Coronavirus pandemic in the US

By Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Angela Dewan, CNN

Updated 9:05 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020
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8:57 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in the US has ended for the day. Follow developments from the globe here.

8:31 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Some retails stores to open in Los Angeles starting Friday

From CNN's Sarah Moon

Some retails stores in Los Angeles will be able to open starting Friday, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a news conference Wednesday.

Garcetti said he plans to modify the safer at home order in the city of Los Angeles.

Florists, toy stores, music stores, book stores, clothing stores and sporting goods stores in Los Angeles may offer curbside pickup, he said. Car dealerships will also be able to open. 

Some context: This is in line with what Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said in an earlier news conference.

He clarified that stores will only able to offer curbside pickup and that people will not able to go inside the stores.

Starting Saturday, the city will open its trails, parks and golf courses.

Face coverings will be required at all city trails and golf courses, Garcetti said. Runyon canyon will remain closed.

Friday May 8 marks the beginning of phase two, a slow and gradual loosening of some of the restrictions, he said. 

9:05 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Schumer on Trump's fight to kill Obamacare: "How tone-deaf can you be?"

From CNN's Leinz Vales 

Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer condemned President Trump's decision to continue to push the Supreme Court to repeal the Affordable Care Act while the coronavirus pandemic persists, saying it's "tone-deaf."

"We have millions of people losing their health care," Schumer told CNN's Erin Burnett tonight. "We have so many people who have preexisting conditions who need help. And they say get rid of all that in the midst of a crisis. How tone-deaf can they be?"

Attorney General William Barr made a last-minute request on Monday to modify the administration's position, arguing that they should pull back from its insistence that the entire law be struck down.

"How can they do this?" asked Schumer. "I am just utterly amazed. They stick to this right-wing ideology which helps a few very well-to-do people and say to the rest of America let's fiddle. Which is what they're doing while America is in many ways burning."

Watch here:

7:56 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

At least 4 Amazon warehouse workers in the US have died after contracting coronavirus

From CNN’s Sara Ashley O’Brien

Orders move down a conveyor belt at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. On Tuesday the company confirmed the death of an employee who worked at the facility.
Orders move down a conveyor belt at the Amazon fulfillment center in Staten Island, New York. On Tuesday the company confirmed the death of an employee who worked at the facility. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

A warehouse worker at Amazon’s Waukegan, Illinois, site died of Covid-19 on April 18, according to the company.

He is the fourth Amazon warehouse employee known to have died from the disease across the United States.

“We are saddened by the loss of an associate at our site in Waukegan, Illinois. His family and loved ones are in our thoughts, and we are supporting his fellow colleagues,” Kristen Kish, an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement.

According to Amazon, the employee was last on site on March 19, and showed no symptoms. 

The company confirmed the death of an warehouse worker at Amazon’s Staten Island fulfillment center Tuesday and has previously confirmed two additional Covid-19-related deaths of workers employed at its US warehouses in Hawthorne, California, and Tracy, California.

7:03 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

More than 73,000 people have died of coronavirus in the US

There are at least 1,223,468 cases of coronavirus in the US and at least 73,039 people have died from the virus, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases.

Johns Hopkins reported 19,117 new cases and 1,975 reported deaths on Wednesday.

The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.

6:56 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Pentagon may ban recruits who have been hospitalized by coronavirus

From CNN's Barbara Starr

US Marine Corps recruits wait in line for health screenings at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California.
US Marine Corps recruits wait in line for health screenings at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images

The Pentagon is considering a ban on new recruits joining the military if they have been hospitalized for coronavirus unless they get a waiver from the service they want to sign up with, according to a defense official.

The official said the guidance is being put in place because there is little understanding of the long-term effects of the virus and there is a concern that potential recruits who have been hospitalized may need further medical assessments.

The new policy is being finalized to set medical restrictions on recruits who may have tested positive or have been treated for the virus. Department of Defense medical waivers are required for a wide variety of medical conditions ranging from heart disease to a loss of vision.

The Military Times was first to report the news.

Some more context: Months into the pandemic, the virus is posing significant medical challenges to the military on several fronts.

There is a particular concern over whether a sufficient number of recruits will be able to join before a rigorous enough testing regime is in place to ensure they are healthy enough to enter training.

The fact sailors on the USS Theodore Roosevelt are still testing positive weeks after the outbreak of the virus on the ship is underlining the need to solve the medical mystery of why some people carry the virus but have no symptoms and may continue to test negative, according to several Navy officials.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at the Pentagon Tuesday that the department would randomly test groups of people "to understand how many asymptomatic or carriers are maybe out there." 

7:00 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

41 NYPD members have died from coronavirus

From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia

The New York Police Department announced another three deaths related to Covid-19, bringing the department death toll to 41.

"These remarkable men will never be forgotten. Every member of the NYPD, of all ranks and titles, will keep their memories alive and honor their legacies by faithfully carrying on their most important work," the police department said in a statement.

6:52 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Arkansas governor plans to increase testing in state by end of month

From CNN's Janine Mack

Nurse Tonya Green administers a coronvirus test at a drive-thru testing center in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 20.
Nurse Tonya Green administers a coronvirus test at a drive-thru testing center in North Little Rock, Arkansas, on April 20. Staton Breidenthal/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/AP

Arkansas plans to test 60,000 people in the month of May and hopes to receive 90,000 Covid-19 test kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Wednesday.

The Arkansas Department of Health’s website stated that 59,003 coronavirus tests have been administered so far.

6:11 p.m. ET, May 6, 2020

Louisiana surpasses 30,000 positive coronavirus cases

From CNN's Erica Henry

The Louisiana Department of Health has reported that the state has 30,399 coronavirus cases, which represents an increase of 403 cases from Tuesday. 

The state death total increased by 53 to a total of 2,094. 

In Orleans Parish, the total number of cases increased by 33 cases to a total of 6,608 and the number of deaths increased by 11 to 464.

On a positive note, the number of hospitalizations and those on ventilators decreased during this 24-hour period, the department said.