More than 7.1 million people worldwide – including nearly 2 million in the United States – have been infected with the new coronavirus, and the number of deaths from the outbreak continues to rise. While efforts to contain the COVID-19 outbreak continue, states have begun to shift their focus toward reopening their economies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking cases in the U.S. here. Live updates for Tuesday, June 9, continue below: Schools to reopen in Massachusetts with desks 6 feet apart, masks for everyone Update 9 a.m. EDT June 9: State officials have provided guidance to allow for Massachusetts schools to reopen in the fall, including requirements for safety supplies and social distancing guidelines to protect against coronavirus, WFXT reported. Desks will need to be at least six feet apart and students and staff will need to keep six feet of distance from one another, requiring class sizes to shrink, Jeffrey Riley, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, said in a memorandum to superintendents obtained by WFXT. All students and staff will also be required face masks or coverings, unless they cannot due to age or a condition, a measure Lynnefield mother Amie Geary called impractical, according to WFXT. Geary is one of more than 30,000 parents who have signed a petition on Change.org, urging Gov. Charlie Baker to allow students to return to schools without masks or social distancing. She cites data indicating children are less vulnerable to the virus, according to WFXT. “I want to see them go back to school as normal. Go back to school the way it was before,” Geary said. “Life is about calculated risks. And I am a parent. I am willing to take the calculated risk to send my children to school so that they can get an education.” >> Read more on Boston25News.com Worldwide cases surpass 7.1M as global deaths top 407,000 Update 7:50 a.m. EDT June 9: The global death toll attributed to the novel coronavirus surpassed 407,000 early Tuesday, according to a Johns Hopkins University tally. In the four months since the virus was first identified in Wuhan, China, it has infected at least 7,142,462 people worldwide and killed at least 407,009 people. The 10 nations with the highest number of infections recorded to date are as follows: • The United States has reported 1,897,838 cases, resulting in 111,017 deaths. • Brazil has recorded 707,412 cases, resulting in 37,134 deaths. • Russia has confirmed 484,630 cases, resulting in 6,133 deaths. • The United Kingdom has reported 288,834 cases, resulting in 40,680 deaths. • India has reported 267,614 cases, resulting in 7,481 deaths. • Spain has confirmed 241,717 cases, resulting in 27,136 deaths. • Italy has reported 235,278 cases, resulting in 33,964 deaths. • Peru has reported 199,696 cases, resulting in 5,571 deaths. • France has confirmed 191,313 cases, resulting in 29,212 deaths. • Germany has reported 186,233 cases, resulting in 8,727 deaths. UN General Assembly nixes in-person meeting for 1st time in 75-year history amid coronavirus Update 7:05 a.m. EDT June 9: For the first time in its 75-year history, the United Nations will forego its annual U.N. General Assembly in New York, slated for September, due to the novel coronavirus. According to The Washington Post, U.N. General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande said Monday that the typically large entourages of aides and security personnel accompanying world leaders would make the gathering too large to adhere to crowd size recommended to maintain safe social distancing amid an ongoing pandemic. “A president doesn’t travel alone, leaders don’t travel alone,” he said. Although no details were provided, Muhammad-Bande told the Post session will instead be conducted remotely. COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas spike as state reopens Update 6:13 a.m. EDT June 9: As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott moves forward with plans to reopen the state, COVID-19 hospitalizations spiked Monday to a new single-day record. According to NPR, figures provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services show 1,935 people were admitted to hospitals Monday for coronavirus-related treatment. The prior single-day hospitalization record since the pandemic began was set May 5, when 1,888 virus-related hospitalizations were recorded. The latest figures were released as Abbott prepares to reopen bars, restaurants, amusement parks and other businesses at 50% capacity. Texas, on May 1, became one of the first states in the nation to resume at least partial activity after the novel coronavirus forced lockdowns from coast to coast. Read more here. 14 states, Puerto Rico hit record-high 7-day averages for new coronavirus cases Update 537 a.m. EDT June 9: COVID-19 infections might be tapering off in states such as New York and New Jersey, where the novel coronavirus hit hardest in the first few weeks of the U.S. outbreak, but less-affected states are watching their rates skyrocket as the pandemic lingers. According to The Washington Post, parts of the country that appeared to avoid initial outbreaks have seen record-setting seven-day averages in the past week. The states affected include Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, the Post reported. Brazil’s Health Ministry tweaks COVID-19 data after reporting criticism Update 4:40 a.m. EDT June 9: Brazil’s total novel coronavirus count eclipsed 700,000 Monday after the nation’s health ministry adjusted reporting protocol and added 15,654 new cases to the total. According to the ministry, Brazil has now confirmed 707,412 infections, which have resulted in 37,134 deaths. Yosemite National Park to resume day-use visits at half capacity Thursday Update 4:21 a.m. EDT June 9: Yosemite National Park reopens to the public Thursday, but new safety measures intended to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus are expected to keep crowds away. In a Monday statement, Yosemite officials said day-use reservations will be required of anyone entering the park, and only about 1,700 vehicles will be admitted each day, or roughly half of the park’s pre-pandemic traffic. “It’s going to be a different kind of summer, and we will continue to work hand in hand with our gateway communities to protect community health and restore access to Yosemite National Park,” Acting Superintendent Cicely Muldoon said in the statement. California set to receive millions of N95 masks from China Update 3:55 a.m. EDT June 9: Despite a certification delay, California will soon receive an overseas shipment of 150 million N95 respirator masks, Gov. Gavin Newsom confirmed Monday. In the early days of the novel coronavirus pandemic, California negotiated with BYD, a Chinese car and battery maker, for the procurement of the protective equipment. The contract, worth $1 billion, will also provide masks for Washington state and Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., The Wall Street Journal reported. Citing coronavirus impact, BP to slash 14% of workforce Update 2:38 a.m. EDT June 9: Oil giant BP PLC plans to cut nearly 10,000 jobs in a bid to reshape the company after the novel coronavirus pandemic gutted global oil prices, The Wall Street Journal reported. In addition to the roughly 14% cut to its workforce, BP also plans to freeze pay increases for senior-level managers, and the measures are part of recently appointed CEO Bernard Looney’s attempt to reshape the company for a “low-carbon future.” The reorganization plan Looney has been crafting since taking the helm in February has been “accelerated and amplified” by the virus-induced need to reduce costs amid volatile market conditions, the Journal reported. “It was always part of the plan to make BP a leaner, faster-moving and lower carbon company,” Looney wrote in an email to employees. “Then the Covid-19 pandemic took hold…The oil price has plunged well below the level we need to turn a profit. We are spending much, much more than we make—I am talking millions of dollars, every day,” he added. US coronavirus cases near 2M, deaths top 111 K Update 12:48 a.m. EDT June 9: The number of novel coronavirus cases in the United States continued to climb toward 2 million early Tuesday across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. According to a Johns Hopkins University tally, there are at least 1,961,185 confirmed U.S. cases of the virus, which have resulted in at least 111,007 deaths. The hardest-hit states remain New York with 378,799 cases and 30,417 deaths and New Jersey with 164,497 cases and 12,214 deaths. California with 102,557 cases, Illinois with 128,415 and Massachusetts with 103,626 round out the top five. Four other states have now confirmed at least 64,000 novel coronavirus cases each, including: • Pennsylvania: 80,339 cases, resulting in 5,953 deaths • Texas: 76,463 cases, resulting in 1,848 deaths • Florida: 64,904 cases, resulting in 2,712 deaths • Michigan: 64,413 cases, resulting in 5,895 deaths Meanwhile, Maryland, Georgia and Virginia each has confirmed at least 51,000 cases; Connecticut and Louisiana each has confirmed at least 43,000 cases; Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina each has confirmed at least 36,000 cases; Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, Tennessee, Washington, Iowa, Wisconsin and Alabama each has confirmed at least 20,000 cases, followed by Mississippi with 17,768; Nebraska, Rhode Island and Missouri each has confirmed at least 15,000 cases, followed by South Carolina with 14,800; Utah, Kentucky and Kansas each has confirmed at least 10,000 cases; Delaware, Arkansas, the District of Columbia and New Mexico each has confirmed at least 9,000 cases, followed by Oklahoma with 7,205; South Dakota, New Hampshire and Puerto Rico each has confirmed at least 5,000 cases. Only 13 states and territories have confirmed fewer than 5,000 cases each. Click here to see CNN’s state-by-state breakdown. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
