Coronavirus updates: Black-owned businesses hit hardest; new record high cases in some states
Global coronavirus cases now top 8.5 million, having added another 1 million cases in just over a week. Hot spots in Latin America and the Middle East have contributed to the rise, with cases still ticking higher in the U.S. and cases in Europe hitting a relative plateau.
The coverage on this live blog has ended.
- Global cases: More than 8.56 million
- Global deaths: At least 457,388
- U.S. cases: More than 2.21 million
- U.S. deaths: At least 118,991
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
More states open casinos and lift coronavirus restrictions
5:54 p.m. ET — While some states are seeing troubling spikes in cases, some are continuing to ease coronavirus restrictions on major businesses.
Both Maryland and Ohio have allowed casinos to reopen and relaxed other business restrictions. Gyms and fitness facilities, including dance studios, can now operate in Maryland. The state also reopened arcades and malls, while Ohio allowed amusement parks and water parks to resume business.
For more on states' reopening progress, click here. —Hannah Miller
Fauci, Birx advise against Trump's Tulsa rally
4:40 p.m. ET — Leading members of the White House coronavirus task force — disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and task force response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx — voiced concerns internally over the safety of President Donald Trump's rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, NBC News reports.
The rally could hold as many as 19,000 people, who will not be required to socially distance or wear face coverings. Trump and his campaign advisers say attendees "assume a personal risk."
Campaign officials warned those with preexisting conditions or other risk factors should not attend, and supporters must sign a digital waiver to release the campaign of liability if they get sick. But health officials have warned against mass gatherings of any kind. —Suzanne Blake
Cruise lines extend U.S. suspension to September 15
4:31 p.m. ET — All major cruise lines agreed to extend the suspension of U.S. operations to September 15, the Cruise Lines International Association announced.
The trade group, which represents Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Corp. among other cruise companies, previously announced a pause of operations on March 13. On March 14, the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a no-sail order for cruise ships, and on April 9 it extended the order until July 24, saying that "cruise ship travel exacerbates the global spread of Covid-19."
Shares of Carnival Corp. finished the day down 5.2%, and Royal Caribbean stock dropped 6.9%. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line closed 5.6% lower. —Will Feuer
Black-owned businesses hit hardest amid pandemic
3:21 p.m. ET — In addition to disproportionately affecting people of color in the U.S., the coronavirus pandemic has also posed outsized challenges for Black-owned businesses.
The number of Black business owners who were actively working fell 41% from February through April, compared with an overall drop of 22% in active business owners nationwide, CNBC's Kate Rogers and Betsy Spring report. Minority-owned businesses were also hit hardest by limitations within the Paycheck Protection Program, making it harder for them to access government aid, according to research from the Center for Responsible Lending.
However, some Black business owners have experienced boosts in business and exposure as consumers look to support minority-owned operations amid recent anti-racist protests. —Hannah Miller
Film critics are 'filled with dread' about returning to theaters
3:17 p.m. ET — While movie theaters are gearing up to reopen, film critics are worried that it may be too soon for public gatherings to take place in confined spaces like cinemas. Their trepidation is being exacerbated by the fact that a number of the major movie theater chains in the U.S. have made mask-wearing optional.
"I'm excited to see movies in theaters again," a freelance film critic and editor from New York told CNBC. "I'm not sure when I will be doing that, though. I don't have faith in the major chains that are not mandating that patrons wear masks. I think that's incredibly reckless."
Film reviews are a vital part of a film studio's marketing, as positive reviews can help drive stronger ticket sales and consumer interest.
"There's a lot of concern among critics about this, because for our jobs we may be forced to decide between an assignment and our health," the New York-based critic and editor said. "And not just ours but those in our homes." —Sarah Whitten
White House insists coronavirus is a 'priority' as Trump prepares for rally
3:05 p.m. ET — The White House maintained the virus is "still a priority" for the administration, even as President Donald Trump prepares for a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma that could spread the disease.
During a press briefing, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was asked by a reporter whether the virus was a priority after Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday that he hadn't spoken to the president in two weeks.
"Absolutely it's still a priority," McEnany said. "It's why the task force meets regularly, the president is given that information."
The White House coronavirus task force last held a public briefing on the virus on April 27. White House task force meetings still take place but are less frequent and closed to the press.
In recent weeks, Trump has shifted focus to reopening the economy, police reform and the November election. He is scheduled to hold a rally Saturday in Tulsa, which is expected to attract thousands of attendees. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
Why a California restaurant shut down its dining room one week after reopening
3:01 p.m. ET — Gran Electrica, a Mexican restaurant in Napa, California, reopened its dining room after coronavirus-related business restrictions were lifted. But after about a week, it largely went back to its to-go-only model.
"Not only is it not really feasible for restaurants to operate at 50% capacity, but we found that, with regards to our staff, there really was just no way to 100% protect them," co-owner Tamer Hamawi said on CNBC's "The Exchange."
Customers would wear masks into the restaurant, but once they sat at the table, the masks were removed for the entire meal, Hamawi explained, putting staff at more of a risk then they felt comfortable with.
"And personally, I don't really blame them. Some of them live with their grandparents. They live with high-risk individuals," he said. "We just didn't feel it was really a great position to put them in."
Hamawi said the takeout business has continued to be rather successful. The restaurant also has pivoted to offer private parties for groups on its patio with pre-ordered and pre-paid food.
"We're really only taking it a couple weeks at a time," Hamawi said. "Things are so volatile in this country right now. We're just doing what we can to take things afloat. I'm hoping that in a year's time things will be somewhat back to normal, and we can just get back to doing what we do best." —Kevin Stankiewicz
Arizona and Florida report record-high single-day increases in coronavirus cases
2:55 p.m. ET — Arizona and Florida reported record spikes in confirmed coronavirus cases as the states continue their phased reopening and ramp up testing.
The Arizona Department of Health Services reported 3,246 new positive cases, surpassing Thursday's single-day high of 2,519 cases. Florida health officials recorded 3,822 new cases Friday morning, exceeding the state's previous single-day high of 3,207 cases also reported on Thursday.
As more states report record-setting daily numbers of Covid-19 cases, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded its list of states where Covid-19 deaths are expected to accelerate over the next four weeks. The list now includes Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah.
While some state and federal leaders have attributed the increase in confirmed coronavirus cases to an increase in testing, many states are seeing a rise in hospitalizations, which is less dependent on testing capacity. —Jasmine Kim
Apple will close stores in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona
2:20 p.m. ET — Apple said that it will close stores in four states, all of which are seeing recent increases of coronavirus cases.
A total of 11 Apple stores in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona will close starting on Saturday, although customers who have computers in the shop have the weekend to pick up their devices.
Apple was one of the first companies to announce widespread store closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic back in March, although in recent weeks it has been opening stores up with safety precautions such as mandatory mask and temperature checks.
These are the first Apple stores to close again due to rising Covid-19 infection counts. —Kif Leswing
Cuomo warns other states to take action as cases rise
1:54 p.m. ET — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during his final daily press briefing on Friday that more people will die if states that reopened their economies too quickly and are reporting spikes in cases don't take action to prevent further spread of Covid-19.
"Forget the politics, be smart, open the economy intelligently and save lives at the same time," he said.
Cuomo's final daily coronavirus press briefing comes over 100 days after the beginning of the state's response to the outbreak. The coronavirus has killed more than 30,900 people in New York, the most of any state in the nation, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The number of new deaths over the next four weeks is expected to accelerate in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina and Utah compared to last month, according to forecasts published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the ensemble of forecast data, the CDC said there will likely be between 129,000 and 145,000 total reported Covid-19 deaths by July 11th. —Noah Higgins-Dunn
Project Destined co-founder works with real estate firms to employ Black, Hispanic students in internships
1:28 p.m. ET — Tens of thousands of students in New York City lost paid internships due to Covid-19, but Bobo Cedric, co-founder of Project Destined, is using his platform to replace some of those opportunities and working with real estate companies in hopes of employing hundreds of primarily Black and Hispanic students.
Companies such as Brookfield Asset Management, Tishman Speyer and Walker & Dunlop have already joined Bobo's push. Internships are for five or six weeks and individuals are paid between $500 to $750, based on the role.
Bobo told CNBC's Diana Olick that he hopes to get more than 1,000 students internships through the fall. Students in the program take courses from Project Destined, Bobo's nonprofit real estate learning platform, and then work with and learn from real estate industry leaders. —Alex Harring
Businesses and labor groups clash over who's responsible when workers get coronavirus
1:02 p.m. ET — As many businesses begin the process of reopening, a fight is brewing over whether companies should be held responsible when workers catch coronavirus on the job.
The debate has gained attention in Congress, as lawmakers weigh the possibility of passing another coronavirus stimulus package.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would push to include liability protections for businesses in upcoming legislation. Republicans have expressed support for the move, arguing that businesses need greater protection from coronavirus-related lawsuits.
Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have said they'd fight limits to litigation, arguing such proposals could restrict workers' right to sue.
In most workplace lawsuits, it will be significantly challenging for employees to prove they contracted the coronavirus while at work, rather than through other means, such as riding public transportation or shopping at the grocery store. —Annie Palmer
Fed ready to stress test banks under coronavirus scenarios
12:50 p.m. ET — Bank stress tests are being changed this year to put into play potential recovery scenarios from the coronavirus-induced recession.
Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Randal Quarles said that the tests will pose three economic scenarios and examine how banks would fare under each. The tests will cover a V-shaped sharp rebound, a slower U-shaped recovery and a "double-bottom" W-shaped trajectory where a spike in Covid-19 cases would bring about another economic downturn.
Financial shares added to losses following the announcement, with the KBE S&P Bank ETF off more than 2% in afternoon trading. –Jeff Cox
WHO says virus is 'still deadly and most people are still susceptible'
12:02 p.m. ET — The World Health Organization's top official warned the pandemic has entered a "new and dangerous phase" as daily Covid-19 cases hit record highs.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that almost half of the total cases yesterday were reported from the Americas, with a large number coming from Southern Asia and the Middle East.
"Many people are understandably fed up with being at home. Countries are understandably eager to open up their societies and economies. But the virus is still spreading fast. It is still deadly and most people are still susceptible," he said. —Berkeley Lovelace, Jr.
Auto production begins to ramp up to pre-pandemic levels
11:32 a.m. ET — Ford Motor and Fiat Chrysler expect to return to pre-coronavirus pandemic production schedules at their U.S. plants on Monday.
The return of shifts, which were confirmed Friday, is a major milestone for the automakers as they attempt to meet consumer demand for profitable pickups and SUVs.
Automakers shuttered U.S. plants in March as the coronavirus rapidly spread across the country. The Detroit automakers started to resume vehicle production on May 18.
General Motors plans to return to full North American production levels by the end of June, if not sooner, GM CEO and Chairman Mary Barra has said. A GM spokesman confirmed those plans. —Michael Wayland
U.S. cases grow by more than 27,700 in a day as 7-day average jumps 15% from a week ago
11:28 a.m. ET — The U.S. reported more than 27,700 coronavirus cases on Thursday as the average number of daily new cases steadily increases, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Covid-19 cases are growing by 5% or more in 27 states across the U.S. and, as of Thursday, the nation's seven-day average of new cases increased by more than 15% compared to a week ago.
The case numbers depend on the methodology of local state health departments and can fluctuate based on the level of testing conducted. Coronavirus hospitalizations, like new cases and deaths, are considered a key measure of the outbreak because it helps scientists gauge how severe it may be. Hospitalizations from Covid-19 were growing in 12 states as of Thursday, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by the Covid Tracking Project.
Meanwhile, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have reported a decline in cases, including Connecticut, New Jersey and New York, which was once considered the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. —Noah Higgins-Dunn
Dr. Fauci is frustrated Americans aren't following health guidelines
11:25 a.m. ET — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, told CBS that he is frustrated Americans aren't following recommended health guidelines for Covid-19.
The comment by Fauci came after coronavirus outbreaks in several states worsened this week. It also came as President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Saturday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is expected to bring in thousands of people.
Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, made similar comments earlier this month to members of Congress. He told the House Appropriations Committee that he's "very concerned" the agency's public health message on the coronavirus isn't "resonating." —Berkeley Lovelace, Jr.
AMC faces backlash over its decision not to require masks to avoid 'political controversy'
11:07 a.m. ET — In an effort not to be "drawn into political controversy," it seems AMC Entertainment's latest comments about its phased reopening has done just that.
On Thursday, the theater chain's CEO said that the company had decided not to require customers to wear masks because it wanted to avoid making a political statement. Those comments caused backlash on social media, however, as users questioned why public safety measures would be considered a political opinion.
Rival theater chains Cinemark and Regal are also not requiring masks for entry unless mandated by local health officials. While health officials have touted the effectiveness of masks, President Donald Trump has suggested that some Americans are only wearing masks as a way to "signal disapproval of him."
Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso, who is a doctor, told CNBC on Friday he is concerned about AMC's decision.
"I have a lot of concerns about that," he said in an interview on "Squawk Box." "You're talking about a confined space where people are there for extended periods of time, breathing essentially the same air." —Sarah Whitten, Kevin Stankiewicz
New cases jump in Oklahoma ahead of Trump's Tulsa rally
Coronavirus is helping DoorDash steal market share from its competitors
9:52 a.m. ET — DoorDash is cementing its position as the market leader for food delivery in the midst of the pandemic.
Edison Trends, which studies anonymized and aggregated e-receipts from millions of U.S. consumers, found that the company stole share from rivals Grubhub, Postmates and UberEats in March and April.
DoorDash announced Thursday that it raised $400 million in equity capital, at a valuation of nearly $16 billion. The food-delivery service earned the No. 12 spot on the 2020 CNBC Disruptor 50 list. —Amelia Lucas
Requiring masks is not political, ex-Trump FDA chief says
9:34 a.m. ET — Requiring people to wear masks in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus is not "denying people their liberty," President Donald Trump's former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC.
Gottlieb's comments come after Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal published Thursday that some Americans might wear masks to "signal disapproval of him." Infectious disease specialists have repeatedly pointed to universal mask wearing as a simple, non-restrictive way to combat the virus.
"I don't think this is a political issue," Gottlieb said on CNBC's "Squawk Box." "Universal masking is one of the simplest interventions that we can take that could probably reduce the odds that we have another epidemic." —Will Feuer
Cases in Middle East and Asia surge
Pandemic may delay the arrival of new medicines
8:43 a.m. ET — The pandemic postponed the start of clinical trials for potentially life-changing, new medicines as doctors focused on treating patients sickened with Covid-19.
It may now delay the market arrival of those medicines as the Food and Drug Administration faces a backlog once drugmakers finish their trials and submit their drugs for regulatory approval.
Reviews for new drug applications can take anywhere from several months to a year. The last time the FDA risked huge delays was during the partial government shutdown in early 2019. The FDA was able to keep most of its lights on, but the shutdown forced it to furlough almost half of its workforce and it was not able to accept new applications or fees. —Berkeley Lovelace Jr.
Private jet companies court new flyers amid health fears
8:30 a.m. ET — Private jet companies are flying 70% or more of their normal, pre-pandemic schedules, even as commercial traffic stands at 15% to 17% of 2019 totals.
Big names in the private flight field, including NetJets, PrivateFly and Vista Jet, have reported a higher than usual level of interest from people who have never flown private as health fears and lower prices draw them away from commercial. Though business travel is nearly nonexistent, private jet companies say the need for safe and secluded travel has spurred new demand.
Prices for certain private flights are now 30% to 50% cheaper than they were a year ago. The government also suspended the excise 7.5% tax on private-jet flights as part of the stimulus package. Read more on the fresh interest in private flying from CNBC's Robert Frank. —Alex Harring
Coronavirus mortgage bailout shrinks for third straight week
8:17 a.m. ET — As the country reopens, the number of borrowers seeking relief on mortgage payments has decreased for a third straight week, CNBC's Diana Olick reports.
Roughly 4.6 million homeowners were in forbearance plans as of June 16, representing 8.7% of all active mortgages. That's just slightly below the 8.8% that were in forbearance in the previous period, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data and technology firm.
These forbearance plans allow homeowners to delay monthly payments for at least three months. The number of borrowers decreased by 57,000 from last week and by 158,000 from the peak week of May 22. Bank-held loans or loans in private-label securities, however, saw an increase in total forbearances by 6,000. –Suzanne Blake
India reports record rise of new cases, southern city of Chennai back in lockdown
7:15 a.m. ET — India reported a record rise in the number of coronavirus cases on Friday, Reuters reported, as the country's health ministry recorded more than 13,000 new infections and over 300 additional deaths in the last 24 hours.
India has reported the fourth-highest number of Covid-19 cases in the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, behind only the U.S., Brazil and Russia, respectively.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had lifted most lockdown restrictions earlier this month, even as coronavirus cases continued to rise, but the southern city of Chennai has now been placed back into lockdown following a fresh outbreak of infections. —Sam Meredith
Germany's contact tracing app downloaded nearly 10 million times, government says
7:01 a.m. ET — Germany's contact tracing app, which was released on Tuesday, has been downloaded 9.6 million times, a government spokeswoman told Reuters.
The app, which was developed in part by SAP and Deutsche Telekom, uses Bluetooth technology to alert people who might have been exposed to someone who tests positive for the coronavirus. The app does not collect data in a central database, Reuters previously reported, quelling some privacy concerns.
Some countries, including South Korea and Singapore, had early success in containing the virus, in large part thanks to tech-enabled contact tracing. However, Europe and the U.S., where some say people are more skeptical of government and big technology companies, have been slower to adopt and develop such technology. —Will Feuer
Read CNBC's previous coronavirus live coverage here: China publishes virus genome data from Beijing outbreak as capital city reports 25 cases