June 24 coronavirus news

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio said today that "everyone should just wear a damn mask, like you guys are, like I am right now."

He made the comments as he left a GOP lunch where Vice President Mike Pence provided a coronavirus update. 

Rubio said he also encouraged his Republican colleagues during lunch to wear a mask.  

“It's a respiratory virus that spreads from person to person and the more people you come in contact with in an unprotected setting the likelier you are to be infected by it,” he added.

Some context: Several states have seen spikes in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, including Rubio’s home state. Today marked Florida’s highest number of new and confirmed coronavirus cases in a single day since the start of the pandemic, according to the Florida Health Department. 

Both President Trump and his Polish counterpart suggested Wednesday the coronavirus pandemic currently raging in the United States was in the rearview as in-person diplomacy resumed in the Oval Office.

"This is the first after Covid, after the start of the plague, as I call it, and it’s an honor to have you here," Trump told his visitor, Polish President Andrzej Duda, as they began talks at the White House.

Duda, who faces a tight re-election in four days, said it was an honor to be Trump's first invitee after an extended period of pandemic-forced lockdown.

"It’s a privilege and honor to be here with you in the White House, the first president of state after the lockdown at the end of the coronavirus," he said.

Trump and Duda both hailed their close personal ties and the broader relationship between the United States and Poland.

"We’ve had many discussions and we worked very well with Poland. I don’t think we’ve ever been closer to Poland that we are right now," Trump said. "I think it’s a great honor and frankly Poland’s a country we have a tremendous relationship with. And I have a very good personal relationship with the president."

Strategies such as increasing air ventilation, installing touchless technology, and modifying schedules to stagger arrival and departure times could help schools reopen more safely as the coronavirus pandemic continues, according to a new report published Wednesday.

Schools can also limit sharing of equipment in physical education classes and limit personal contact with strategies like taking parent-teacher conferences online, environmental safety expert Joseph Allen and colleagues at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health said in their report.

These should be put in place alongside known measures such as hand washing, mask use, widespread testing for the virus, and encouraging people to stay home when they are sick.

Allen said it’s better to send kids back to school than to keep them sequestered at home. He said online learning was missing many, if not most, students.

“Schools will eventually need to reopen,” the report says. “Keeping schools closed comes with massive, long-term individual and societal costs. Many children cannot effectively learn, grow, engage, socialize, be active, eat healthy food, or get supports until schools reopen.”   

Indiana Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon said he has tested positive for Covid-19. 

Brogdon, who leads the team in assists per game (7.1) this season, said he is "feeling well" and plans to join his teammates in Orlando, Florida, when the NBA season resumes.

The NBA season is expected to resume on July 30 at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. 

Urging Californians to consider others by wearing a face covering and keeping up with physical distancing, Gov. Gavin Newsom appealed to people’s emotions in order to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Acknowledging that younger people tend to feel safer returning to normal, Newsom warned, “be careful about Mom and Dad, and careful about your mother-in-law, your father-in-law, your grandparents.”

Newsom pleaded with the public to think of others when it comes to wearing masks, keeping a safe distance, and increase hand washing.

Loosely quoting scripture, Newsom implored residents to “Love thy neighbors, like yourself, please.”

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida told reporters, “we’re not where we need to be” on coronavirus.

Data released by the Florida Department of Health shows that today the state marked the highest number of new and confirmed cases of the virus in a single day since the start of the pandemic. 

“I hope everybody takes it seriously, because we haven’t beaten this, we don’t have a vaccine yet,” Scott said. He encouraged people to continue to social distance and wear masks. 

Asked about whether beaches should close in his state, Scott responded that it is up to the people to “make decisions on their own.” He added that Floridians are “tired of people telling them what to do, but that “I think people will make good decisions with good information.”

CORRECTION: The photo in this post has been changed to an image of Sen. Rick Scott.

The positivity rate for coronavirus in California has climbed to 5.1%, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced in a press conference. The rate was 4.8% on Monday and 4.6% last week. 

This rate hike comes despite increased testing. Yesterday alone, about 94,000 people were tested in California, Newsom said.

Noting that about 8% of all hospital beds and 30% of ICU beds statewide are being used for Covid-19 patients, Newsom said he is confident that the state remains able to meet the needs of patients.

In total, California has recorded at least 183,073 cases and at least 5580 deaths as a result of the virus, according to California Department of Public Health data.

The Florida county where Disney World is located says it doesn't plan to revisit the park's reopening plan, despite pushback from some Disney employees.

More than 7,000 people are petitioning both Disney and government officials to delay reopening Disney World next month as coronavirus cases surge in Florida.

The Disney theme park plans to begin a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks and July 15 for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Florida reported an additional 3,286 cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the state total to 103,503.

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More than 7,000 people were confirmed to have coronavirus in California on Wednesday, according to data from California Department of Public Health.

These 7,149 new cases obliterate the previous single day high of just over 5,000, a record set only the day before.

Hospitalization and ICU rates due to the virus are also at an all-time high in the state.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to address the spike in a news conference starting shortly.

California is among at least 26 US states that have recorded higher rates of new cases compared to last week.