September 3, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Myriam Borzee/iStockBy WILLIAM MANSELL, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 863,000 people worldwide.

Over 26 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The criteria for diagnosis — through clinical means or a lab test — has varied from country-to-country. Still, the actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some national governments are hiding or downplaying the scope of their outbreaks.

Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the virus has rapidly spread to every continent except Antarctica.

The United States is the worst-affected country, with more than six million diagnosed cases and at least 185,752 deaths.

California has the most cases of any U.S. state, with more than 715,000 people diagnosed, according to Johns Hopkins data. California is followed by Texas and Florida, with over 641,000 cases and over 633,000 cases respectively.

Nearly 170 vaccine candidates for COVID-19 are being tracked by the World Health Organization, six of which are in crucial phase three trials.

Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:

Sep 03, 11:31 am
Malls, casinos in New York to reopen

Malls in New York City can reopen at 50% capacity on Sept. 9, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday.

The malls must have enhanced filtration systems and additional staff will be required to help control foot traffic.

There will still be no indoor dining in the malls, Cuomo said.

Casinos in the state have also been authorized to reopen on Sept. 9 at 25% capacity — they must also have a filtration system in place and occupants must follow social distancing guidelines.

Cuomo, at his daily conference with reporters, would not commit to when indoor dining would resume in New York City.

“My opinion is restaurants should open. The question is how?” he said.

Sep 03, 10:37 am
Temple University suspends in-person learning for fall semester amid rise in cases

Temple University announced on Thursday it will now have virtual learning for the entire fall semester after a rise in cases among students at the school.

“In light of the recent increase in positive test results among our students, and after consultation with our own healthcare professionals and leaders at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, we have concluded that the data indicate it is time to pivot to primarily online education,” university President Richard Englert said in a statement.

Only “essential in-person teaching” at the university’s domestic campuses will continue for the rest of the fall semester — this applies only to courses where “educational objectives” cannot be reached without some in-person instruction.

The university estimated that 95% of classes would become virtual.

Any student that is using university housing and chooses to leave by Sept. 13 will be given a full refund for housing and meal plan charges for the semester. Students who wish to remain in university housing may do so, the school said.

Sep 03, 6:55 am
Over 800 students positive at University of Georgia

The University of Georgia reported that more than 800 people on campus have tested positive for COVID-19. Data released Wednesday showed that 798 students, 19 staff members and four faculty members tested positive following the first week of classes.

“The rise in positive tests last week is concerning. It is critically important that all of our students continue to make every effort to prioritize their health and safety by taking the proper steps to avoid exposure to this virus,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement Wednesday. “… And, for those of you heading out of town over the Labor Day weekend, be very careful and think about the health of everyone around you. All of us must take our responsibilities very seriously as we seek to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”

One professor at UGA said while the number of confirmed diagnosed cases is concerning, he believes the true numbers could be much higher.

Dr. Mark Ebell, an epidemiology professor at UGA, told ABC affiliate WSB-TV in Atlanta that he believes, based on test data, that another 2,000 asymptomatic students could be on campus right now.

He said those who tested positive are those “who had a cough, fever and knew they were sick and reported the diseases.”

The state of Georgia has more than 274,000 diagnosed cases of coronavirus, with at least 5,795 deaths.

Colleges and universities throughout the country are seeing a rise in cases and students come back to campus. At the University of Indiana, 30 Greek Houses, which have over 1,000 students, have been told to quarantine due to COVID-19.

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September 3, 2020 • No Comments • National News

ABC NewsBy MAX GOLEMBO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — A frontal storm system will move into the Mid-Atlantic states Thursday and will bring a threat for damaging winds and tornadoes from Washington, D.C. to Philadelphia.

Severe storms are expected to blossom in the early afternoon Thursday in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia and move east into the I-95 corridor between 5 and 6 p.m. ET.

These storms come after more than a foot of rain fell in the southern Plains. Now a flash flood threat moves into Ohio Valley for Thursday.

Rounds of heavy rain will continue to move over the same areas and that could produce flash flooding Thursday morning and into the afternoon. Locally, an additional 2 to 3 inches of rain is possible from Louisville, Kentucky, to Cincinnati and into Charleston, West Virginia.

Meanwhile, a heat dome will continue to build in the West, pushing temperatures into the 100s.

Numerous heat warnings, watches and advisories have been issued for Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Some cities could even see near-record highs Thursday, including Medford, Oregon and Portland, Oregon.

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September 3, 2020 • No Comments • National News

Julia_Sudnitskaya/iStockBy MINA KAJI, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — Millions are projected to travel this holiday weekend despite COVID-19 concerns. Labor Day flight bookings are only around a third of what they were last year, according to data analysis from travel itinerary app TripIt, but reservations to Florida have jumped 200 percent.

“Florida is this year’s hot spot,” TripIt said in its findings. Orlando, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale are all listed among TripIt’s top 25 Labor Day travel destinations as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists the Sunshine State as having the second highest total number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

Matthew Meltzer, a freelance travel writer, is flying from Louisville, Kentucky, to Miami this weekend to visit friends.

“I understand there’s a lot of cases, but it’s just a risk you run,” Meltzer told ABC News. “Life is full of risks.”

The flight to Miami will be Meltzer’s fourth trip on an airplane since he left Europe in March.

“It’s the only place to go where they really are militant about making everyone wear a mask,” he said. “They obsessively wipe everything down.”

Twenty-four-year-old Mollie Markey of Portland, Oregon, is taking her first flight amid the pandemic – heading to Los Angeles Thursday to celebrate a birthday alongside seven of her friends from college in Palm Springs, California.

California has had the highest total number of COVID-19 cases out of any state in the U.S., according to the CDC.

“I know our physical health is just as important, but for me right now, it’s prioritizing my mental health,” Markey said. “To be able to get out and be with people that I really care about.”

Markey and her friends all got tested for the virus last week and plan on getting tested when they return home.

Testing has even given some Labor Day holiday travelers enough confidence to venture outside of the U.S for the long weekend.

Sonya Castellanos, 36, is getting a COVID-19 test before flying from Los Angeles to Cancun, Mexico, for a scuba diving trip.

“I went camping in an RV last week and it was great, but I’m ready to go scuba diving,” Castellanos said. “I have done everything that I could possibly do – I’ve gone paddleboarding like every week, I’ve done crazy expensive hikings, I quit my gym and bought a Peloton, but this is it. Six months is it for me.”

Pittsburgh-based travel agent Mollie Fitzgerald of Frontiers International Travel told ABC News that while bookings are considerably down she is seeing some people that are “just dying to go somewhere.”

“I see people craving big wide open spaces, being in the outdoors,” Fitzgerald said. “And I think some people are using the Labor Day weekend to get together as a family, and plan for the future, plan the big trip, you know, a bucket list trip for 2021.”

Experts are concerned the uptick in travel might translate to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“It’s very predictable,” ABC News contributor Dr. John Brownstein, chief innovation officer for the Boston Children’s Hospital and a professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School, said. “Major holidays, where people are moving — increases in mobility lead to transmission, and you see cases start to surge two weeks later. We saw that with Memorial Day and we saw that with July 4. Unfortunately, we’re sort of saying the same thing over and over again — just because you’re traveling doesn’t mean that you should stop doing the things that we’ve been doing.”

On top of following CDC guidelines on masks and social distancing, Brownstein says the big thing is for travelers who are returning home to consult with their local public health officials about quarantine rules.

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September 3, 2020 • No Comments • National News

sshepard/iStockBy MEREDITH DELISO, ABC News

(NEW YORK) — As colleges deal with COVID-19 outbreaks, some are having their students leave campus — which medical authorities warn is the opposite of what they should be doing.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx over the weekend advised against residential students — infected with COVID-19 — isolating off campus.

“Please isolate at your college,” Birx said at a news conference. “Do not return home if you’re positive and spread the virus to your family, your aunts, your uncles, your grandparents.”

Birx repeated her warning in a weekly White House call with governors on Tuesday.

“It’s really important that you check in with your university presidents to make sure they also have an isolation and care plan for students who become positive, even if they have moved to online,” Birx said in audio obtained by ABC News.

“It’s really important that these students are continuously tested, isolated and cared for and don’t return to their multi-generational households where they could dramatically increase spread, particularly over the Labor Day weekend,” she continued.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, also weighed in this week. On NBC’s Today show Wednesday morning, he didn’t mince words when he said sending students home after an outbreak is the “worst thing you could do.”

“Keep them at the university in a place that’s sequestered enough from the other students, but don’t have them go home because they could be spreading it in their home state,” he said.

In communications with students, though, some schools are recommending that students go home to isolate or quarantine.

In materials sent to students who are required to quarantine for 14 days, the University of Mississippi encouraged students “to consult with your family to consider your options for quarantine, including returning to your family residence.” It also advised students that options for isolation “involve temporary relocation to your family home or a designated isolation space on campus.”

“We know that returning home is not advisable for some students if they have a relative who is in a vulnerable group, while others prefer to go home if their situation allows for it,” university spokesman Rod Guajardo told ABC News.

The University of Mississippi has had nearly 350 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among students and employees on its Oxford campus since mid-August, when students began to move into the dorms. Currently, there are 295 active cases — all but nine among students — and 16 active outbreaks are in campus housing, according to data posted on the school’s website. Only 29 students with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are currently in designated isolation spaces.

Some schools have pivoted to virtual learning amid rising cases on campus. Last month, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ended in-person undergraduate classes after reporting 130 new cases in students in a week. To further help de-densify the campus, undergraduate students living in campus housing could change their residential plans with no penalty.

This week, James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, became one of the latest schools to go virtual. President Jonathan Alger announced on Tuesday that learning will be primarily online through at least the end of the month due to a “rapid increase in the number of positive cases.” Since classes started on Aug. 24, JMU has had more than 600 confirmed cases, with a positivity rate of almost 17%, according to data on the school’s website. The school will consider a potential return to in-person learning as early as Oct. 5, later this month.

Students were asked to return home by Sept. 7, “in an effort to reduce the number of people on campus,” Alger said. Caitlyn Read, a university spokesperson, told ABC News the university is not sending students home who have COVID-19 and are in isolation, or those who have been in contact with a confirmed case and are quarantining, until they finish their prescribed time.

“We are also recommending that all students quarantine for 14 days when they return home to help reduce the likelihood of viral spread to new communities,” Read said.

JMU students have been encouraged to isolate or quarantine off campus. On its website, the school stated that “students that live both on and off campus are being asked to return home, to their families, if possible to isolate and/or quarantine.” The school currently has 601 active COVID-19 cases, with 89 students in isolation or quarantine beds on campus.

Space may be at a premium for schools isolating or quarantining students. One reason for going remote, Alger said, is the worry that space may run out. With 143 isolation and quarantine beds total, there were 54 available as of Wednesday. In addition to monitoring health trends over the next four weeks, the university will be looking into acquiring additional capacity should they need it in the future, Read said.

The University of Mississippi also is exploring acquiring more space for isolating and quarantining students, including local hotels and apartment complexes off campus. Its current isolation capacity is at nearly 75%.

“The numbers are fluctuating up and down every day, so our goal is to track and analyze the data available to us and then make decisions to help our students however we can,” Guajardo said.

The difficulties that come with isolating and quarantining students — especially those from states on New York’s quarantine travel list — led to Columbia University’s decision to go virtual this fall.

In a letter to students last month, President Lee C. Bollinger noted that “while I have no doubt that we could ensure a safe quarantine period from a public health standpoint, two weeks is a long time to endure isolation, especially for students who will be leaving home for the first time.”

“Conditions for all students in quarantine will be austere, to say the least,” he added.

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September 2, 2020 • No Comments • National News

kali9/iStockBy IVAN PEREIRA, ABC News

The family of a Black man who died after Rochester, New York, police arrested him during a mental health emergency earlier this year is calling for charges after body camera footage showed officers pinning Daniel Prude on the ground and placing a bag over his head before he lost consciousness.

Officers responded to a 911 call made by Prude’s family on March 23 after they said he was going through a mental health issue. The body camera footage first obtained by the Democrat and Chronicle on Wednesday showed several officers approach Prude, 41, who was naked and kneeling on the cold street.

Prude appears in the video to comply with the officers’ orders and questions as they placed him in handcuffs. He began to shout and spit at the officers who then placed a spit bag over his head, the video showed.

Three officers are then seen pushing Prude into the ground and pinning him while he continues to shout and spit and eventually vomit, according to the video and police report. Prude appears to go lifeless minutes later.

An ambulance is later seen arriving and a paramedic attempts to do CPR before Prude is put on a stretcher and driven away. Prude died a week later and the Monroe County medical examiner declared his death a homicide due to “complications of asphyxia,” according to the preliminary autopsy report.

Joe Prude, Daniel’s brother, called the incident “a full-fledged, ongoing cold-blooded murder,” during a news conference Wednesday and called for the officers to be charged for his death.

“I placed a phone call for my brother to get help, not for my brother to get lynched,” he said.

Joe Prude said that his brother was visiting from Chicago and was going through a mental health crisis. The police report said Joe Prude told officers his brother “was using drugs and was suicidal.”

Joe Prude said he admitted his brother to a hospital for help hours before the incident, but Daniel Prude was released after a short time. Joe Prude added he told officers that his brother was not a threat to anyone but himself and asked them not to kill him.

“They knew the mental distress he was in,” he told reporters.

During an earlier news conference, Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary said Wednesday that the officers involved in the incident have not been suspended and denied allegations that his office was trying to cover it up.

“We took the investigation seriously since day one,” Singletary told reporters. “When the incident occurred on March 23 around 3 a.m. on Jefferson Avenue, that morning I ordered a criminal investigation and internal investigation.”

He said the investigation was transferred to the state attorney general’s office, which is the protocol in New York anytime a person is killed while in custody.

Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren called the video “disturbing” and said they are still waiting for Attorney General Letitia James’ office to give a report.

“I know they are working on it and I know that our law and police department have been working with them to move this along,” Warren said at the news conference.

James said in a statement that her office is actively investigating the incident.

“As with every investigation, we will follow the facts of this case and ensure a complete and thorough examination of all relevant parties. We will work tirelessly to provide the transparency and accountability that all our communities deserve,” she said in the statement.

Protesters demanded justice outside the Rochester police station Wednesday for Daniel Prude, who was killed two months before George Floyd died similarly during a filmed arrest in Minneapolis.

“Who do you serve, who do you protect?” the protesters shouted at the police.

Elliot Shields, the attorney representing the Prude family, said they intend to sue “everyone responsible for Daniel’s death.”

“I watched the video with them and it was one of the most difficult experiences of my life watching the family react to seeing their brother and son murdered by RPD while other officers, paramedics and EMTs and no one granted him any basic humanity,” he said at a news conference.

ABC News’ Rachel Katz and Cheryl Gendron contributed to this report.

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