[music]michael barbaro

From The New York Times, Im Michael Barbaro. This is The Daily.

Today: A fight has erupted among congressional Republicans over how long and how generously government should help the unemployed during the pandemic. Nick Fandos on what that battle is really about.

Its Tuesday, July 28.

Nick, tell me about this deadline coming up on Friday.

So on Friday, at the end of July, one of the key programs in the $2 trillion economic relief package, called the CARES Act, that Congress passed this spring to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, is set to expire. This is the federal unemployment benefit, this extra $600 that the federal government has been putting into unemployment checks, on top of whatever states give the tens of millions of Americans that are out of work.

Right. And the thinking was that state unemployment benefits, which is how most people get by when they are laid off, are kind of stingy. And because these layoffs were so widespread, the federal government needed to step in an unusual way.

Thats right. And you know, $600 was arrived at by congressional Democrats and the Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, as something like a kind of average wage that they thought might be lost across the board. And though some Republicans were uneasy

Mr. President, the majority leader of the Senate.

they ultimately set aside their concerns and ended up voting unanimously to put this program and others in place.

Our nation needed us to go big and go fast. And they did.

So today, Mr. President, the Senate will act to help the people of this country weather this storm.

Right. And I think for many Americans the sense was that this program $600 a week from the federal government would probably last as long as widespread unemployment lasted, stemming from the pandemic.

I think that thats right, that that was the assumption of many Americans. But Republicans never quite viewed it that way.

We have spent a lot of money in the last couple of months. But weve done so in the face of an emergency, kind of like the civilian equivalent of World War II.

They saw the whole stimulus bill, including this benefit, as a kind of extraordinary measure for extraordinary circumstances. And that this was kind of a bridge to float the economy and float the American people through this period where the government was asking them to stay home, so that we could get the virus under control.

Look, I supported every one of these bills that has come through. I agree that we need emergency relief to help people, to help people through the crisis as a short-term bridge loan.

But you know, if that was a gamble and it was, that this is going to be a temporary thing Republicans do not come out where they want to. The virus has resurged in many states now across the South and West, you know, in states that are traditionally red states and are represented by Republicans.

So the question today is where are we? And where do we go from here?

And the party now has to kind of come to terms with the fact that what they hoped would be a bridge is going to be a lot longer than they initially thought.

We had hoped wed be on the way to saying goodbye to this health care pandemic. Clearly, it is not over.

Right. Which brings us back to this Friday expiration date. So do Republicans have intrinsic objections to just renewing the $600 a week?

So for most Republicans, the answer is yes.

Hm.

That $600 figure, as we said, was arrived at honestly, but somewhat hastily back in March. And Republicans started voicing concerns at the time.

For 68 percent of people receiving it right now, they are being paid more on unemployment than they made in their job.

And theyve grown a lot louder since. That $600 from the federal government, on top of whatever states were giving people that were out of work, was simply too generous.

And Ill tell you, Ive spoken to small business owners all over the state of Texas who are trying to reopen.

And actually was disincentivizing and has disincentivized many Americans from going back to work.

and theyre calling their waiters and waitresses, theyre calling their busboys. And they wont come back. And of course they wont come back. Because the federal government is paying, in some instances, twice as much money to stay home.

So ideologically, many Republicans in Congress were never comfortable with this $600 benefit at that level in the first place. And then, theyre certainly not comfortable with extending it into perpetuity.

So Nick, with this program running out of time, how is this playing out among the Republicans?

So as Republicans are approaching these deadlines at the end of July, theyre looking around and seeing a bunch of different inputs that are really difficult for them. On the one hand, Democrats are, you know, unabashedly and enthusiastically pushing to extend this $600 benefit through the end of the year and as long as its needed.

Mhm.

And at the same time, Republicans are having to reconcile themselves to the fact that the virus is spreading around the country. There are signs in the last few weeks that the economy, which was recovering, is starting to potentially soften again. And they recognize for a variety of reasons economically, for the livelihood of the country, and politically, as theyre looking ahead to Novembers elections that its simply not going to be an option not to have a plan.

Mhm.

And so Republicans start trying to put together their own proposal for how to fix unemployment benefits going forward and a range of other programs to keep the economy afloat. And it turns out its a lot harder than they think its going to be.

What do you mean?

Well, it turns out, as they try to unpack this and get into the details of what might we do next, that theres a pretty big split between two different camps of Republicans.

I asked my Republican colleagues, what in the hell are we doing?

So one of them are the kind of arch conservatives that are really worried about federal spending. People like Ted Cruz.

A number of senators at lunch get up and say, well gosh, we need $20 billion for this. We need $100 billion for this. And theyre just really eager to spend money. Im, like, what are you guys doing?

Or Rand Paul, who compared his colleagues to a bunch of Bernie bros with the way they were talking.

I find it extraordinary that I just came from a Republican caucus meeting that could be sort of the Bernie bros progressive caucus.

And that is a sharp pejorative in the Senate Republican conference.

I would think.

This is insane. Its got to stop. Were ruining the country. And there has to be some voice left for fiscal conservatism in this country.

This group is just, frankly, uneasy about the $2 trillion that they spent back in the spring and is not interested in seeing the federal government add to the deficit, add to the debt and further involve itself in the U.S. economy.

I, for one, am alarmed at where the country is heading. Im also alarmed that my party has forgotten what they actually stand for. There is no difference now between the two parties on spending.

Now, at the other end of the spectrum are a group of more moderate or middle-of-the-road Republicans, who are up for re-election this fall and are actually having to face the voters, in many cases, in swing states or blue states where President Trump and the Republican response to the pandemic have been deeply unpopular. People like Cory Gardner or Thom Tillis

Well, I think we have to build on what we did with the CARES Act, almost $3 trillion dollars to help individuals, to provide a supplement for unemployment.

who have really staked their re-election on the governments response to this crisis, and on showing that they are effectively leading the country through one of its most challenging periods in anybodys memory. And joining with them on that side

This crisis is far from over.

are some of the best known leaders of the Republican Party on Capitol Hill.

Hm.

For weeks now, I have made it clear that further legislation out of the Senate will be a serious response to the crisis.

So Mitch McConnell, the majority leader from Kentucky, and John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas whos one of his longtime deputies

But as the impact of Covid-19 has grown, so has the need for assistance.

seem to recognize that not only are the fates of individual senators up in the air, but the Republican Partys prospects up and down the ticket this fall may well be tied up into how they are judged to have handled this crisis. And doing what the conservatives want and basically stopping now and saying, weve done what we need to do is not an option for that group.

Nick, how much of that debate you just described is being informed by the political realities surrounding the single most important person in the party at this moment, which is President Trump?

I think its inescapable for elected Republicans. And its not just the way that the public seems to be viewing President Trump and giving him very poor grades on handling the pandemic, which could hurt the whole Republican Party in November. Its also the kind of erratic nature of his leadership and engagement on this issue itself. And so theyre working with his Treasury secretary to iron out the details. But this is not a negotiation that President Trump is leading or even all that active in. Theyre trying to do whatever they can to bail out the party, not to please President Trump in this case.

Hm.

And that has added another kind of layer of interest and unpredictability to this whole thing which, you know, we have not seen a lot of in the last three and a half years.

And what does that tell you, that theyre choosing this moment to do that?

Well, I think whether they want to acknowledge it or not, Republicans are starting to sense that their party is really in trouble. That if things arent turned around quickly, they may not only lose the White House, but really get wiped out in November. And are thinking in different ways about why that is and what the party may need to look like in a world thats just starting to dawn on them as a possibility of being kind of post-Trump.

So in other words, this battle over $600 a week and what this entire new version of a relief package looks like, its not really just about whats in a piece of legislation like this. Its about the identity of the Republican Party at a time where it may need a new identity. Because theoretically, Donald Trump could lose. And the Republican Party would no longer be just the party of Donald Trump.

Thats right. So while theyre very much focused on how is the party going to be viewed in November, theyre really kind of foreshadowing or staking out positioning for this potentially larger battle to come, over what Republicanism really looks like after Donald Trump has defined it for four or five years.

And you know, some of these folks are not new to their positions. But they recognize that there may soon be more of a need to kind of assert their views, and the primacy of those views, against others in the Republican Party.

Well be right back.

So Nick, where does this very high stakes ideological battle within the Republican Party, where does it leave this economic relief package?

So its up to Mitch McConnell, basically, to try and pull together these different factions and arrive at a bill that deals with the expiring unemployment benefits and a host of other kind of programs and priorities. Basically, to try and reconcile those differences and put together a bill that can be Republicans starting point when they go to the negotiating table with Democrats.

Mhm.

And so thats where we were by the middle of last week. And as he tries to work out those details with the White House and run it by his Republican colleagues, theres a bunch of snafus along the way. They push past some small deadlines. But in the end, theyre unable to introduce their bill, because those differences turn out to have been more significant than Republicans even wanted to let on.

So the Republicans cannot come up with any kind of consensus bill to salvage this program that weve been talking about?

So as of Thursday morning, no. And as lawmakers head for the exits for the weekend, without a proposal for how to fix a whole host of programs, they have not arrived at a solution on a range of issues, including what to do about this expiring $600 unemployment benefit. But their staff and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Meadows, the White House chief of staff, work through the weekend to try and iron out some of these details.

Well, good afternoon, everyone. The Senate Republicans and the administration have been consulting over the last few weeks.

By Monday afternoon, what they finally introduce

with what we think is an appropriate amount of additional debt to be added. We think it is about a trillion dollars.

is a plan that is roughly a trillion dollars.

And weve allocated that in a way that we think makes the most sense.

Some of that goes to schools to help them reopen and for more testing and contact tracing.

So with that, Im going to call on my colleagues who have developed the various

And on this key question of unemployment benefits, Republicans propose a real overhaul to the way that they would work conceptually.

Do we know whos next?

Chairman Grassley.

Senator Grassley.

Number one, were going to continue

So they say that for the short term, were going to cut that $600 down to $200 a week.

Big cut.

A pretty dramatic cut.

So we want to continue to help the unemployed. But we want to encourage work. And weve learned a very tough lesson, that when you pay people not to work, what do you expect?

And they say, thats just going to buy us time over the next few months for us to basically help states set up a new system, where what were going to try and do is make sure that every individual thats unemployed, between the state government and the federal government ends up getting about 70 percent of what their old wages would have been.

Were going to have further tax relief for businesses to encourage hiring and rehiring. And we want to do that to encourage people to get back to work and help the employer, in the process, support people in the meantime.

And so what Republicans are trying to do here is keep a safety net in place, but remove what they think is hindering people from going back to work.

Lastly, I hope that Democrats will come to the table and we can work out a bipartisan agreement. Thank you very much.

So in other words, if they can get this program up and operating, it will always make sense from a financial point of view for somebody to go and take their old job back or take a new job back, but not be so draconian that theyre making the economic situation drastically worse, or can be accused of forcing people towards soup kitchens or the streets.

So this is a classic compromise. In other words, were going to keep the benefits but not at $600 a week, because they see that as not conservative and not incentivizing an economic recovery.

Thats right. But remember, this is just kind of the first step. This should have been the easy part for Republicans. Because what they have coming is negotiations with Democrats, who are in favor of keeping the benefit totally as it is, and are already lining up to say basically that Republicans are giving a massive economic financial hit to individuals and the economy right when they need it most, and at this moment where the countrys recovery seems to be teetering. Is it going to keep going up? Or is it about to collapse again? And Democrats are not going to settle for $200 for any period of time.

So given all that, what is likely to happen to this Republican bill in the Senate?

So the interesting thing about where Republicans find themselves is, this bill that theyre introducing probably couldnt even pass the Senate just on Republican votes. And that leaves them in a pretty weak position as they head into negotiations with the Democrats. Because remember, to pass anything into law, even if theres a Republican president or a Republican Senate, you need the Democrats to get it through Congress. And they have a very long and expensive wish list of things that theyd like to see in legislation. And theyre not going to be easy on the Republicans.

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Coronavirus Live Updates: Deaths Top 150,000 in the United States - The New York Times

1. How COVID-19 is affecting the globe

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world is now more than 16.7 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine. The death toll has now passed 660,000.

Hong Kong is on the verge of a large-scale outbreak, its chief executive Carrie Lam has warned. I appeal to you to follow strictly the social distancing measures and stay at home as far as possible, she said.

Defence and emergency medical teams have been sent to help out in elderly care homes in the Australian city of Melbourne, as the country battles its worst COVID-19 outbreak.

A deal agreed between Pfizer and the US for a future vaccine will set the price for all other developed countries. The $2 billion agreed by the US works out at $39 per person for a two-dose treatment course.

The Spanish tourism industry could lose $11.73 billion over the UKs quarantine rule for travellers from Spain, according to the head of tourism association CEHAT.

Sales of alcohol have been restricted in Kenya, as the country extends its coronavirus curfew. Restaurants must close by 7pm and bars are to remain shut. Sunday saw its highest single-day jump in infections, with 960 new confirmed cases.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic requires global cooperation among governments, international organizations and the business community, which is at the centre of the World Economic Forums mission as the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation.

Since its launch on 11 March, the Forums COVID Action Platform has brought together 1,667 stakeholders from 1,106 businesses and organizations to mitigate the risk and impact of the unprecedented global health emergency that is COVID-19.

The platform is created with the support of the World Health Organization and is open to all businesses and industry groups, as well as other stakeholders, aiming to integrate and inform joint action.

As an organization, the Forum has a track record of supporting efforts to contain epidemics. In 2017, at our Annual Meeting, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) was launched bringing together experts from government, business, health, academia and civil society to accelerate the development of vaccines. CEPI is currently supporting the race to develop a vaccine against this strand of the coronavirus.

2. Record COVID-19 deaths across six US states

The US states of Arkansas, California, Florida, Montana, Oregon and Texas all recorded record one-day coronavirus deaths on 28 July. Across the country, more than 1,300 lives were lost, according to Reuters.

In Texas, the total number of confirmed cases has now passed 400,000. It is now the fourth state to have exceeded that many infections, joining California, Florida and New York. These four states are also the most populous in the US.

Californias Latino community appears to be being hit particularly hard, according to state health officials. Latinos make up a little over one-third of Californias population, but now account for 56% of COVID-19 infections and 46% of deaths, according to Reuters.

The increases in confirmed cases and deaths have reignited debates over whether schools in some parts of the US should reopen next month.

Where US coronavirus cases are on the rise

Image: REUTERS

3. WHO: COVID-19 pandemic is 'one big wave', not seasonal

The pandemic has been described as one big wave by Dr Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization. Regular influenza tends to ebb and flow in distinct waves, worsening in winter months. But COVID-19 is not behaving like that, Dr Harris warned: Summer is a problem. This virus likes all weather.

We are in the first wave. Its going to be one big wave. Its going to go up and down a bit. The best thing is to flatten it and turn it into just something lapping at your feet, she said during a virtual briefing in Geneva.

But the likelihood of a winter wave of influenza in the northern hemisphere should be cause for concern, she said. The southern hemisphere is entering its usual flu season, and the WHO is monitoring the situation closely, she continued.

If you have an increase in a respiratory illness when you already have a very high burden of respiratory illness, that puts even more pressure on the health system.

Original post:

What you need to know about the coronavirus pandemic on 29 July - World Economic Forum

Need to stay updated on coronavirus news in Texas? Our evening roundup will help you stay on top of the day's latest updates. Sign up here.

COVID-19 infections have exploded in Texas nursing homes this month, with 8,291 confirmed cases through Monday four times more than the number of cases recorded in all of June, according to the states health agency.

More than three quarters of Texas 1,215 nursing homes have reported at least one coronavirus case since the beginning of the pandemic, up from just over half at the end of June.

Its the same story in the states assisted living facilities, which reported 924 cases to the Texas Department of State Health Services through Monday, compared with 267 in June.

Of Texas 5,713 deaths, one-third have been nursing home residents. Nationally, more than 40% of COVID-19 deaths are linked to senior-care centers, according to a New York Times analysis.

The dramatic increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases across Texas is what has led to the surge in nursing homes, said Chris Van Deusen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

On Monday, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission released its first list of COVID-19 cases and deaths with details about individual Texas nursing homes after insisting for months that the information was not subject to public disclosure because of privacy laws. The state attorney generals office recently ruled that the agency is required to release the information.

Texas initially required all nursing home residents and staff members to be tested, but it has since switched to less sweeping, targeted testing.

By June 11, Texas had completed an initial, monthlong round of mandatory testing in all Texas nursing facilities. On July 10, a new round of targeted testing was announced in partnership with a CVS Health company called Omnicare, with a goal of processing 100,000 tests in the first month. Health and Human Services Commission inspectors are identifying facilities with outbreaks that are in need of testing, said Kelli Weldon, press officer for HHSC. Individual facilities can also ask for testing.

So far in July, the state has tested residents and staff members at 148 facilities, with 93 more facilities scheduled through the end of the month, Weldon said. Thats about 7% of all Texas long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.

Weldon said testing is conducted at facilities with at least one confirmed coronavirus case. This testing can be requested from the facilities or through the Quick Reaction Force testing teams operated in collaboration with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which can complete a testing mission within two to four days of a request, TDEM spokesman Seth Christensen said.

New federal guidelines recommend weekly testing for all nursing home staff members in states that have seen COVID-19 surges, marked by 5% of coronavirus tests coming back positive a threshold Texas has exceeded almost every day since June 1.

I dont have any evidence to say that currently, weekly testing of staff is being implemented, said Alexa Schoeman, deputy state ombudsman in HHSCs Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman. The states latest round of targeted testing in nursing homes is better late than never, she added; however, I think [starting it] sooner would probably have been beneficial.

Austin resident Cissy Sanders said her 70-year-old mother, who lives at Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Austin, tested negative for the virus April 20 and has been tested once more since then. State data shows that 69 residents and 32 employees at the facility were infected between March and July 13, and 14 residents have died from COVID-19.

In an email, Regency Integrated Health Services, the company that manages Riverside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, acknowledged that residents and staff tested positive for the virus in the early days of the pandemic but declined to comment further due to privacy laws. A spokesperson said the facility is following all federal guidelines, screening staff and medical professionals before they enter the buildings.

Sanders said two tests for her mother in three months isnt nearly enough. The only way that youre going to win this race is test, test, test, she said.

She has turned her frustration into action, writing to several elected officials and health authorities, including the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

You know those families telling their goodbyes to their loved one over the phone while their loved one dies in a hospital bed? I refuse to do that. I refuse, she said. I will not stand by and watch my mother contract the virus and die because of public health and elected officials incompetence.

Genny Lutzel, whose mother is a nursing home resident in Dallas County, is adamant that testing at nursing homes and similar facilities needs to be more regular.

I know my mom has been tested once, but thats it. We need rapid testing and we need it now, she said. The ability to reopen nursing homes which have been closed to visitors since mid-March depends on it, Lutzel said.

The state has been slow to put coronavirus protections in place at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said Tina Tran, the state director of the AARP. She says the AARP has heard from families that still are not able to get information in a timely manner about active cases in Texas facilities.

Last week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services committed to sending testing devices to nursing homes. The agency has allocated 57 of those devices so far to Texas facilities that have reported at least three confirmed COVID-19 cases, one case among their staff or one death in the previous week.

But with more than 1,200 nursing homes and 2,000 assisted-living facilities in Texas, 57 devices are not nearly enough, Tran said.

Kevin Warren, president and CEO of the Texas Health Care Association, which represents providers, said he hopes that the combination of testing by the state and the devices from the federal government will close that gap on the need for quick and rapid results.

We have to have some form of consistent and ongoing testing process for both staff and residents, he said, adding that his organization has asked the state to provide money to nursing homes to buy more protective equipment, hire more staff and alleviate the financial burden of the pandemic.

In a survey by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living, 64% of the surveyed providers said it was taking at least two to four days to get test results, and of those, 24% said it took five days or more.

It is becoming a major concern for providers, the groups said in a press release.

Warren said nursing homes are doing everything they know to do to fight a virus we dont see.

Disclosure: AARP, the Texas Health Care Association and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Coronavirus cases in Texas nursing homes more than doubled in July - The Texas Tribune

Italy was the first European nation to be engulfed by coronavirus, but as the prospect of another lockdown looms in some of its neighbours, the country has managed to avoid a resurgence of infections. At least so far.

Three experts who spoke to the Guardian put this down to good surveillance and contact-tracing, as well as most of the population diligently following safety rules, with many people wearing face masks outside even though it is not mandatory.

On 4 May, when Italy began easing lockdown restrictions, more than 1,200 new cases were reported in a day. Since 1 July, the daily increase has been relatively static, reaching a high of 306 on 23 July, and falling to 181 on Tuesday. Several coronavirus clusters have emerged across the country, but this has mostly been due to infections imported from abroad.

Meanwhile, Spain, France, Germany and Belgium could be on the brink of a second wave after steep rises in their number of cases.

We have been particularly attentive, Walter Ricciardi, an adviser to the Italian health ministry on the coronavirus outbreak, said. We didnt reopen schools, as they did in France weve been attentive towards contact-tracing and managed to maintain a good chain of command and coordination to limit cluster outbreaks.

The situation beyond Italys borders was one of the reasons why Italys prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, on Tuesday extended the countrys state of emergency until October despite a significant fall in the infection rate. This means he will continue to have the power to impose a lockdown and other safety measures without needing the approval of parliament.

Contagion has fallen, but the numbers show that the virus continues to circulate, giving rise to outbreaks at local level which have been identified and contained, Conte told the senate. The international situation remains worrying and what is happening in countries close to us obliges us to be watchful.

Despite gatherings outside bars and crowded beaches, for the most part physical distancing and the wearing of face masks have been widely observed. Regional leaders have acted swiftly against those who dont comply. In Campania, people caught without a mask in enclosed spaces risk 1,000 fines, while those who flout quarantine rules in Veneto face hefty fines or jail.

Italians take their health very seriously, Ricciardi said. If you look at the international data for mask wearers, 90% of people in Italy wear one, among the highest in the world, and this helps. We are reacting well because we are behaving well. So for now, we are succeeding, but the most important thing is to continue to pay close attention, especially to imported cases.

Italy has banned arrivals from 16 countries deemed high-risk, including Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Kuwait, and since last week has required people returning from Romania and Bulgaria to quarantine for 14 days. The quarantine rule is already in place for non-EU and non-Schengen countries.

Gloria Taliani, a doctor of infectious diseases in the Emilia-Romagna city of Piacenza, said the high number of tests being carried out, including on those who were admitted to hospital for any reason or who visit an emergency unit, has also helped to limit the spread of infection.

This has helped to not only avoid hospital outbreaks but to identify the origin of infection, she said. But we still need to be very cautious physical distancing, masks and frequent hand-washing, these are the fundamental rules.

Italy suffered a brutal first wave of the pandemic, with the virus so far killing over 35,000 people. The worst day was on 27 March, when 919 deaths were reported. On Tuesday, there were 11 new fatalities. Across the country, 40 people are currently in intensive care with Covid-19, down from more than 4,000 in early April. The median age of those infected within the last 30 days is 42, according to data from the higher health institute.

Fabrizio Pregliasco, a virologist at the University of Milan, said Italy was in a state of limbo and that perhaps the stability has simply been down to some good luck.

For now things are going well, but we are walking a fine line, he warned. This stable situation could either end badly or carry on the same, but that would depend on two things: the continued capacity to identify clusters and the behaviour of the majority of Italians.

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Italy 'walking a fine line' on coronavirus infections - The Guardian

As college students and professors decide whether to head back to class, and as universities weigh how and whether to reopen, the coronavirus is already on campus.

A New York Times survey of every public four-year college in the country, as well as every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities, revealed at least 6,300 cases tied to about 270 colleges over the course of the pandemic. And the new academic year has not even begun at most schools.

Note: Data as of July 28.

Outbreaks have emerged on Greek Row this summer at the University of Washington, where at least 136 residents were infected, and at Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis, where administrators were re-evaluating their plans for fall after eight administrative workers tested positive.

The virus has turned up in a science building at Western Carolina, on the football team at Clemson and among employees at the University of Denver.

At Appalachian State in North Carolina, at least 41 construction workers have tested positive while working on campus buildings. The Times has identified at least 14 coronavirus-related deaths at colleges.

The list includes public, four-year universities in the United States, as well as private colleges that compete in Division I sports or are members of an elite group of research universities. Only schools that reported cases are shown.

*All reported cases were in the athletic department. Note: The charts show the cases per 100,000 residents reported each week in the county where each school is located. The location of a universitys main campus is listed unless otherwise specified. In several instances, colleges noted that some cases were tied to branch campuses or satellite locations. Universities with no case total listed either did not respond to inquiries, declined to provide information or said they had no known infections.

There is no standardized reporting method for coronavirus cases and deaths at colleges, and the information is not being publicly tracked at a national level. Of nearly 1,000 institutions contacted by The Times, some had already posted case information online, some provided full or partial numbers and others refused to answer basic questions, citing privacy concerns. Hundreds of colleges did not respond at all.

Still, the Times survey represents the most comprehensive look at the toll the virus has already taken on the countrys colleges and universities.

Coronavirus infections on campuses might go unnoticed if not for reporting by academic institutions themselves because they do not always show up in official state or countywide tallies, which generally exclude people who have permanent addresses elsewhere, as students often do.

The Times survey included four-year public schools in the United States, some of which are subject to public records laws, that are members of the Association of American Universities or that compete at the highest level of college sports. It has not yet expanded to include hundreds of other institutions, including most private schools and community colleges, where students, faculty and staff are struggling with the same difficult decisions.

Among the colleges that provided information, many offered no details about who contracted the virus, when they became ill or whether a case was connected to a larger outbreak. It is possible that some of the cases were identified months ago, in the early days of the outbreak in the United States before in-person learning was cut short, and that others involved students and employees who had not been on campus recently.

This data, which is almost certainly an undercount, shows the risks colleges face as they prepare for a school year in the midst of a pandemic. But because universities vary widely in size, and because some refused to provide information, comparing case totals from campus to campus may not provide a full picture of the relative risk.

What is clear is that despite months of planning for a safe return to class, and despite drastic changes to campus life, the virus is already spreading widely at universities.

Some institutions, like the California State University system, have moved most fall classes online. Others, including those in the Patriot League and Ivy League, have decided to not hold fall sports. But many institutions still plan to welcome freshmen to campus in the coming days, to hold in-person classes and to host sporting events.

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education. Reopening data as of July 29.

At the University of Texas at Austin, where more than 440 students and employees have tested positive since the spring, in-person classes will be capped at 40 percent of capacity and final exams will be taken online.

At Peru State College in Nebraska, where there have been no known cases, classes are expected to resume on schedule, but with stepped-up cleaning procedures and a recommendation for dorm residents to wear masks in common areas.

The University of Georgia has announced plans for in-person classes despite rising deaths from the virus in the state. The university has recorded at least 390 infections involving students, faculty and staff.

OBryan Moore, a senior at the school, said he was worried about the safety of his classmates and teachers. He said he was skeptical that students would widely follow guidelines to wear masks once they return in August.

There is no way I can see this ending without outbreaks on campus, said Mr. Moore, who is studying to become a park ranger.

Mr. Moore said that online classes have not been as effective as in-person classes, but that he still hoped the university would change its plans for students to return to campus.

I think we should remain online for this semester, even if itll hurt my education, he said. Because its the right thing to do.

Case numbers may be larger at some universities with tens of thousands of students, including Central Florida and the University of Texas at Austin, and at others where many university employees work in hospitals where coronavirus patients have been treated, including at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Though hundreds of universities responded to The Timess request for data including a mix of public and private colleges, both small and large, in states across the country others declined to cooperate. Some said they were not tracking such cases. Others invoked privacy concerns, even though The Times asked for aggregate case totals, not a list of individuals who were infected. Others did not respond at all.

A spokesman at Arizona State, for example, said they chose months ago to not release data/names/results on coronavirus cases. A spokesman for Montana State University said the school does not provide health information on its students, faculty or staff, even on general subgroups. The United States Naval Academy cited operational security concerns. A spokeswoman for Washburn University in Kansas said she believed giving such information would violate privacy laws. And while the University of Missouris athletic department confirmed 10 cases, a spokesman at the flagship campus would not provide information about other students and employees.

As students have started trickling back onto campuses in recent weeks, the early returns have been troubling. After 10 students tested positive this month at West Virginia University, officials pledged to deep-clean the places on campus where they had been. At Kansas State University, off-season football workouts were paused last month after an outbreak on the team.

Many of the first arrivals on campus have been athletes hoping to compete this fall. A separate Times survey of the 130 universities that compete at the highest level of Division I football revealed more than 630 cases on 68 campuses among athletes, coaches and other employees.

As universities make plans for the fall semester online, in person, or a mix of the two administrators have had to weigh shifting public health guidance and financial and academic concerns, as well as the difficult reality that some students and faculty members are likely to test positive no matter how classes are held.

There is simply no way to completely eliminate risk, whether we are in-person or online, Martha E. Pollack, the president of Cornell, wrote in a letter explaining the decision to bring students back to campus.

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More Than 6300 Coronavirus Cases Have Been Linked to U.S. Colleges - The New York Times

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) Further reopening plans for Maryland amid the coronavirus are paused in place, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday.

The governor made the comments at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

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Maryland will not move into the third phase of the Roadmap to Recovery plan until it is safe, prudent and thoroughly backed by the data and medical science, Hogan said.

We do find ourselves at a fork in the road, a critical turning point where we could either continue making progress and continue heading in the right direction or we could ignore the warnings and spike back up like much of the rest of the country, the governor said. Were making every effort to keep Maryland safely open for business.

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While the number of cases and hospitalizations in the state has been climbing, Hogan said the state wont be re-implementing business closures.

Re-closing businesses has proven devastating to other states, he said.

Weve come too far together to lose the progress that weve made on the road to recovery here in Maryland, he said.

In addition, the state is urging people to postpone or cancel travel to a number of states that are seeing high infection rates and to get tested and self-quarantine upon returning.

The overall rate of Marylanders testing positive for COVID-19 is up to 4.77 percent as of Wednesday.Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Prince Georges County have positivity rates over the goal threshold of five percent, he said.

All but two of the states jurisdictions Cecil County and Calvert County have tested at least ten percent of their population.

The number one activity of people who tested positive for the virus recently was attending a family gathering, Hogan said, followed by attending house parties and outdoor events.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Departments website or call 211. You can find all of WJZs coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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Marylands Reopening Paused Due To Latest Increases In COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, Hogan Says - CBS Baltimore