(Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said he may take action to impose a moratorium on evictions and enact a payroll tax holiday. Fed officials warned that another round of fiscal relief is critical as lawmakers negotiate additional aid.
California and Arizona reported fewer new cases after battling a surge in infections last month, while Hong Kong said it had the fewest number of new cases since July 22.
The U.K.’s plans to block further coronavirus spikes allow for ministers to lock down London, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said.
Key Developments
- Global Tracker: Global cases top 18.1 million; deaths pass 691,000
- Fauci says face shields good idea for teachers back in schools
- Around the world, the pandemic has people working longer hours
- London lockdown possible under U.K. virus containment plans
- How Iran’s virus fight is tied to struggle with U.S.: QuickTake
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Trump Says He May Act to Stop Evictions (6:40 a.m. HK)
U.S. President Donald Trump said he may take executive action to impose a moratorium on evictions and to enact a payroll tax holiday, with talks on a new virus-relief plan making slow progress in Congress.
Trump also said he thinks a coronavirus vaccine may be ready before year end. He said two vaccines are in the final stage of clinical trials, with a third likely to begin immediately. Trump said politics won’t interfere with vaccine science.
Testing, Tracking Can Keep Students’ Virus Risk Low (6:32 a.m. HK)
Schools and nurseries don’t pose a high risk of spreading coronavirus when proper testing and tracking measures are used, according to a study that found a small percentage of people contracted the disease from infected peers and teachers.
Top Pork Producer Goes on Defensive Over Virus Response (6:27 a.m. HK)
One of America’s food giants is taking to the media to defend its efforts to keep employees safe and supply food to the nation, in the face of criticism that workers at meat plants haven’t been adequately safeguarded against the coronavirus.
Smithfield Foods Inc. took out a full-page ad in Sunday’s edition of the New York Times to accuse its critics of false narratives and misinformation and to defend its operations to keep the nation fed during the pandemic.
Houston to Ticket People Not Wearing Masks (4:25 p.m. NY)
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner instructed police in the fourth-largest U.S. city to begin issuing warnings and citations to anyone not wearing a mask in public.
The mayor said in a tweet that people meeting certain criteria will be exempted.
“Lives are at stake and we must take these measures to ensure our numbers continue to go down,” Turner wrote in the tweet.
U.S. New Cases Rise 0.9% (4 p.m. NY)
Coronavirus cases in the U.S. increased 0.9% as compared with the same time Sunday to 4.69 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The increase was lower than the average 1.4% daily gain over the past week. Deaths rose 0.2% to 155,124.
- Arizona reported the smallest number of new cases since late June, with 1,030 new diagnoses. The 0.6% increase trailed the prior seven-day average of 1.3%.
- Florida reported 491,884 cases, up 1% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 2% in the previous seven days. Deaths reached 7,157, an increase of 73, or 1%.
- California’s seven-day average for new cases has dropped 21% in the last week, although it still stands at 7,764. And the percentage of people tested who have the virus slipped to 6.1% after peaking at 8% late last month.
London Lockdown Possible Under Plans (12:15 p.m. NY)
The U.K.’s plans to block further spikes in coronavirus allow for ministers to lock down London, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said, as officials prepare for a resurgence of Covid-19 in the months ahead.
The so-called Contain Strategy, unveiled last month, “does set out the possibility of a power to restrict people’s movement and potentially close down local transport networks,” Prime Minister’s Spokesman James Slack told reporters on Monday when asked whether the government had war-gamed sealing off the capital.
Norway Bars Cruise Ships For 2 Weeks (11 a.m. NY)
Norway’s government banned cruise ships from entering its ports for 14 days after an outbreak on board a Hurtigruten Group ASvessel led to about 40 new cases, Trade Minister Iselin Nybo told reporters in Oslo on Monday.
The two-week ban applies to cruise ships with more than 100 passengers, including crew, but not to regular ferry traffic.
The decision follows an outbreak on board Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen ship, which has resulted in at least 36 employees and several passengers testing positive.
WHO Says Studies Put Mortality Rate at 0.6% (10 a.m. NY)
Several studies estimate the mortality rate of the novel coronavirus at 0.6%, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s top epidemiologist on Covid. “That may not sound like a lot, but it is quite high,” she said. The death rate is about 1 in 200 compared with one in 10,000 or 100,000 in the 2009 swine flu pandemic, according to Mike Ryan, head of the WHO’s Health Emergencies Program.
Eli Lilly Starts Testing Drug in Nursing Homes (6:45 a.m. NY)
Eli Lilly & Co. will begin testing its Covid-19 antibody drug in nursing homes in the U.S., a treatment with potential to protect vulnerable groups that vaccines may not cover. The trial, dubbed BLAZE-2, will kick off Monday and marks the third phase of testing for the monoclonal antibody that Lilly co-developed with Canadian start-up AbCellera Biologics Inc. It will enroll up to 2,400 participants who are either diagnosed with Covid-19 or at the risk of exposure.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
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