COVID-19 Timeline Project

Texas Governor Greg Abbott clears his state restaurants and retailers to open at 25% capacity. An audio tape of the governor on a phone call with Texas lawmakers discussing reopening plans catches the Governor saying “How do we know reopening businesses won’t result in faster spread of COVID-19? Listen, the fact of the matter is, pretty much every scientific and medical report shows that whenever you have a reopening … it actually will lead to an increase in spread. It’s almost ipso facto … The goal never has been to get COVID-19 transmission down to zero. […] “It’s simply not either scientifically or mathematically possible to get to zero in the transmission rate, whether it be for COVID, whether it be for the regular flu, whether it be for any type of infectious disease,” the governor continues.
A 17-page report written by a CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services team titled “Guidance for Implementing the Opening Up America Again Framework,” is blocked from publication by the White house. This report was researched and written to help faith leaders, business owners, educators and state and local officials as they begin to reopen. Agency scientists were told the guidance “would never see the light of day.” The Trump administration has sought to put the onus on states to handle COVID-19 response.
Iowa – Did not have a statewide stay-at-home order. Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, loosens restrictions in 77 of the state’s 99 counties, and the remaining counties on May 15. Bars will reopen May 28.
North Dakota – Did not have a statewide stay-at-home order. Gov. Doug Burgum, a Republican, allows a variety of businesses to reopen.
Utah – Did not have a statewide stay-at-home order. Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, downgrades the state’s risk to “orange,” or moderate risk, allowing restaurant dining, gyms and salons to reopen with precautions.
Wyoming – Did not have a statewide stay-at-home order. Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, begins lifting restrictions.

New data from the University of Pennsylvania suggests that relaxing lock downs across U.S. cities and states could have serious consequences for the country’s battle to contain the coronavirus. According to the Penn Wharton Budget Model (PWBM), reopening states will result in an additional 233,000 deaths from the virus — even if states don’t reopen at all and with social distancing rules in place. This means that if the states were to reopen, 350,000 people in total would die from coronavirus by the end of June.
Missouri – Stay-at-home order expires . Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, said he would reopen the economy starting May 4. Under the new order, all businesses, including large venues, concerts and movie theaters, are allowed to operate, as long as seating is spaced out to enforce social distancing. The state plans to loosen restrictions further in June.
West Virginia – Stay-at-home order expire. Gov. Jim Justice, a Republican, lifts restrictions on certain businesses starting May 4 while encouraging people to stay at home.

A senior White House official announces the Coronavirus Task Force “will be phased down around Memorial Day. We will continue to have key medical experts advising (President Trump) daily and accessible to press throughout the coming months ahead.” Another senior White House official explained the White House is shifting its focus toward reopening the economy “and putting Americans back to work.” That shift will take place over the next few weeks and doctors such as Dr. Deborah BirxDr. Deborah BirxDeborah Leah Birx is an American physician and diplomat serving as the United States Global AIDS Coordinator for Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump since 2014; she has served as the Coronavirus Response Coordinator for the White House Coronavirus Task Force since 2020. and Dr. Anthony FauciDr. Anthony FauciAnthony Stephen Fauci is an American physician and immunologist who has served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984 will still play “an important advisory role” in the process.
Dr. Rick BrightDr. Rick BrightDr. Rick Bright is an American immunologist and public health official. Bright is the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), leading the authority from 2016 to 2020. files a whistleblower complaint against the Trump administration. In his complaint, he details a staggering degree of inaction from administration officials bracing for a historic pandemic. He claims he was ultimately fired for pushing back and speaking out against the administration’s attempts to push the unproven COVID therapy drug hydroxychloroquine.
Projections by the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services leaked to the New York Times on Monday suggested that the federal government also expects COVID-19 to begin hitting rural areas harder than urban ones. Citing data from up to May 2, the document said that, over the coming months, cases in “the Great Lakes region, parts of the Southeast, Northeast, and around southern California” were expected to increase.
Five Republican governors that did not close down their states, and re-opened early, publish an OpEd explaining why their approach was effective. They also credit President Trump’s “Opening Up America Again” guidelines in providing adequate guidance for their management of the Coronavirus in their states. (Mark Gordon – Wyoming governor. Pete Ricketts – Nebraska governor. Asa Hutchinson – Arkansas governor. Kim Reynolds – Iowa governor. Mike Parson – Missouri governor.)
As states loosen stay-at-home orders and businesses call back their workers, families across the nation are finding themselves in a bind with childcare. With most childcare centers, schools and summer camps still closed, how can caregivers go back to work? And if they can’t go back to work now, how will they afford alternate forms of childcare so they eventually can?
Chevron Corp (CVX.N) will cut 10% to 15% of its worldwide workforce as part of an ongoing restructuring at the second-largest U.S. oil producer.

The Bank of England warns that the British economy could suffer its deepest annual contraction in more than three centuries as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, before roaring back next year.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis refuses to release full and complete information about the Floridians who have died from COVID-19, including their names. The governor has reportedly muzzled the state’s 21 medical examiners who had been releasing the information, and also making sure the Department of Health continues to slow-walk any disclosure of virus infections and deaths in the state’s 3,800 nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.
Editorial Commentary: The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement — a moment to pick sides in a brewing culture war over containing the coronavirus. While not yet as loaded as a “Make America Great Again” hat, the mask is increasingly a visual shorthand for the debate pitting those willing to follow health officials’ guidance and cover their faces against those who feel it violates their freedom or buys into a threat they think is overblown.
Hawaii – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. David Ige, a Democrat, extends the state’s stay-at-home order through May 31 but allowed some businesses, including retail stores and repair shops in certain parts of the state, to begin reopening. Other re-openings will start May 22.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending May 9 was 3.0 million, a decrease of 195 thousand from the previous week.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic’s monthly CPIAcronymCPI - Maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically. report, April grocery store bills showed a 2.6 percent increase, the biggest monthly increase since February 1974. U.S. consumers paid 4.3 percent more in April for meats, poultry, fish and eggs, 1.5 percent more for fruits and vegetables, and 2.9 percent more for cereals and bakery products. The overall April CPIAcronymCPI - Maintained by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Consumer Price Index measures changes in the price level of a weighted average market basket of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically. declined 0.8%.
Nevada – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Steve Sisolak said restaurants and personal care businesses could start to reopen but Nevadans were encouraged to stay home. Casinos and gaming can resume June 4.

During a press briefing, President Trump was repeatedly asked about testing by female reporters, abruptly ends the briefing and walks away.
A survey from the University of Chicago Divinity School and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds 55% of Americans disapprove of the on-going protests in some states against contuinuing stay-at-home orders.
News Editorial on canceling the EcoHealth AllianceEcoHealth AllianceEcoHealth Alliance is a non-governmental organization which employs a 'One Health' approach to protecting the health of people, animals, and the environment from emerging infectious diseases. The nonprofit is a global organization focused on scientific research that aims to prevent pandemics and promote conservation in hotspot regions worldwide. research grant. “We’re All Casualties of Trump’s War on Science; The administration kneecaps experts as the coronavirus rages.”
New Hampshire – Stay-at-home order in effect since March 27 and set to expire June 15. Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, extends a stay-at-home order until June 15 but announces plans to open certain businesses, starting with retail stores and salons. Restaurants will be allowed to open to outdoor seating on May 18.

Dr. Rick BrightDr. Rick BrightDr. Rick Bright is an American immunologist and public health official. Bright is the former director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), leading the authority from 2016 to 2020. is expected to testify in the Senate tomorrow that the Trump administration was unprepared for the coronavirus, and that the U.S. could face the “darkest winter in modern history” if it doesn’t develop a national coordinated response, according to prepared, re-released testimony.
President Trump and some officials on the Coronavirus Task Force are pushing the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services to change how it counts the number of people who have died from the virus to retroactively reduce the death toll. The proposed revisions would reduce the numbers to below the current toll of more than 80,000, in part by excluding deaths of people who presumably died of COVID-19 without having tested positive.
A lack of federal guidelines has created huge variation in how states are reporting their COVID-19 data and in what kind of data they provide to the public.
In addition to loss of income, job loss carries the risk of loss of health insurance for people who were receiving health coverage as a benefit through their employer.
Wisconsin – Stay-at-home order struck down by the state Supreme Court, in a ruling that appears to be effective immediately. Mr. Evers, a Democrat in a highly contested battleground state, had already announced plans for a gradual reopening of businesses. “This turns the state to chaos,” he said after the ruling. “People will get sick. And the Republicans own the chaos.”

Stay-at-home orders or business restrictions are set to expire between today to May 18, in a dozen states, at the same time that other states surpass the two-week point since reopening, marking a critical checkpoint in the nation’s recovery. But while just two states, Kentucky and North Dakota, have met the health criteria for reopening society that have been recommended by the White House, the majority of state leaders have now signaled they are ready to begin lifting restrictions.
According to data compiled by the Brookings Institution’s Bill Frey, COVID-19 is spreading faster in less populated areas, leaving big cities and entering rural America. “A big part of the shift is the disease moving to the South, and into the Midwest, into a lot of rural counties.”
A divided House narrowly passes a $3 trillion pandemic relief package, the HEROES ActAcronymThe Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) is proposed legislation acting as a $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and is intended to supplement the earlier CARES Act stimulus package. The bill for this Act of Congress was passed by the United States House of Representatives by a vote of 217-189 on May 15, 2020., to send aid to struggling state and local governments and another round of direct $1,200 payments to taxpayers, advancing a proposal with no chance of becoming law over near-unanimous Republican opposition. Democratic leaders characterized the measure, which President Trump has promised to veto, as their opening offer in future negotiations over the next round of coronavirus aid.
In an interview, Sen. Mitch McConnell walks back a previous statement, “I was wrong. [The Obama Administration] did leave behind a plan, so I clearly made a mistake in that regard. As to whether or not the plan was followed, who’s the critic and all the rest, I don’t have any observation about that because I don’t know enough about the details of that to comment on it in any detail.”
ICEAcronymICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, principally responsible for immigration and customs enforcement, with additional responsibilities in countering transnational crime. detention facilities are hotbeds for the virus, with 85 cases already discovered in New York and New Jersey. Four staff members at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny, one of the state’s four detention centers, have died from Covid-19. The nonprofit Government Accountability Project recently estimated that almost all of those held in ICEAcronymICE - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, principally responsible for immigration and customs enforcement, with additional responsibilities in countering transnational crime. facilities could be infected by the 90th day of a Covid outbreak.
Brazilian Health Minister Nelson Teich resigned on Friday after just weeks on the job, adding to turmoil in President Jair Bolsonaro’s handling of an accelerating coronavirus outbreak in one of the world’s worst hot spots. Teich, whom Bolsonaro had criticised as being too timid in the push to reopen the economy and advocate the use of anti-malarial drugs to fight the virus, said he had decided to resign from his position.
Sen. Richard BurrSen. Richard Burr (R-NC)Richard Mauze Burr is an American politician who is the senior United States Senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the following committees: Chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), Senate Finance Committee, Senate Aging Committee is stepping aside as chairman of the influential Senate Intelligence Committee while he’s under investigation for stock trades he made ahead of the market downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. To date no search warrants have been served on Sen. Kelly LoefflerSen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA)Kelly Lynn Loeffler is an American politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Georgia since 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Loeffler previously served as chief executive officer of Bakkt, a subsidiary of commodity and financial service provider Intercontinental Exchange. She is also co-owner of the Atlanta Dream, of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)., but she has forwarded documents and information to DOJAcronymDOJ - The United States Department of Justice, also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice in the United States of America., the SECAcronymSEC - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is an independent agency of the United States federal government. The SEC protects investors, promotes fairness in the securities markets, and shares information about companies and investment professionals to help investors make informed decisions and invest with confidence., and the Senate Ethics Committee establishing that stock trades she and her husband conducted were appropriate and observed both the letter and the spirit of the law.
Joseph Edlow, the acting head of USCISAcronymUnited States Citizenship and Immigration Services is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security that administers the country's naturalization and immigration system., signaled in an email sent to staff that the coronavirus pandemic had put the agency in a financial crisis that could be disastrous: USCIS “will exhaust its funding this summer, and without congressional intervention, we risk not being able to make payroll and will have to take drastic actions to keep the agency afloat,” he wrote. The agency is requesting $1.2 billion from Congress to keep it going after seeing a serious drop in applications and fees since March.
Arizona – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, extended the state’s stay-at-home order through today, but outlined a plan for retail stores and other businesses to begin opening sooner. Most businesses are now open under a “Return Stronger” plan.
Louisiana – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, allows the state’s stay-at-home order to lift and an array of businesses to reopen at 25 percent capacity.
Maryland – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican who has called for an aggressive response to the virus, allows stores, salons and houses of worship to open up with social distancing requirements. The city of Baltimore opted out and will remain closed until May 29.
Vermont – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, allows small changes, such as the opening of farmers’ markets, before a broader reopening beginning with retail stores on May 18. Other businesses, such as salons and restaurants, remained closed.

Several statisticians call out Georgia’s published statistics on Coronavirus trends within the state as “a master class on misinforming with statistics.” Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s office issued an apology shortly afterwards.
Two months after the cruise industry shut down amid repeated COVID-19 outbreaks on ships, more than 100,000 crew members remain trapped at sea with little reliable information about what will happen to them. During the prolonged isolation, the virus continued to spread through the ships. At least 578 crew contracted COVID-19 at sea and seven have died. At least two crew members have leaped overboard in apparent suicides.
Athletes from four countries who participated in the October 18 – 27 World Military Games in Wuhan, China, report severe illnesses after returning from the games. Although none were tested for the coronavirus, reported symptoms align with those of the virus.
Minnesota – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, first allowed employees in certain agriculture, industrial and office settings to return to work starting April 27. After his stay-at-home order expires retail businesses are allowed to open at 50 percent capacity. Bars, restaurants and salons will be closed until June.

President Donald Trump on Monday threatened to make the freeze on U.S. funding for the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. permanent. He also laid out allegations of “missteps” in the way the agency responded to the coronavirus in a letter he said he sent to the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.‘s leader.
President Trump posts his letter on his Twitter account.
Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, announced that the southern and northern borders with Mexico and Canada will remain closed to nonessential travel until June 22. Commercial trade and travel, which are essential to the Texas economy, are again excluded from the updated order. Wolf also announced an indefinite extension of a policy that quickly returns undocumented immigrants apprehended between the ports of entry without allowing them the chance to apply for asylum. The policy, generally referred to as Title 42 restrictions after the provision in the United States Code, was announced in March and extended in April.
The scientist in charge of Florida’s Covid-19 database, Dr Rebekah Jones, says she was fired for refusing to change Covid-19 data. Dr Jones was the architect and manager of the online dashboard held up by the White House in April as a model of transparency and integrity. She said she was previously sidelined after protesting orders to censor some of the information it contained. Today she was fired for refusing to “manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen”.
The courts are no longer blocking landlords from evicting Texans struggling to pay rent amid the economic instability of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, eviction proceedings are moving forward in Houston-area courts, weeks ahead of many other cities after the Texas Supreme Court order temporarily preventing courts from processing evictions is lifted.

A study published by the Imperial College COVID-19 Response Team concludes that the Coronavirus epidemic is not under control in much of the US. Their predictions are that; increased mobility following relaxation of social distancing will lead to resurgence of transmission, keeping all else constant; and that deaths over the next two-month period could exceed current cumulative deaths by greater than two-fold, if the relationship between mobility and transmission remains unchanged.
President Trump acknowledges there could be a second wave of the coronavirus epidemic later this year, but flatly states he wouldn’t let any further outbreaks shutter the economy again. When asked a possible second wave Trump replied “People say that’s a very distinct possibility. It’s standard. And, we’re going put out the fires. We’re not going to close the country.”
The CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services is conflating the results of two different types of coronavirus tests, distorting several important metrics and providing the country with an inaccurate picture of the state of the pandemic. Researchers have identified the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services is combining test results that diagnose current coronavirus infections with test results that measure whether someone has ever had the virus. The result is that the CDCAcronymCDC - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading national public health institute of the United States. A federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services is overstating the country’s ability to test people who are sick with COVID-19.
The United States deliveres 50 ventilators to Russia, part of a humanitarian aid package worth $5.6 million to help Moscow fight the coronavirus. Another 150 will follow next week. The U.S. Embassy called the delivery “rapid fulfillment” of a request Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed on a recent phone calls with President Trump.
Seventy-seven U.S. Nobel Laureates write to Dr. Francis S. CollinsFrancis S. CollinsFrancis Sellers Collins is an American physician-geneticist who discovered the genes associated with a number of diseases and led the Human Genome Project. He is director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, United States. He has been elected to the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and has received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Science. and Alex AzarAlex AzarUnited States Secretary of Health and Human Services, an American attorney, former pharmaceutical industry lobbyist and executive. to “act urgently” to review a controversial NIHAcronymThe National Institutes of Health, a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one of the world's foremost medical research centers. decision terminating a grant to EcoHealth AllianceEcoHealth AllianceEcoHealth Alliance is a non-governmental organization which employs a 'One Health' approach to protecting the health of people, animals, and the environment from emerging infectious diseases. The nonprofit is a global organization focused on scientific research that aims to prevent pandemics and promote conservation in hotspot regions worldwide., writing that the reason for killing the grant on April 24 was “preposterous.”
President Trump declined to wear a protective face mask in public during a visit to a Ford manufacturing plant in Michigan that is turning out ventilators and masks for use in the coronavirus pandemic, despite a request from the carmaker that he wear one and an executive order from the state’s Democratic governor requiring them. Prior to his trip, the state’s Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) sent Trump an open letter asking that Trump respect the men and women of Ford Motor Company, and comply with state law, by wearing a face mask in public.

US Dept of Labor Report: The total number of people claiming initial jobless benefits for the week ending May 23 was 2.1 million, a decrease of 323 thousand from the previous week.
Conservatives in several areas of the country (and the government) openly defy requirements to wear masks on ideological grounds, in spite of the COVID-19 outbreak. North Dakota Govenor Doug Burgum (R) begs North Dakotans to avoid “creating a divide” either “ideological or political” over the importance of wearing a mask with so many lives at stake. “This is a, I would say, senseless dividing line. And I would ask people to try to dial up your empathy and your understanding.”

President Trump Tweet: “Great reviews on our handling of Covid 19, sometimes referred to as the China Virus. Ventilators, Testing, Medical Supply Distribution, we made a lot of Governors look very good – And got no credit for so doing. Most importantly, we helped a lot of great people!”
While discussing whether the U.S. economy might recover this fall after the coronavirus downturn, Kevin HassettKevin HassettKevin Allen Hassett is an American economist who is a current Senior Advisor and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. states: “Our capital stock hasn’t been destroyed, our human capital stock is ready to get back to work, and so there are lots of reasons to believe that we can get going way faster than we have in previous crises,” Kevin HassettKevin HassettKevin Allen Hassett is an American economist who is a current Senior Advisor and former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. also calls the requests for additional federal funding for states “absurd” and “radical.”
The nation’s rental car companies are in deep trouble, which also means trouble for auto manufacturers. During normal times rental car companies account for 10% or more of US new car sales — an estimated 1.7 million to 1.9 million cars purchases last year. Rental car companies get two-thirds of their revenue from airport locations. With airline travel is down 94% in April and May there are far fewer people needing to rent cars.
The forced distancing required by the coronavirus prompted several cities to quickly close some public roads to make room so cooped-up residents anxious to get outside for exercise could do so safely. Now, following moves to shut, narrow or re-purpose streets from Oakland to Tampa, cities including Washington are seeking to understand how those emergency closures might have lasting impacts on some of urban America’s most important, and contested, real estate.
Four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, arrest George Floyd for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill. In the process of arresting him, one police officer presses his knee into Floyd’s back for over eight minutes, cutting off Floyd’s breathing while Floyd is face down on the ground, suffocating him. The incident was recorded by several people and later posted to social media.
Ashley Smith, the cofounder of Reopen NC and the movement’s most visible leader, is organizing simultaneous rallies in five cities — Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, Asheville and Wilmington — to commemorate Memorial Day and protest Gov. Roy Cooper’s handling of the coronavirus response. The rallies have attracted considerable support from Republican politicians.
Tweet: The reopen movement in NC is increasingly aligning w/ the boogaloo & constitutionalist fringe on the far right, w/ the husband of Reopen NC cofounder Ashley Smith saying supporters must be “willing to kill people.

America’s child-care system, fragile even before the coronavirus pandemic, is in danger of collapse without substantial help from Congress. The issue affects nearly 12 million children under age 5 and their families who rely on providers for care, and is a factor in how quickly the U.S. economy can recover. Between March and April, 336,000 child-care workers lost their jobs, and thousands of child-care centers and family child-care homes are in danger of closing permanently. This could lead to the loss of as many as 450,000 child care slots, which would make it difficult for parents to return to work.
Thousands of people poured into the streets here for a second night of protests — which later turned chaotic as police fired rubber bullets from a rooftop, several buildings caught fire, and one person was shot and killed by a store owner. The evening started with peaceful protests that descended into disarray and looting as the night wore on. At times, the tear gas was so thick, it wafted down neighborhood streets where people standing in their front yards were coughing and wiping at their eyes.

Video of President Trump Press Conference announcing sanctions on China for “unfair” trade practices, treatment of Hong Kong, and causing the Coronavirus pandemic. President Trump also announces the US will terminate relationships with the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. on basis that the WHOAcronymThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as 'the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. is acting as an agent for China. President Trump also announces restrictions on Chinese students enrolling in US colleges and Universities, and review the listing of Chinese companies with the SECAcronymSEC - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is an independent agency of the United States federal government. The SEC protects investors, promotes fairness in the securities markets, and shares information about companies and investment professionals to help investors make informed decisions and invest with confidence.. Finally, President Trump announces the end of special exemptions for trade with Hong Kong on basis that Hong Kong is no longer an independent entity.
President Trumps remarks are made against a backdrop of violent nationwide protests against a police-caused death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25.
Every single farm worker on a Tennessee farm of roughly 200 employees has been infected with COVID-19. In New Jersey, more than 50 workers have the virus at a farm in Gloucester County, adding to nearly 60 who fell ill in neighboring Salem County. Washington state’s agricultural region of Yakima County has the highest per capita infection rate of any county on the West Coast. These outbreaks show comparisons to infections in the U.S. meat industry over the past few months.
District of Columbia – Stay-at-home order expires. In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, announces a plan to reopen some businesses in the district. Her stay-at-home order was supposed to expire June 8 but she lifts this also.
Illinois – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, announces a broader reopening in much of the state. Restrictions on certain outdoor activities were loosened starting May 1. Chicago will move into phase three with the rest of the state on June 3.
Ohio – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, began reopening retail stores on May 12 and allowed salons and barbershops to reopen shortly after.

Protests erupt for a sixth day across the US over the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At least 40 cities have imposed curfews and National Guard members have been activated in 15 states and Washington, DC.
Delaware – Shelter in place expires. Gov. John Carney, a Democrat, allows a limited number of businesses to reopen with restrictions, to be followed by most businesses on June 1.
Maine – Stay-at-home order expires. Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, allowed some personal care businesses to begin reopening statewide May 1 and took a regional approach for other reopenings. Retail stores and restaurants were allowed to reopen in rural counties without community spread starting May 11 and May 18, respectively, then statewide on June 1.
New Mexico – Stay-at-home order expired on May 31. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham extended New Mexico’s stay-at-home order through the end of May but allowed retailers, offices and houses of worship to open at limited capacities beginning May 16. Three northwestern counties with the most severe outbreaks will be shut down until June 1.
Washington – Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, keeps a shutdown order in place through the end of May while allowing some businesses to reopen by county. King County businesses face stricter limits than in other counties, but every county in the state has moved into some phase of reopening.