(Bloomberg) --

U.S. cases jumped the most in almost eight weeks and Florida’s new coronavirus infections rose by a record. Texas ordered residents to wear masks as the state reported its second-most daily infections of the outbreak.

The coronavirus may be mutating in a way that may make it easier to spread, said Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease researcher. Several large U.S. business groups urged the federal government and the states to issue guidance for wearing masks.

New York City plans to reopen its public schools in September. The U.S. labor market rebound accelerated in June as broader reopenings spurred hiring, though recent virus pickups put the gains in jeopardy.

Key Developments:

• Global Tracker: Cases pass 10.7 million; Deaths top 518,000
• Life, liberty and face masks: a virus preys on America
• Rights of American workers could change after virus
• An unfestive July 4th as states call off the celebrations
• Dining out means plexiglass, planters, hand-washing stations
• Understanding the virus and its unanswered questions
• Covid-19 isn’t killing cash. People are hoarding more of it
• The post-pandemic hotel looks a lot like a cruise ship

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click VRUS on the terminal for news and data on the coronavirus.

U.S. Businesses Push for Mask Requirements (5:30 p.m. NY)

Top U.S. trade groups urged President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and governors to issue guidelines on wearing mask, citing the economic risk from Covid-19’s accelerating spread.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the Business Roundtable and others sent a letter Thursday, a day after Trump offered limited praise for masks but suggested they needn’t be required. The president has put little emphasis on masks despite evidence they can help combat the spread.

“Absent stronger measures to prevent transmission, communities across America risk another round of shutdowns, broad restrictions on non-essential activities, and irreparable economic harm,” said the organizations, which generally view federal regulation skeptically.

Peru Tops 10,000 Deaths (5:25 p.m. NY)

Peru’s death toll exceeded 10,000 on Thursday -- the 10th nation to reach the milestone -- as the government pressed ahead with a plan to reopen the economy. The country reported 185 fatalities in the past 24 hours, taking the total to 10,045, less than 16 weeks after reporting its first virus death. In all, 292,002 have been infected in the nation of 32 million, according to the Health Ministry.

In Latin America, the current epicenter of the pandemic, only Brazil and Mexico have reported more deaths.

Texas Cases Rise Tops 7-Day Average (5 p.m. NY)

Texas recorded its second-worst day of the pandemic with 7,915 new cases, according to state health department data on Thursday. The 4.7% growth rate surpassed the seven-day average of 4.2%. That followed Wednesday’s record tally of 8,076 new diagnoses.

Virus-related hospitalizations expanded by 6.9% to 7,382, the data showed, as medical facilities in Houston and elsewhere showing increasing signs of strain. Fatalities rose by 1.8% to 2,525.

Texas Issues Mask Order (4:30 p.m. NY)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered residents to wear face coverings amid a spike in cases in the second-most populous U.S. state.

In a reversal of his months-long opposition to such a mandate, Abbott, an ally of President Donald Trump, on Thursday said the order applies to all counties with 20 or more virus cases. He also barred people from gathering in groups larger than 10.

The Republican governor has been under growing pressure from Democratic mayors and county leaders to crack down or at least grant them authority to mandate masks and other restrictions.

U.S. Cases Rise the Most Since May 9 (4 p.m. NY)

Coronavirus cases in the U.S. rose by 56,800 from a day earlier to 2.72 million, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and Bloomberg News. The 2.1% increase was higher than the average daily increase of 1.7% over the past week and the biggest jump since May 9. Deaths rose 0.6% to 128,439.

• Florida reported 169,106 cases, up 6.4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 5.6% in the previous seven days.
• Arizona reported 3,333 new cases, an increase of 4% to 87,425. Deaths increased by 37, to a total of 1,757.
• California cases rose 1.7% to 240,195 while deaths rose 1.2% to 6,163, according to the state’s website.

N.J. Doubles Outdoor Gathering Limit (4 p.m. NY)

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy doubled the state’s outdoor gathering limit, to 500, starting Friday morning. Outdoor religious services and political activities, such as demonstrations, have no cap. Indoors, the crowd maximum remains 25% of a space’s capacity, with 100 people at most.

Murphy this week indefinitely delayed lifting a ban on indoor dining, which was to restart on Thursday, citing “knucklehead” non-distancing behavior at New Jersey outdoor establishments and spiking cases nationally. New Jersey reported 13,251 dead who tested positive for the novel coronavirus and another 1,854 fatalities with a probable but untested link.

Djokovic, Wife Test Negative (3:15 p.m. NY)

Novak Djokovic and his wife tested negative for the coronavirus, his media team said Thursday, 10 days after announcing they had contracted the disease, the Associated Press said.

The top-ranked player tested positive after playing in an exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia. No social distancing was observed at the matches in Belgrade and Zadar, Croatia. Both were in self-isolation in the Serbian capital since testing positive, the statement said.

Other players to come down with the virus after participating in the matches in Belgrade and Zadar were Grigor Dimitrov, Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki.

Serbia Curbs Club, Cafe Hours as Cases Jump (3 p.m. NY)

Serbia reported 359 new cases on Thursday, a level last seen in mid-April, with the biggest surge in the capital Belgrade. President Aleksandar Vucic said the government will limit hours for nightclubs and cafes, ordering them to close by 11 p.m. for the next two weeks, and shutting student campuses at universities.

The authorities also will impose fines for those not wearing protective masks in closed spaces, and may tighten measures further if necessary, Vucic said.

Covid-19 Mutation May Enable Spread (2:10 p.nm. NY)

The novel coronavirus is showing some signs of mutating in a way that may make it easier to spread, according to Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Research currently underway suggests a single mutation is emerging that lets the virus replicate better and create a higher viral load, measures that could make it easier to transmit, Fauci said at an online event Thursday hosted by the Journal of the American Medical Association.

There is some dispute about the findings and it’s not clear whether people who become infected with a newer variation of the pathogen fare worse than those with the original strain, he said. “It just seems that the virus replicates better and may be more transmissible,” he said. “This is still at the stage of trying to confirm that.”

Moderna Sets Human Trial for Vaccine (1:40 p.m. NY)

Drug-maker Moderna Inc. said a 30,000-patient trial of its Covid-19 vaccine candidate will start late this month, although a Stats News article earlier Thursday said the work had been expected to begin next week. Shares fell as much as 9.4% after the report. Company spokesman Ray Jordan confirmed to Bloomberg the trial should start in or by late July, which he said is consistent with the window previously communicated. The company is “working through finalizing of sites,” he said.

Stats earlier said Moderna is making changes to the trial, which delayed the start date, and investigators told the news site that changes are common.

Houston May Tap Surge ICU Beds (12:40 p.m. NY)

Houston posted a 4.3% increase in Covid-19 patients in intensive care, and at the current rate of expansion the city’s hospitals will have to tap a second tranche of so-called surge beds on July 14, according to the Texas Medical Center.

In the first phase of surge capacity, 5.4% of the 373 beds already are occupied after the normal ICU space was overwhelmed earlier this week, the medical center said on its website on Thursday. The second phase has 504 beds available. To be sure, 62% of the city’s ICU capacity is occupied by non-virus patients.

Trump: Three Vaccine Candidates ‘Really Good’ (12:10 p.m. NY)

Three vaccine candidates are “looking really, really good” in trials, President Donald Trump said Thursday at a White House event showcasing small businesses. Trump said three more vaccines will begin trials “shortly,” without elaborating.

The military is standing by, ready to distribute the vaccines, Trump said. A vaccine will be out “soon,” the president said.

GOP Lawmaker Urges End of Task Force (12:35 p.m. NY)

An influential U.S. House Republican from Arizona, which is enduring one of the worst Covid-19 spikes, urged President Donald Trump to disband the White House coronavirus task force because he said it’s hindering the economic recovery.

Scientists are causing an unnecessary “panic,” Representative Andy Biggs, who represents the suburbs east of Phoenix, said in a statement. “Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Deborah Birx continue to contradict many of President Trump’s stated goals and actions for returning to normalcy as we know more about the Covid-19 outbreak,” said Biggs, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservatives whom Trump often consults.

Italy Hospitals Cases Under 1,000 (12:05 p.m. NY)

Italy’s hospitalized Covid-19 patients fell to 963 on Thursday, the first time its been under 1,000 since early March, according to the Health Ministry. Hospitalizations peaked at about 29,000 in early April; patients in intensive-care units fell to 82.

The country, once the outbreak’s European epicenter, registered 201 new cases, in line with the previous 7-day average of 193, and 30 deaths, down from 21 on Wednesday. Total fatalities are 34,818.

Arizona Cases Climb 4% (11:50 a.m. NY)

Arizona reported 3,333 new cases Thursday, an increase of 4% to 87,425. The number of deaths increased by 37, to a total of 1,757, the Department of Health Services said.

The state registered a record-high 4,878 daily infections and 88 new deaths Wednesday. Vice President Mike Pence visited Arizona the same day but didn’t mention the record figures. He said he was optimistic as the number of “fatalities are declining across the country.”

NYC Schools Plan September Reopening (11:15 a.m. NY)

New York City plans to reopen the nation’s largest public school system in September with social-distancing guidelines and the maximum number of students at the start, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.

De Blasio said he anticipates some schools will have enough space for all their students, even with new guidelines. Those schools that can’t accommodate all students will operate on a staggered schedule, which will be announced “well in advance,” he said.

Everyone will be required to wear face masks and facilities will undergo a deep cleaning each day.

Nashville Reverses on Reopening (10:45 a.m. NY)

Tennessee’s Davidson County, which includes Nashville, reversed course after reporting a one-day record for new cases and will close socially driven businesses such as event and entertainment venues, Mayor John Cooper said in a statement.

Restaurants can remain open but must cut capacity to 50% from 75%, he said, noting the rate of new cases fell while bars and eating places were at half capacity. The city -- a popular U.S. tourist attraction -- will operate under the rules for several weeks, he said.

Denmark Allows More Travelers (10:40 a.m. NY)

Denmark will allow leisure travel from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Citizens from the six countries can enter if they have booked at least six nights of stay, the Danish ministry said.

Florida Deaths Rise Most in Month (10:30 a.m. NY)

Florida reported 169,106 Covid-19 cases on Thursday, up 6.4% from a day earlier, compared with an average increase of 5.6% in the previous seven days. Deaths among Florida residents reached 3,617, an increase of 67, the most in a month, according to a statement that includes data through Wednesday. Daily hospitalizations reached a record 325. The median age of cases increased to 37 from 36 a day earlier.

Mnuchin Hints at School Aid in Stimulus (10:20 a.m. NY)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the Trump administration is in contact with schools and universities on reopening, and officials are considering help in the next round of economic stimulus to “properly equip” schools for social distancing and to make other adjustments. “In most cases, schools will be able to open safely,” Mnuchin said at the White House.

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