August 20 coronavirus news

As students return to campuses, at least 15 states are reporting positive cases of Covid-19 at colleges and universities.

Remember: This list represents cases that CNN has reported so far. There could be many other universities and colleges with cases.

Here's where cases have been reported:

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that the city is releasing a back-to-school pledge — a detailed list of everything that’s being done to get schools prepared to reopen safely next month.

Preparations include...

Education Chancellor Richard Carranza, who joined de Blasio on Thursday, added that PPE deliveries are happening “every day” to schools across the city. 

“We are going to make sure these schools are safe and ready, and if we don’t think they’re safe and ready, they won’t open,” de Blasio said.  

De Blasio stressed that the reopening is moving ahead as scheduled. NYC schools are scheduled to reopen on Sept. 10, although various groups have called for that opening to be delayed. 

New York City’s Covid-19 indicators remain below all the thresholds, and the city again reported a positivity rate below 1% on Thursday.

The Brazilian Congress has decided that the use of masks is mandatory in closed places like commercial establishments, many workplaces, religious temples and schools. In a joint session of both houses — Senate and Deputies Chamber — the legislature overturned President Jair Bolsonaro's veto on such requirements.

In votes on Wednesday, senators and deputies also upheld the right of mayors and governors to fine those who disobeyed the requirement.

The Congress also overturned Bolsonaro's vetoes of a law that sets out the federal government's duties to protect indigenous people during the pandemic. The legislators upheld aspects of the law assuring universal access to drinkable water, emergency access to beds in hospitals, the acquisition of ventilators and the delivery of free food to indigenous people and communities of slaves' descendants. 

On her Twitter account, Joenia Wapichana —  the first indigenous woman to occupy a federal deputy seat in Brazil — celebrated the Congress' action.

"With the Federal Law number 14.021 restored, the Government of Jair Bolsonaro is OBLIGED, by law and by the decision of the STF [Federal Supreme Court], to give due urgent and emergency attention to prevent a new genocide in indigenous peoples, due to the pandemic". 

Wapichana was referring to the Supreme Court's decision which required the federal government to implement safety measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Thursday that the R-number — or reproduction number — in the nation "could currently be above one."

A reproduction rate of one means each person with coronavirus will infect an average of one other person, so above one is the level at which each coronavirus patient infects more than one other person.

In the last 24 hours an additional 77 coronavirus cases have been confirmed with the total number of cases totaling at least 19,534. 

The death toll in Scotland now stands at 2,492 and no new coronavirus deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours, Sturgeon added.

"The figures we have been reporting in recent weeks show that incidence and prevalence of the virus continue to be at low levels in Scotland as a whole. However, the range for our R-number has recently increased and our most recent estimate suggests that it could currently be above one," Sturgeon said.

Another 1.1 million Americans filed initial claims for unemployment benefits on a seasonally adjusted basis last week, dashing economists' hopes for a second-straight week with fewer than 1 million claims.

Economists were optimistic that the US jobs market would be on a steady trajectory toward recovery. But last week's claims returned above 1 million after the previous week's report was the first below 1 million since March, the Department of Labor reported Thursday 

Continued jobless claims, counting people who have filed claims for at least two weeks in a row, remain very high at 14.8 million.

Some context: After months of shocking economic data, these eyewatering big numbers might not seem as shocking anymore as they really are. But the road to recovery remains long and arduous. The Federal Reserve said in its July meeting minutes Wednesday that any rebound of the jobs market depends on a reopening and businesses, which in turn depends on the path of the virus and what we do to contain it.

Watch:

American Airlines announced Thursday it plans to suspend service to 15 cities in October citing “low demand.”  

Airlines have thus far been mostly blocked from stopping service to a destination as a condition of accepting CARES Act payroll funding. But those restrictions expire on Oct. 1. Despite pressure from aviation worker unions, Congress has not extended the funding.  

American said the cuts are not permeant and are “only in place for the October schedule.”  The suspensions will be effective on Oct. 7.

Here are the 15 cities, according to the airline:

The US has reported more than 5.5 million coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, and more than 22 million cases have been recorded worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University's latest tally.

If you're just reading in this morning, here's the news you need to know from around the globe:

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Wednesday that officials cannot order the closure of religious schools that are following the rules around Covid-19.

It came after Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear recommended that school districts delay in-person instruction until September 28, saying that he would issue an executive order to close schools where there was “a severe proven threat to the health of the people in the school, and a failure to take any action to address it."

Religiously affiliated schools and concerned parents wondered whether the Governor, or other state and local officials, “may lawfully co-opt their informed decisions to reopen for in-person instruction,” and asked the Attorney General’s office to issue an opinion on the matter.

Cameron said officials could not close schools that were “in compliance with reasonable social distancing and hygiene guidelines set forth by recognized national or international health agencies and organizations."

His opinion states that the Governor, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, and other officials are prohibited from closing religiously affiliated schools because of the First and 14th Amendment of the US Constitution and state law.

For the first time in roughly five months, AMC Theatres will pop the popcorn, dim the lights, and start the show. 

But will anyone buy a ticket? 

AMC, the world's largest movie theater chain, is reopening more than 100 US locations on Thursday after closing their doors in March. Other major chains like Regal Cinemas and Alamo Drafthouse will also return this weekend, while Cinemark started its phased reopening last weekend. Roughly 1,400 of the 6,000 venues in North America are currently open, according to Comscore. (Track how box-office sales have been hit on our recovery dashboard.)

It's a monumental moment for theaters and the film industry at large. The next few weeks and months will give Hollywood an idea of whether the movie theater industry can bounce back after being ravaged by coronavirus. 

It's not going to be easy.

Read the full story here:

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Movie theaters are starting to reopen. Will anyone go?

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