Coronavirus pandemic in the US

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said more than 120 employees have tested positive for Covid-19 at Triumph Foods pork processing plant in St. Joseph.

The announcement comes after the state health department partnered with local health officials to offer testing to more than 2,000 employees at the plant earlier this week.

Employees with positive results are being notified by the city's Health Department and will be told to isolate.

At the request of the city's Health Department, the state is sending support staff to assist with contact tracing efforts and more testing is to be expected as close contacts of patients are notified.

Is there someone that you’d like to thank and show your appreciation toward during the coronavirus pandemic?

Send us your story, telling us who they are and why you’re thankful.

Please include your name and phone number, and we may be in touch with you about featuring your message of thanks on CNN.

Former director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, said Thursday that some activities can resume around the country because "we’re basically over the worst of this phase of the pandemic." 

When it comes to summer vacations, beach trips are still a go, Frieden said. Social distancing is still necessary, though, he said.

“Yes, in fact, outdoors places are much safer than indoor places. Beaches, parks, bicycling, hiking. These are great things to do. They’re great for the spirit, and outdoors is a great way to reduce risk," he added. “Now to have a 100,000 people on a crowded beach, that’s a little different, but with sensible precautions, the great outdoors is a great way forward.”

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont outlined the industries that could reopen on May 20.

He said at a news conference today that state officials were looking into how to safely open outdoor only restaurants, outdoor zoos and outdoor museums, university research programs, hair and nail services and the remaining retail businesses that are currently been deemed as nonessential.

Some offices would also open but individuals would be encouraged to continue to work from home when possible. Outdoor recreation such as camping and mountain biking would also reopen. 

The recommendations are being made based on industry types that can be reopened safely and where social distancing can be maintained, Lamont said.

Ultimately it will be up to each individual business to decide if it feels comfortable reopening on May 20, Lamont stressed.

Lamont said he has not made a decision yet on schools – which are currently closed through May 20. He said he will provide an update on schools “early next week.”

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has shared a series of rules businesses like barbershops and hair salons must follow before before reopening May 6.

The guidelines apply to "close contact personal services" in 89 of the state's 95 counties, according to the guidelines shared by the state online.

Some of the guidelines include:

Other protocols that businesses will need to observe include not offering any self-serve food or beverages and prohibiting congregation.

The new guidelines limit certain services that require the removal of face coverings. Services like beard shaving/trimming and facials will not be allowed in phase one, the guidelines state.

President Trump outlined additional steps the administration will take to protect seniors from coronavirus, saying the Federal Emergency Management Agency will send supplemental shipments of personal protective equipment to all 15,400 Medicaid and Medicare certified nursing homes in America.

He also said that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will provide states with $81 million dollars from the CARES Act to increase inspections of nursing homes.

Trump announced that a new rule will be finalized this week requiring information about coronavirus cases in nursing homes to be reported directly to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and testing data be posted online. The new rule will also require nursing homes to report cases to residents and their family members. 

The President also announced the formation of the “Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes.”

Trump said the commission will be made up of leading industry experts, doctors and scientists, resident and patient advocates and others. The commission will convene in May and issue recommendations for additional steps to protect seniors, he added.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is launching a campaign to distribute face masks to North Carolina’s energy and food supply workers, Michael Sprayberry, the state director of Emergency Management, announced Thursday.

Sprayberry said that FEMA will ship the masks directly to companies for workers who have jobs where social distancing is difficult.

North Carolina Emergency Management will also receive an additional 149,000 cloth masks to distribute to workers in the food supply chain.

JBS has announced that it is partially reopening its plant in Worthington, Minnesota, "to provide producers with a humane euthanasia option for market hogs," the company said in a statement today.

A small staff of "approximately 10 to 20 team members" will facilitate the process of putting down hogs that farmers are unable to keep and feed on their farms, the company statement said. JBS anticipates that approximately 13,000 hogs could be euthanized per day, the statement said. 

Hog carcasses will be rendered, sent to landfills, composted or buried, the statement added.

Some background: JBS announced the plant's closure last Monday over Covid-19 concerns. The Worthington plant employs more than 2,000 people and processes 20,000 hogs per day, according to an earlier a company statement.

Minnesota Congressman Collin Peterson said all plant employees were tested for Covid-19 over the past weekend. He said "close to 500" tested positive.

Los Angeles County will not provide coronavirus testing for low risk and asymptomatic residents, according to Health Services Director Christina Ghaly.

Ghaly said the focus will instead be on people living in institutional settings like nursing homes, homeless shelters and jails. That includes both people with symptoms and those without.

Ghaly acknowledged the psychological reassurance of knowing whether you are infected, but warned that a test captures only one moment in time.

Those who wouldn’t necessarily qualify for testing in Los Angeles County can still go to the city to be tested. People showing symptoms will be prioritized.