ZUMA Wire | Getty Images

The State Fair of Texas, America's largest and longest-running fair will skip the 2020 season, its first cancellation since World War II, amid the uptick in coronavirus cases in the Lone Star State.

"While we cannot predict what the COVID-19 pandemic will look like in September, the recent surge in positive cases is troubling for all of North Texas. The safest and most responsible decision we could make for all involved at this point in our 134-year history is to take a hiatus for the 2020 season," wrote Gina Norris, board chair for the State Fair of Texas, in a statement.

The State Fair of Texas typically spans 24 days and welcomes more than 2.5 million visitors to its fairgrounds in Dallas, Texas. During the 2019 season, the fair generated $61 million in food, beverages, rides and coupon sales. —Amanda Macias

Movie theater giants say keeping theaters closed in New Jersey is unconstitutional

"Theater Closed" signs are posted in front of the AMC
Frederic J. Brown | AFP | Getty Images

AMC, Cinemark and Regal are among groups listed on a complaint against New Jersey leadership over the continued closure of movie theaters in the state.

The complaint, first reported on by The Hollywood Reporter, asks for an order allowing movie theaters to be given the same treatment as other similar spaces, arguing it is unconstitutional to not allow a movie theater to open but allow other spaces like a place to worship to. The complaint also asks for acknowledgement that theaters in the state were deprived of just compensation. –Alex Harring

Cruise companies hire virus experts to advice on resumption of sailing

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian to partner on health protocols for cruises
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Royal Caribbean and Norwegian to partner on health protocols for cruises

Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have hired a panel of top health advisors to help them win approval from regulatory agencies to resume sailing safely and move the past the "rough patch" of the past few months, Norwegian CEO Frank Del Rio told CNBC.

The panel includes top epidemiologists and former U.S. officials such as former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb and former Utah governor Mike Leavitt, who served as secretary of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush. Other members of the panel include infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Osterholm and former CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding.

"This gives me great encouragement that people understand that the virus is all around us and the cruise ship is no exception," Del Rio said Tuesday. "And as soon as we can provide definitive proof that it is safe to go on a cruise, and that's what the panel's mission is, they'll be back."

WHO officials worried about rapidly spreading coronavirus outbreaks in the Americas

The World Health Organization said it's worried about growing outbreaks in Latin America, indicating Brazil and the U.S. were big concerns. 

"Not only Brazil, but the whole Latin America doesn't look good. Cases are on the rise. Deaths are on the rise. And even North America, Mesoamerica, except for Canada. Canada is doing better," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the United Nation's health agency.  

Without mentioning the United States by name, WHO officials indicated that they are worried about the country's current surge in coronavirus cases.

Mesoamerica encompasses parts of Mexico and Central America. North America includes Mexico, Canada, Greenland and the United States. Greenland is the only nation out of those four that doesn't have any active Covid-19 infections. In fact, it had just 13 cases total, all of which have since recovered, according to WHO data. 

Tedros said the WHO is concerned about the rise in number of confirmed cases and deaths. While the virus seems to be "leveling off" in some parts of the world outside the Americas, many countries are still seeing a rise in cases and deaths. 

"No country is immune. No country is safe. No individual can be safe," he said. —Jasmine Kim

Businesses, sick of policing mask use to prevent coronavirus, ask government to step in

Businesses, from retailers to movie theaters, have been faced with a patchwork of rules from state and local governments as they reopened their businesses. With no other choice, they have been attempting to implement their own mandates for face masks and also enforce them.

On Monday, retailers reached out to the National Governors Association, urging policymakers for their help in sending a strong and uniform message about social distancing and wearing a mask. The letter from the Retail Industry Leaders Association comes amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases — with total cases in the U.S. doubling since mid-May — and an increasingly hostile backlash against facial coverings. 

Mask mandates, however, have increasingly become a debate, drawing criticism and in one instance, threats that led a top local health official in Southern California to resign. Even in states where masks are required when in public, workers are often called upon to enforce the policy in stores, bars and airplanes when customers arrive without them. — Noah Higgins-Dunn, Leslie Josephs 

San Francisco delays reopening of indoor dining and outdoor bars

Zoe looks for a little handout from diners on Grant Street in a makeshift outdoor dining area bounded by steel barricades in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.
Carlos Avila Gonzalez | The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the city will not allow restaurants to operate indoors and bars to open outdoors as originally planned for July 13.

At a press conference Tuesday, Breed said that the city's coronavirus numbers were going up – although not as drastically as other cities – and that the city was "not out of the woods" yet. While Breed noted the decision could be disappointing, she said health and safety was the priority.

San Francisco reported 4,020 Covid-19 cases and 50 deaths as of Tuesday morning.

"What we are trying to do is adapt to our new normal," Breed said. "And part of adapting to our new normal means that we not just want to keep ourselves safe, we want to keep the people around us safe."

The city is evaluating other businesses that were originally expected to reopen between June 29 and July 13, including hair salons and gyms. The gradual reopening of business has been on pause since June 26 and will reconvene when it is deemed safe to do so, according to a release from Breed's office.

San Francisco has no plans to roll back businesses that have already reopened. –Alex Harring

No reopening date yet for Disneyland, but Downtown Disney to reopen July 9

A visitor to the Disneyland Resort takes a picture through a locked gate at the entrance to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, on Monday, Mar 16, 2020.
MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The Downtown Disney District in Anaheim, California will open on July 9, despite Disneyland not yet having a reopening date.

According to reports, Disneyland shared in a letter to Disneyland Resort pass holders that the reopening will include many of the shopping and dinning usually available. The only information as to a Disneyland reopening date was that it would be sometime after July 4 and would be once Disney receives state and local approvals. –Alex Harring

New York and New Jersey add states to list for traveler quarantine order

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy added Delaware, Kansas and Oklahoma to their travel restriction list Tuesday. People traveling from one of the 19 listed states must self-quarantine for 14 days before visiting New York or New Jersey, CNBC's Jasmine Kim reports.

The travel advisory is for people traveling from states with a positive coronavirus test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or with a 10% or higher positive rate over a 7-day rolling average.

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah are already on the list.

"New Yorkers did the impossible — we went from the worst infection rate in the United States to one of the best — and the last thing we need is to see another spike of COVID-19," Cuomo said in a statement.

Those traveling from these states who don't quarantine for 14 days are subject to fines and a mandatory quarantine, Cuomo said last month. –Suzanne Blake

WHO evaluating role of airborne transmission

People wear face masks as they arrive at the beach during the global outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Oceanside, California, June 22, 2020.
Mike Blake | Reuters

The World Health Organization said it is evaluating new research into how significantly the coronavirus can spread through particles in the air as the agency faces increased pressure from scientists around the world.

The WHO has long said the virus primarily spreads from one person to another through respiratory droplets, often emitted from coughing and sneezing. The agency previously said particles from such droplets might become airborne in certain environments, but said it's not a primary driver of spread in the general population.

Now, after hundreds of scientists from around the world published a letter saying the role of airborne transmission must be more seriously considered, the WHO said it continues to evaluate the research.

"The body of evidence continues to grow and we adapt," Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the WHO's chief scientist, said. "We take this very seriously. We are, of course, focused on public health guidance." —Will Feuer

5 more airlines reach terms for billions in federal loans

Gate agents assist travelers at a Delta Air Lines Inc. bag drop counter at the San Diego International Airport (SAN) in San Diego, California, U.S., on Monday, April 27, 2020.
Bing Guan | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Five more U.S. airlines — Delta, United, JetBlue, Southwest and Alaska — have reached agreements with the Treasury Department over the terms for billions in federal loans aimed at helping them weather the impact of the coronavirus. The terms, which weren't disclosed, require borrowers to compensate taxpayers with instruments including warrants, stock or senior debt, the Treasury Department said.

Five other airlines, including American, already reached agreements, the Treasury Department said last week.

The $2.2 trillion CARES Act set aside $25 billion in loans for U.S. passenger airlines. It isn't guaranteed that airlines will tap the loans. Carriers also received $25 billion in payroll support that requires them to keep employees paid through Sept. 30, but Delta and United have begun warning employees that government-mandated advance notice of potential furloughs could come this month for thousands of staff members.

Airlines are trying to exhaust voluntary measures like buyouts and early retirements before turning to involuntary cuts. —Leslie Josephs

Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro tests positive for Covid-19

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tested positive for coronavirus Tuesday. Bolsonaro said he began feeling sick on Sunday.

Bolsonaro confirmed he is taking azithromycin and hydroxychloroquine, neither of which are known to be effective against Covid-19, CNBC's Sam Meredith and Kevin Breuninger report.

In recent months, the right-wing president has described Covid-19 as nothing more than "a little flu," suggesting that his past as an athlete would make him immune to the most severe symptoms of the virus. Brazil, with more than 1.6 million confirmed cases of Covid-19 and over 65,000 related deaths, has the second-highest number of confirmed cases in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. —Suzanne Blake

Moderna, U.S. government at odds in push for a vaccine

Moderna Therapeutics lab.
Source: Moderna Therapeutics

The U.S. government has put nearly half a billion dollars and support into Moderna's coronavirus vaccination project. But Reuters has learned the U.S. government and biotech company have squabbled over topics such as the trial process and the company's relative inexperience in human trials.

The phase three trial for the project was originally supposed to launch July 10, but was pushed back, STAT News reported last week.

One source said Moderna, which has never produced an approved vaccine or run a large trial, "could be on schedule if they were more cooperative," Reuters first reported Monday. Moderna has denied any missteps but did acknowledge "differences of opinion" between the company and the government experts involved.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which award $483 million to Moderna in April, said in a statement to Reuters that the collaboration has been positive and that Moderna's vaccine project is the most promising out of all the current options. –Alex Harring

Herd immunity strategies called into question after coronavirus antibody study in Spain

Researchers from Spain and the U.S. have cast doubt on herd immunity strategies after finding only 5% of the Spanish population was carrying antibodies for Covid-19.

More than 251,700 cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Spain to date, and the country has the third-highest number of deaths relative to population in the world, according to Our World in Data.

The prevalence of antibodies in Spain's general population was "insufficient to provide herd immunity," scientists argued, despite the nation being one of the worst-hit by the pandemic.

Experts at Johns Hopkins University estimate that at least 70% of the population would need to be immune to Covid-19 for herd immunity to be achieved. —Chloe Taylor

Economic activity fell in all states during first quarter, raising concerns of potential cuts

People wait in line at the SF-Marin Food Bank in San Francisco on April 20.
San Francisco Chronicle | Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

Economic activity fell in every state in the first three months of the year as the pandemic brought activity to halt, according to government data.

No state's economy grew during the quarter, the data showed, while the U.S. gross domestic product — the broadest measure of the nation's economy — contracted by 5%.

While financial support was created through the CARES Act, estimates from the Tax Policy Center show states could see a $200 billion revenue shortfall in the 2020 fiscal year. States are currently weighing cuts to basic services, including education, health care and public safety as a result, CNBC's Scott Cohn reports.

Credit agencies have also taken notice of the changing financial situation. In May, Moody's Investors Service lowered its outlook for the U.S. State sector to "negative" from "stable" for the first time since the 2008 financial crisis. –Alex Harring

Dow falls 200 points as travel stocks slide

Stocks opened lower, led by stocks that would directly benefit from an economic recovery, reports CNBC's Fred Imbert and Yun Li. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded 200 points lower, or 0.8%. The S&P 500 slid 0.6% and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.3%. —Melodie Warner

Regeneron signs $450 million contract with U.S. government for its coronavirus therapy

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals obtained a $450 million contract from the U.S. government to make and supply its double-antibody cocktail that is being tested against Covid-19, according to Reuters.

The antiviral cocktail, REGN-COV2, is in separate clinical trials for treatment and prevention of Covid-19. —Melodie Warner

Brazil's Bolsonaro tested for Covid-19 after feeling unwell

The President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro appears on the ramp of the Planalto Palace to wave to his supporters amidst the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at the Planalto Palace on May 15, 2020 in Brasilia.
Andressa Anholete | Getty Images

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been tested for the coronavirus, shortly after the presidential palace confirmed to NBC News that he had been feeling unwell and was running a high temperature. 

An affiliate to CNN in Brazil had reported that the right-wing leader tested positive for the virus, but this has not been verified by CNBC or officially confirmed.

The results of Bolsonaro's test for Covid-19 are expected at around 11 a.m. ET. —Sam Meredith

Novavax joins Operation Warp Speed

Novavax gets $1.6 billion in federal funding for Covid-19 vaccine development
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Novavax gets $1.6 billion in federal funding for Covid-19 vaccine development

Biotech company Novavax announced it was awarded $1.6 billion from the U.S. government to help accelerate the late-stage development and manufacturing of its coronavirus vaccine candidate, Reuters reported.

It is the largest investment made so far through Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's effort to expedite the development and production of drugs and vaccines to help combat the virus. Novavax stock soared more than 35% in premarket trading on the news.

The federal government has also made investments through Operation Warp Speed in Johnson & Johnson's vaccine candidate as well as Moderna's. The U.S. has also awarded funds to AstraZeneca's potential vaccine, which is being developed with Oxford University.

Novavax said the award will help fund its phase three trial, expected to begin in the fall, and help it to ready 100 million doses for distribution as early as the end of the year if the vaccine proves safe and effective in humans. —Will Feuer

Read CNBC's previous coronavirus live coverage here: Australia closes interstate border; California asks indoor businesses to close