Maine reported 184 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, setting yet another record as the disease continues to spread.
The 184 cases follows 183 cases reported on Thursday, 151 on Wednesday and 127 on Tuesday all record highs during the pandemic. Cases are climbing in Maine and nationwide.
Dr. Nirav Shah, Maine CDC director, is expected to address the media at 2 p.m. today.
As cases have soared, Gov. Janet Mills has dialed up restrictions to try to keep the virus in check, including a strengthened mask mandate on Thursday. Earlier this week, Mills reduced the maximum size of indoor gatherings from 100 to 50, indefinitely delayed the opening of bars and tasting rooms, and reinstated testing and quarantine requirements for travelers entering Maine from certain states.
Since the pandemic began, 7.444 Maine people have fallen ill with COVID-19, with 150 deaths. No additional deaths were reported Friday.
The mask mandate requires people to wear masks in almost all cases outside of their homes and yards, even when physical distancing is possible. It also requires small businesses to post signs reminding customers that they must wear masks indoors.
Masks are required in all public settings, which are defined broadly in the governors executive order. In almost all indoor public places a mask is required, and masks are required outdoors at playgrounds, parking lots, sidewalks, athletic and sports venues, and other areas such as lines for takeout service. Masks are also required on public transportation and buildings and grounds that are typically accessible to the public.
Shah said in a tweet on Thursday that This degree of community transmission means that face coverings and physical distancing are more important than ever. Why do I worry? Todays community transmission can become tomorrows outbreaks in places like nursing homes. We all need to do our part to keep them safe.
This story will be updated.
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The restrictions, which took effect at midnight Thursday, will see restaurants, bars and non-essential businesses close until December 2.
England's lockdown came days after similar measures were enacted in France and Germany, and ahead of a number of Italian regions becoming "red zones" on Friday.
Speaking before the parliamentary vote Wednesday which paved the way for the new lockdown, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had been "confronted" with data projecting that the UK's National Health Service (NHS) could "collapse" in the face of increased demand because of Covid-19.
Johnson said deaths in the second wave of the pandemic could potentially exceed those recorded in the spring, with the number of coronavirus patients in some hospitals "already higher than at the peak of the first wave."
"And when I look at what is happening now amongst some of our continental friends, and see doctors who have tested positive being ordered, alas, to work on Covid wards, and patients airlifted to hospitals in some other countries simply to make space, I can reach only one conclusion: I am not prepared to take the risk with the lives of the British people," Johnson said.
The UK reported its second-largest daily increase in cases on Wednesday with 25,177 new infections recorded in 24 hours. There were a further 492 deaths, according to government data, and the number of patients in hospital with Covid-19 rose to 12,320.
France, Italy and the UK reported the highest numbers of new cases in that time, although Andorra, the Czech Republic and Belgium reported the highest per population incidence.
"France accounted for the third-highest number of new cases globally, with over 275,000 cases reported in the past week ... that is a 27% increase from the previous week," WHO said.
While cases in France rose in line with much of Europe from August onwards, the country saw a significant surge in infections in October, and the number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units was "rising rapidly," the report said.
France reported 854 Covid-19-related deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday -- an average of one person dying every 1 minute 41 seconds -- and the nation's highest daily tally since April 15, according to data released by the French Health Authority.
Sending in the military
The second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is already putting hospitals in several European countries under severe strain.
Intensive care units in the Belgian capital, Brussels, reached maximum capacity on Monday, and military personnel have been deployed to a new emergency unit to help relieve congestion in hospitals in the Lige region of the country.
A record 877 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to Belgian hospitals in the past 24 hours, according to national health authority Sciensano. The largest number of admissions in the first wave of the pandemic was 629, on March 28.
Switzerland is also deploying its army to help manage a growing number of Covid-19 hospitalizations, the Swiss government said on Wednesday.
The government said 2,500 soldiers would be available to help hospitals treat or transport coronavirus patients in areas where local resources have been "exhausted."
Switzerland and Liechtenstein registered 10,073 new daily Covid-19 cases, 247 hospitalizations and 73 new deaths on Wednesday.
Restrictive new steps
Italy's government, which has warned it could run out of intensive care beds by the end of November, has approved measures including a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, and a new "traffic light" system of regional restrictions.
Public transport will travel at 50% capacity; museums will close; all students aged six or over must wear masks; and restaurants and bars must close at 6 p.m.
In "orange zones," people will be barred from leaving the region except for work or health reasons, and bars and restaurants close except for delivery and takeout. In "red zones," people will not be allowed to leave their town and all non-essential stores will close. The new rules will be in effect from Thursday until December 3.
The regions of Calabria, Lombardy, Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta will become "red zones" from Friday, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Wednesday. The region of Puglia and the island of Sicily will become "orange zones."
Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced further restrictions from Saturday, including remote learning for younger children, cultural institutions closing, stores reducing capacity and hotels only opening for business trips.
"A step beyond the measures that we are announcing today is only a national quarantine, that is, a total lockdown," said Morawiecki.
Poland recorded a record rise of almost 25,000 coronavirus infections and 373 deaths Wednesday.
Austria recorded 6,211 new Covid-19 infections on Wednesday, the first time the daily tally has topped 6,000, according to the interior ministry. It came a day after the country entered its second national lockdown, with leisure and culture facilities closed and a 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in place.
Austria has reported 125,792 coronavirus cases in total and 1,277 deaths, according to the health ministry.
Greece's Prime Minister is expected to announce further restrictions on Thursday after the country registered a record 2,646 daily Covid-19 cases, according to the country's National Public Health Organization, taking the total to 46,892 cases; there were a further 18 deaths, taking the total to 673.
Greek media outlets suggest that a national lockdown is being considered. Government spokesman Stelios Petsas said earlier this week that it could not be ruled out, judging from the situation across Europe.
Hungary has reported a new daily record, with 4,219 cases and 90 deaths recorded in the past 24 hours.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a Facebook video on Tuesday that the country was reintroducing its state of emergency, allowing the government to rule by decree for 90 days from midnight. This will involve a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew, mask-wearing at venues and nightclub closures.
He warned hospitals could exhaust their capacities by mid-December if the current trend continues.
Even Sweden is tightening restrictions. Prime Minister Stefan Lfven announced on his Facebook page that no more than eight people would be allowed to share tables at restaurants or bars.
He is also enforcing measures in more regions, meaning "seven out of ten Swedes are covered by the stricter recommendations."
Measures include asking people to avoid physical contact, busy indoor environments and gatherings; employees are being encouraged to work from home where possible.
"It is important that everyone understands the seriousness now. None of us has forgotten what spring looked like," Lfven said.
CHICAGO (CBS) And another one a longtime tavern in Bucktown is calling it a night for good because of COVID-19 and Chicagos restrictions stemming from the virus.
As CBS 2s Jermont Terry reported Thursday night, Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a $10 million hospitality grant program for local bars and restaurants earlier in the day. But for some, its not enough and its too late.
This weeks unseasonably warm weather in November allows people across Illinois still to enjoy a meal on a patio. But the reality is that fewer people are able to dine out during the recent COVID-19 shutdown.
A lot of my employees stay home because theres nothing to do, said Mauro Mafrici, owner of Pelago Ristorante, 209 E. Delaware Pl.
At the Streeterville restaurant, the patio is set. Yet Mafrici said he has already reduced his staff from 45 to fewer than 15 on the payroll.
And when the temperatures drop next week, neither the patio nor grabbing a table inside will be an option.
I wish not too many restaurants close because Chicagos a great restaurant city, Mafrici said.
But indeed countless businesses are closing. Among the latest is Dannys Tavern, at 1951 W. Dickens Ave. in Bucktown.
It has been in business since 1986, and its doors are closing for good due to COVID-19.
And the list keeps growing. Lawrys the Prime Rib on Ontario Street off the Magnificent Mile is also closing permanently, and in Fulton Market, Maudes is also closing up.
And no one will stand again inside Standing Room Only in restaurant Printers Row, as it has also gone out of business.
Money is tight, and Mafrici said government needs to consider a rent moratorium for business owners.
This doesnt make sense, he said. If youre not allowing me to serve nobody, theyre supposed to freeze everything.
Under the plan with the emergency grant that Mayor Lightfoot announced Thursday, businesses with annual revenue of less than $3 million would qualify for up to $10,000 apiece.
But without a rent moratorium, Mafrici questions just how much that would help.
Its a lot of restaurants in Chicago, he said. I dont think if you split %10 million with all the restaurants, I think its very little.
Pelago hopes to weather this COVID-19 storm. As for those grants, the application process starts Nov. 16, and will get distributed through a lottery.
The mayor also wants the City Council to temporarily cap the fees that third-party companies can charge restaurants for their delivery services.
Also From CBS Chicago:
Austin gets a warning about a high number of active COVID-19 cases KEYE TV CBS Austin
MANOR, Texas (KXAN) Two more Manor Independent School District campuses have reported positive COVID-19 cases, making it four within the last week.
Both Decker Elementary and Oak Meadows Elementary will have students isolate after a staff member and a student tested positive.
Those schools will join Lagos Elementary and Manor Elementary Early Learning Center, whose student bodies are currently under two-week mandatory quarantine. The district reports five active staff cases and one active student case.
Some teachers arent pleased with the districts response. They spoke to KXANs education reporter Alex Caprariello anonymously, fearing they may lose their jobs if their identities are revealed.
But they shared their concerns, saying their school administration and the district are not being transparent with its staff and the greater community.
All of us are scared, one teacher said. Nobody wants to take accountability for it.
Theres a lack of transparency between the district, admin and the community, the second teacher shared. We are struggling inside. No one is really asking us how we are doing.
The teachers say school administrators never communicated with them about the recent positive case, and that there are still important pieces of information missing that havent been disclosed, leading to rumors spreading among the staff.
One teacher shared that she first heard about the positive COVID-19 case from a family member and not from the schools administration.
When you fail to communicate, you are not giving us the right to plan for our families. For our students. You are taking away all of our freedom to decide what we want to do for ourselves, one teacher said.
The district disputed this claim, saying all staff was sent a letter explaining the circumstances at the same time family members were informed.
The teachers also questioned why in-person class is still in session. Only the third grade class at Decker Elementary has been asked to isolate. In comparison, two other schools in the district, Lagos Elementary and Manor Elementary Early Learning Center, sent the entire student body home.
Why do they get to quarantine? Why do they get to go have their entire school very cleanly shut down? It seems like a very well thought-out, processed decision. But when it comes to our campus, it just fell apart, the teacher said.
KXAN asked the district why some schools are being treated differently. A Manor ISD spokesperson said each situation is different, and the extent of the closure is determined through guidance issued from public health authorities.
Our decision is based on guidance from the Austin Public Health Department, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Manor ISD Health Services department requiring scholars and staff who were identified to have been in close contact with the individual who tested positive for COVID-19 to self-quarantine.
This is true for all for all cases in the district. Each situation is different and the extend of a closure, whether that be a of a classroom or a campus is identified through contact tracing and guidance issued through these public health authorities.
Austin Public Health confirmed it has recently started advising the district on the best way to determine close contacts to the positive cases. However, a city spokesperson said the call to shut down the other two schools was a decision Manor ISD made on its own.
According to Austin Public Health, the positivity rate for the zip code where Decker and Oak Meadows Elementary is located is 11.59%. There are only two zip codes in the metro area with higher positivity rates.
Reach KXANs Education Reporter Alex Caprariello by emailatalexc@kxan.comor by phone at512-703-5365, or find him onTwitterandFacebook.
LATVIA'S COVID-19 APP CONNECTS TO EU'S INTEROPERABILITY SYSTEM
Latvia's contact tracing app, Apturi Covid (Stop Covid) has connected to the interoperability system for other contact tracing apps in the European Commission.
This will allow the Apturi Covid app to warn and notify a user if they have come into contact with an COVID-19 infected person when in Germany, Italy, Ireland and Spain.
The European Commission's solution enabled interoperability of EU member states' contact tracing apps last month.
Smartphones with the app will be able to exchange "digital handshakes" via Bluetooth, which is encrypted on the user's phone.
MYONLINETHERAPY PARTNERS WITH VITALITY
UK virtual psychologyclinic, My OnlineTherapy, has announced a new partnership with life insurance company, Vitality, to develop the mental health support available to its health members.
The service, which went live this month, provides members with mental health treatments such as, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-basedCognitiveTherapy, and Schema Therapy from qualified psychologists, which is provided digitally through a video conferencing service.
Dr Keith Klintworth, group COO and managing director, VitalityHealth said: With the pandemic changing life as we know it, there has never been a more important time to look after our mental health, and offering our members the right support in an accessible way is a priority for us.
By partnering with My Online Therapy, Vitality is further extending our full package of mental health care available to our members, ensuring people are able to get the support and help when they need it.
APP TO HELP NHS PREVENT HOSPITAL ILLNESSES AMID COVID-19
NHS trusts are being offered an app aimed at reducing hundreds of deaths that are linked to two hospital-acquired conditions - acute kidney injury (AKI) and pneumonia (HAP).
Known as Compass, the mobile app provides NHS clinical staff with a tool for assessing apatients risk of developing the conditions in hospital, so that appropriate action can be taken to prevent significant numbers of AKI and HAP cases and reduce admissions to intensive care.
A study by researchers at University Hospital Southampton NHS FT, carried out between March and May this year, found that AKI was present in 31% COVID-19 hospital patients, and that AKI was associated with 27% of admissions to ICU.
The app is approved by the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and is being offered to NHS hospitals free of charge for the first 90 days of use, in an effort to support hospitals in the second wave of COVID-19.
L'OREAL SIGNS LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH BIOTECH COMPANY
Netherlands-based phage and endolysin technology development company, Micreos, and L'Oral have announced the signature of a license agreement to join their expertise in biotechnology and the skin microbiome, the community of bacteria and microorganisms that live on the skin.
Under the terms of the agreement, Micreos will give L'Oral access to its endolysin, a type of active protein in the cosmetic field. With this technology, it will be able to targetunwanted bacteria in the skin flora which areresponsible for various skin problems.
Micreos CEO Mark Offerhaus: "We expect this partnership to be ground-breaking. L'Oral has been a leader in skincare for decades. Micreos is at the forefront of targeted bacterial biotechnology. We pair our strengths and millions stand to benefit."
HOSPITALS ADOPT COVID-19 TECH TO KEEP STAFF SAFE
A new digital tool is being rolled out to NHS trusts across the UK to strengthen protection for temporary staff at high risk from COVID-19.
To help hospitals adhere to new NHS guidelines around staff risk assessments, a digital solution has been built by Patchwork Health. This system allows management teams to digitise the risk profiles of their staff and operate a confidential live dashboard which shows if and when high risk staff are due to work on higher risk wards.
The technology replaces the process of relying on spreadsheets to monitor risk factors. NHS staffing management will be able to ensure the shifts booked by those with known risk factors can be monitored in real time and alternative shifts for high-risk staff can be arranged.
MENTAL HEALTH NHS TRUST IMPLEMENTS NEWPATIENT FLOW WITH SERVELEC
Servelec, a provider of digital care software, announces that South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust, which serves people across five London boroughs, has gone live with an implementation of its patient management solution, Flow.
The product has replaced the trusts existing patient management processes, which involved manually calling hospitals for updates on bed availability, handwritten notes on whiteboards, and then entering it into the Electronic Patient Record (EPR).
Servelecs patient flow solution digitises this process offering an end-to-end view of the patient journey. Staff at the trust can enter information onto a digital touchscreen which displays information about all patients in the hospital wards, including status and location.
South West London and St Georges Mental Health NHS trust is an existing user of Servelecs Rio EPR software, which integrates with Flow.
WEARABLE MEDICAL DEVICE TO DIAGNOSE SLEAP APNOEA
Medical device company, Acurable, has announced the launch of its first product, AcuPebble SA100, a wearable device which enables an automated and remote diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
The diagnosis of OSA traditionally requires hospital visits for patients, and doctors have had to manually review and analyse data from a patients sleep study.
AcuPebble SA100 aims to automate this process, providing a clinically validated diagnosis equivalent to the current ambulatory gold standard. This is particularly important in light of COVID-19 and the NHS move to digital first and remote consultations.
AcuPebble SA100 gained CE Mark approval in September 2020.
HULL UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITALS NHS TRUST DEPLOYS DXC TECH
Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS trust has deployed DXC Technologys cloud-based Clinical Aide mobile app. The platform improves secure access to electronic patient medical records and increases patient and hospital staff safety in COVID-19 wards and intensive care units.
By using a cloud-based mobile app that sits on top of the trusts electronic patient record (EPR) system, clinical teams can now securely view and use patient information from the Lorenzo EPR, part of the DXC Care Suite, via a tablet or other mobile device.
Mobile access to a patients documented information aims to reduce the need for staff to enter higher-risk hospital areas to review and update medical records directly on workstations and alsoremoves the need to transfer paper-based detailed patient information out of the hospitals COVID-19 wards.
IKTOS COLLABORATES WITH MERCK ON NEW DRUG DESIGN
AI drug design company Iktos, has announced an additional collaboration agreement in AI for new drug design with Germany-based Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, a leading science and technology company.
In this new collaboration, Iktos new generative design technology will be used to facilitate the design of an undisclosed Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany drug discovery program.
Iktos generative AI technology will be combined with structure-based modelling, with an iterative design of structures maximizing protein-ligand interaction andenabling identification of novel structures already explored in the project.
Joern-Peter Halle, global head of research for the healthcare business sector of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany said: "AI has the potential to improve and accelerate the drug discovery process, which could mean faster access to novel treatment options for patients.
This additional collaboration with Iktos illustrates our commitment to partnerships to access the latest technology to enrich our discovery engine.
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT GIVES FUNDING BOOST TO MED-TECH INNOVATION
MIME Technologies, a med-tech spin-out from the University of Aberdeen, has received248K in funding from the Scottish Government to help deliver technology that will drive new maritime med-tech solutions.
It will also support the heavily impacted aviation industry during its recovery from the pandemic.
The firm develops technology that supports non-medical professionals during first response situations in environments that are remote from immediate medical care.
Initially focused on the aviation industry, MIME Technologiessolution communicates on-scene emergency data, such as the symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, to professional medical services using secure cloud technology.
Allowing aviation medical providers to see this on-scene data ensures they can make informed decisions about the passengers need for medical attention, supporting inflight diversion decisions and ensuring handover into medical care.
David Eggman is a registered nurse who works at Aspirus Wausau Hospital. The surge in COVID-19 cases increases the risk of nurses and other hospital workers testing positive or being exposed to someone who has in the community.(Photo: Courtesy Aspirus Wausau Hospital)
Hospitals could face an additional challenge in the coming weeks from the states surge in COVID-19 cases: Their workers are at increased risk of becoming infected with the virus or being exposed to someone who is, forcing them to isolate or quarantine for as long as two weeks.
That would only increase the pressure on hospitals that have seen a sharp increase in COVID-19 patients in the past month.All72 counties recorded a very high level of COVID-19 activity, and state health officials implored residents to stay home to stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Signs of the potential risk already are appearing.
Marshfield Clinic Health System has about 140 people at its nine hospitals out because they have tested positive or been exposed to someone who has. Mayo Clinic Health System has said that 200 of its 4,800 workers in northwestern Wisconsin, which includes its hospital in Eau Claire, are out for the same reason.
ThedaCare, which has large hospitals in Neenah and Appleton, had an average of 175 people out each day last month. Bellin Health in Green Bay had about 60 people out of its 4,800 workers out as of Monday. ProHealth Care had 90 people out as of Wednesday.
Those health systems and others have stressed that they have been able to maintain adequate staff to care for patients by moving nurses and other workersand taking other steps.
But many health systems are not disclosing how many people in their hospitals are out because they have tested positive or been exposed to the virus.
The health systems that did not respond or declined to disclose the information include Aurora Health Care, Ascension Wisconsin, Froedtert Health, Childrens Wisconsin, UW Health, Hospital Sisters Health System and Aspirus.
The ZablockiVA Medical Center in Milwaukee also did not respond to questions on how many of its workers are out.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is not tracking how many hospital workers are out. It does track health care workers who have tested positive or are experiencing symptoms but does not break out the number of hospital workers who have been affected.
The number of cases and the high percentage of people who test positivethe percent has hit 30% on some days suggests that the virus is increasingly widespread in communities.
Further, given that as many as 40% of those infected by the virus may not show symptoms, its prevalence is more widespread than the number of positive cases suggest.
All this increases the chances of additional hospital workers becoming infected or exposed to the virus.
That worries health systems.
Mayo Clinic temporarily deferred elective procedures and other care on Saturday in Eau Claire because of the surge in COVID-19 patients.
"This situation is serious, Richard Helmers, a physician and regional vice president of the Northwest Wisconsin Region for the health system, said in in a statement. We now are at risk of overwhelming our health care system,"
Health care professionals, he said, need everyones help.
"We are pleading with community members to comply with all recommended precautionary measures to help reduce transmission of the virus among our neighbors, friends and health care workers, Helmers said in the statement.
ThedaCare which said that about a third of its affected employees are nurses made the same plea.
The health system said that people can take some simple steps, such as wearing masks and taking part in social distancing, to show support for health care workers.
Without question, hospital and other workers in health care are more likely to take precautions to limit their exposure. But they also face the same risk as everyone else of being exposed in the community.
Guidelines call for someone who has been exposed to the virus to quarantine for up to two weeks.
Health systems are taking different approaches on whether they pay employees who have to quarantine.
ProHealth Care, ThedaCare and UW Health are paying employees who have to quarantine because they have been exposed to the virus.
Hospital Sisters Health System, which has hospitals in Green Bay, Sheboygan and Eau Claire, said whether an employee must use their allotted time off when quarantined varies.
But other health systemsare requiring employees to use their paid time off their allotted mix of vacation and paid sick days while quarantining.
This includes Aurora, part of Advocate Aurora Health Care, and Ascension Wisconsin.
Employees at Ascension Wisconsin, for instance, can file for short-term disability if they must quarantine, according to information sent to employees. They can use their allotted paid time off before that kicks in and then to supplement the money they receive through short-term disability.
Hospital workers who become infected at work may be eligible for workers compensation. But they must be able to prove that they were infected at work.
Other health systems, such as Froedtert Health, did not respond to questions about their policies.
Nobody knows that health care workers arent getting this paid time, said Jamie Lucas, executive director of the WisconsinFederationof Nurses and Health Professionals.
That has been a frustration for some nurses and other workers who have had to use their allotted vacation and sick days when quarantining.
In March, the union asked health systems where it represented employees, including Aurora, Ascension Wisconsin and Aspirus, to continue to pay workers who had to quarantine, Lucas said. But the proposal was rejected.
The policies of requiring employees to use their allotted paid time off if they must quarantine could make some reluctant to report the exposure.
In a statement, Hospital Sisters Health System said,We have faith that our employees would always do what is right to protect the health and safety of their patients, colleagues and communities especially in the midst of a public health crisis.
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When researchers at Duke University School of Medicine asked selected parents in the Raleigh-Durham metropolitan area to track symptoms in children who tested positive for the coronavirus early in the pandemic, among the notable answers was this: After 28 days, more than one-third of the 6- to 13-year-olds had shown no symptoms at all.
That finding poses implications for school systems that have brought students back to class or are making plans to do so. Will elementary and middle schoolers who show no signs of infection spread the virus to other kids and staff?
As calls rise to get more kids back into classrooms for their educational, emotional, and physical health, medical schools and university hospitals are helping educators assess such risks and develop plans plans built on data from schools that have opened and evidence about how kids catch and transmit the virus.
The early data suggest that schools can reopen safely under certain conditions, but the analyses come with follow-up questions and multiple caveats the most basic of which is some form of, Thats what we know so far.
Were nine to 10 months into a brand-new disease, cautions Helen Bristow, MPH, program manager of Dukes ABC Science Collaborative, which guides schools on COVID-19 safety. Were regularly learning something we didnt know before.
Here is some of what researchers are sharing with school systems about how children catch, are affected by, and transmit the coronavirus.
Early data from K-12 schools do not confirm fears that bringing students together in classrooms inevitably creates COVID-19 petri dishes although the absence of a standardized national database of school cases makes it impossible to know for sure. University researchers have partly filled the void with a plethora of data analyses from selected schools and grades.
One of the largest studies, led by Brown University economist Emily Oster, PhD, analyzed in-school infection data from 47 states over the last two weeks of September. Among more than 200,000 students and 63,000 staff who had returned to school, Oster reported an infection rate of 0.13% among students and 0.24% among staff.
The low infection rates support what other researchers have seen in smaller samples.
What we havent seen are superspreader events that ignited in schools, says Sallie Permar, MD, PhD, a professor of pediatrics and immunology at Duke. The fear that youd have one infected kid come to school, and then youd have many other kids and teachers and relatives [at home] get infected that hasnt happened.
Nevertheless, many schools have experienced infections that compelled them to quarantine some students and staff at home for a time, and some school districts in Georgia and Utah have shifted to more online learning after experiencing severe outbreaks.
The fear that youd have one infected kid come to school, and then youd have many other kids and teachers and relatives [at home] get infected that hasnt happened.
Sallie Permar, MD, PhDProfessor of pediatrics and immunology at Duke University School of Medicine
One characteristic common among schools that are doing well: They are operating under capacity, as theyve opened with arrangements designed to minimize crowding, such as grouping students to come to school on different days and allowing students to attend only from home. So, while New York City touted a miniscule 0.15% infection rate in its schools in mid-October, the city reported that just over one-quarter of its students had attended any classes in person.
And while COVID-19s light impact on K-12 schools so far has spurred calls to fill classrooms, coronavirus infection surges in many parts of the country pose a growing threat. In recent weeks, outbreaks have forced some schools to revert to distance learning while others have postponed their reopening plans.
Infections in schools reflect infection levels and mitigation practices in their communities. The COVID-19 surge in Utah has fueled one of the countrys biggest public school outbreaks. Some school districts in the Salt Lake City area remained open this fall even after local coronavirus infection rates reached more than double the level at which the state recommended distance learning.
That stuns Benjamin Linas, MD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine who has advocated for opening schools under strict safety measures. You can only open your school safely if you have COVID under control in your community, Linas says.
The surge in Utah has been partly attributed to public resistance to infection mitigation recommendations, such as physical distancing and wearing masks a resistance that carried into the schools, many of which did not require such measures among students. Maintaining those practices in both schools and their surrounding communities is critical, says Peggy Thompson, RN, director of infection prevention at Tampa General Hospital (TGH).
You can have the best laid plans in classrooms, but if kids are not following social distancing and mask usage outside of school, theyre going to bring COVID into the school with them, says Thompson, who works with schools to contain the virus through an initiative called TGH Prevention Response Outreach.
You can only open your school safely if you have COVID under control in your community.
Benjamin Linas, MD, MPHAssociate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Boston University School of Medicine
TGH and other teaching hospitals that consult with schools about operating safely during the pandemic find that students and staffers who have tested positive for the coronavirus usually contracted the virus outside of school.
Theres a party, students are gathering unmasked, and [the virus] is brought back to school, says Joan Zoltanski, MD, who oversees the Healthy Restart initiative at University Hospitals in Cleveland to help schools and businesses operate safely. She cites gatherings of family members from different households as another common viral source for students and staff.
Thats why researchers advise that, as Permar says, You cant stop cases from coming on school grounds. The goal is to eliminate transmissions on the campus.
Several studies have found that children transmit the virus, but perhaps not as often as adults, especially in younger age groups. Its not clear why.
The Duke study found that children carry large amounts of the virus in their respiratory systems, says Matthew Kelly, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Duke who co-authored the study with Permar and others. He posits that for several reasons, younger children might not transmit the virus as effectively as adults; for instance, children may not generate aerosols as effectively as older children and adults when they cough, sneeze, or breathe.
In addition, children might not cough, sneeze, or struggle to breathe as much with COVID-19 as they do when afflicted with other respiratory illnesses, such as the flu because, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. While thats good for those kids, the phenomenon opens a vulnerability for schools where safety strategies include screening students for symptoms.
Because researchers have found that people transmit the coronavirus even when they experience mild orno symptoms, Kelly cautions that trying to use symptom-based screening strategies may not effectively pick up infections among school-aged children.
When school districts began making plans this summer to reopen some schools, many staffers and parents objected that teachers would not be able to get younger kids to stick with wearing masks, washing their hands frequently, and maintaining distance from each other (which varies among schools from three to six feet). Researchers who have worked with schools on those plans say the younger children have complied quite well, especially when adults have made clear that those measures are mandated and practiced those measures themselves.
In schools with such mandates, coronavirus transmissions appear to remain low. The COVID-19 School Response Dashboard built by the technology company Qualtrics based on data provided by schools that choose to participate, and which Oster used for her analysis shows fewer reported infections in schools that require masks and six-foot distancing.
The teachers and principals are nervous. Theyre in need of information they can trust.
Helen Bristow, MPHProgram manager of Dukes ABC Science Collaborative, which guides schools on COVID-19 safety
Mandates or not, the most difficult area to get consistent compliance with safety measures might be the cafeteria. Theyre like the free-for-all zone, says Thompson, the nurse at TGH. Thats where you can take your mask off because you can eat and drink. They [school administrators] will put set-ups in place for where the kids need to socially distance, and the kids all pile around one table anyway. Theyre social animals.
Sticking to safety measures during unstructured time outside of classrooms has proven particularly challenging for older students, both in school and beyond, according to Zolanski at University Hospitals in Cleveland. She notes that high schoolers, compared with younger students, tend to socialize with more peers and are more often away from close adult supervision.
Theyre the most challenging because they are interacting outside of school, Zolanski says.
Medical schools, university hospitals, and individual doctors and researchers are working with schools around the country to operate as safely as possible and make adjustments based on new data and evolving knowledge.
The largest such effort is the ABC Science Collaborative, established this summer by the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine with a grant from the National Institutes of Health. The core of the collaboration is a multidisciplinary scientific advisory board that explains data on epidemiology, transmission rates, and other research through webinars, online resources, and data-sharing with participating school districts, according to Bristow.
The initiative works with 57 of North Carolinas 115 school districts and hopes to expand to other states. The teachers and principals are nervous, she says. Theyre in need of information they can trust.
In other states, academic medical centers are increasingly consulting with schools and businesses about how to operate safely. The mitigation tactics are not as straightforward as one might think, explains William Lennarz, MD, system chair for pediatrics at Ochsner Health, which provides support for several hundred schools in Louisiana.
Among the questions Ochsner has worked through with schools: Do you quarantine a whole class when you identify one suspected case? Does everyone from the class who maintained a safe distance of six feet from the infected student have to go home? Do you wait for another test result?
The answers, according to Lennarz, have depended on an array of factors in each situation a few of which led schools to temporarily move a class or a grade to remote learning.
In other communities, doctors and other health professionals provide that kind of expertise on a more individual level. In Boston, Linas serves on the Public Health, Safety and Logistics advisory panel for his local school district in the suburb of Brookline. The panel, composed of physicians and public health experts, uses the latest research and data to assist the school system in deciding what measures to take as it operates on a hybrid model of in-person and at-home learning.
Linas says that amid the societal tension and disagreements about how to respond to COVID-19, school administrators, teachers, and parents express appreciation for the straightforward information that the panel provides.
Because of our academic standing and rigorous use of data, and our professional commitment to public health, our panel has emerged as an independent source of trusted information, he says.
Heres what you need to know:Health care workers at a virus testing site on Thursday in Milwaukee.Credit...Taylor Glascock for The New York Times
What does it look like when a country sets a record for coronavirus cases and then breaks it again the next day?
The United States recorded at least 121,000 new infections on Thursday, a day after hitting 100,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, and for many Americans, fatalism was the order of the day.
We knew it was just a matter of time, said Matt Christensen.
Mr. Christensen was sitting in a minivan in Racine, Wis., his wife next to him and their three children in the back seat, waiting to be tested for the virus. Nearby, feverish and desperate, other people confined to their cars also waited.
On Thursday, as they waited, the coronavirus was spreading relentlessly across America, and America was speeding toward yet another record.
In a single day across America, from dawn to nightfall, it churned through homes, workplaces, hospitals, schools and laboratories.
In Cleveland, lab workers began another grinding day of processing coronavirus tests. In Minot, N.D., a hospital scrambled to find space for the crush of patients who came through the doors. And in Unionville, Conn., grieving relatives planned the funeral of a familys 98-year-old matriarch, who died from the virus.
In the morning, governors began what is now a familiar routine: pleading in front of news cameras for Americans to do their part to stop the spread of the virus.
This virus doesnt care if we voted for Donald Trump, doesnt care if we voted for Joe Biden, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio said two days after Americans went to the polls. Its coming after all of us.
In Ohio, which set its own record Thursday, a giant fridge at the Cleveland Clinic glowed with rows and rows of coronavirus samples. Technicians shook test tubes and squinted at graphs on computer screens, trying to determine whether yet another patient had tested positive. I work, I go home, I come back, one lab supervisor said.
In Virginia, students in the Henry County Public Schools district were at work in their classes. But 22 staff members and students had tested positive, and hundreds more had been quarantined. So the superintendent went before the school board to recommend that the district revert to virtual learning until January. The vote was unanimous, and come Monday, the districts schools will close.
In Minot, N.D., patients crammed an emergency room at Trinity Health, waiting to be admitted. The entire floor dedicated to coronavirus patients had no more available beds. Dr. Jeffrey Sather, the chief of staff, called other large hospitals around the state to see if he could send some patients there. But every hospital was also full.
Many on his staff were working overtime, and Dr. Sather said he was worried about all they were seeing every day. They are witnessing people suffocate to death on a regular basis, he said.
In Connecticut, Amanda Harper had always imagined her grandmothers funeral as a full celebration of a life. The service for Juliette Marie Foley, 98, would have been at a church, followed by family time where loved ones would have pored over old photos and swapped stories.
But that was before the pandemic.
In October, Ms. Foley contracted the coronavirus. An avid baker and seamstress, she died on the last day of the month.
On Thursday afternoon, there were still details for the family to consider. Would the Zoom link to the funeral work? Could they keep those few attending in person safe?
This pandemic has robbed us of the way we say goodbye, said Ms. Harper.
By nightfall, the nation hurtled past the 100,000-case mark once again. Sixteen states set daily case records on Thursday, and three had death records. In 28 states, there have been more cases announced in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch.
A quarter of a million coronavirus infections have been reported at colleges and universities across the United States, according to a New York Times survey, as schools across the nation struggle to keep outbreaks in check.
The bulk of the cases have occurred since students returned for the fall semester, with more than 38,000 new cases reported in the past two weeks alone.
And the numbers are almost certainly an undercount.
The Timess survey which includes more than 1,700 American colleges and universities, including every four-year public institution and every private college that competes in N.C.A.A. sports is believed to be the most comprehensive tally available. But the lack of a centralized national tracking system or consistent statewide data means the full toll is hard to capture.
When The Times last tallied campus cases on Oct. 22, the figure was 214,000. Now it is more than 252,000.
More than a third of U.S. universities welcomed students back in some capacity this fall.
Some of them have appeared to keep the virus in check, primarily through extensive testing programs, even as they try to provide some semblance of a normal college experience for their students.
But others have done less well, failing to enforce social distancing and other preventive measures in an environment that normally revolves around communal living, group activities, large social gatherings and in-person learning.
Many school officials blame students when there are spikes in cases, chastising them for failing to abide by the new rules that have transformed campus life in 2020.
At Syracuse University, school had barely opened when officials issued an open letter castigating a group of students who had thrown a large party and selfishly jeopardized the very thing that so many of you claim to want from Syracuse University that is, a chance at a residential college experience.
Syracuse has reported 257 coronavirus cases since March.
Some students say administrators should have seen it coming when they chose to reopen in person.
Its very difficult to say whether, you know, its really on students for throwing these honestly reckless parties, or whether theyre just simply acting how college students are going to act in these kind of situations, Dylan Brooks, a senior at Arizona State University told his school newspaper. Of course, if youre bringing A.S.U. college students back to A.S.U., this is how theyre going to act.
The school, which has 44,000 students, has reported 2,518 cases.
The coronavirus has been responsible for at least 80 deaths on college campuses this year. While most of those deaths were reported in the spring and involved school employees, several students have died in recent weeks as a result of the virus.
As case numbers skyrocket across the nation, that number is expected to rise.
A nasal spray that blocks the absorption of the coronavirus completely protected ferrets it was tested on, according to a small study released Thursday by an international team of scientists. The study, which was limited to animals and has not yet been peer-reviewed, was assessed by several health experts at the request of The New York Times.
If the spray, which the scientists described as nontoxic and stable, is proved to work in humans, it could provide a new way to fight the pandemic, with a daily spritz up the nose acting like a vaccine.
Having something new that works against the coronavirus is exciting, said Dr. Arturo Casadevall, the chairman of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. I could imagine this being part of the arsenal.
The work has been underway for months by scientists from Columbia University Medical Center in New York, Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, Cornell University and the University of Campania in Italy. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Columbia University Medical Center.
The spray, which attacks the virus directly, contains a lipopeptide, a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. This particular lipopeptide exactly matches a stretch of amino acids in the spike protein of the virus, which the pathogen uses to attach to a human airway or lung cell.
Before a virus can inject its RNA into a cell, the spike must effectively unzip, exposing two chains of amino acids, in order to fuse to the cell wall. As the spike zips back up to complete the process, the lipopeptide in the spray inserts itself, latching on to one of the spikes amino acid chains and preventing the virus from attaching.
It is like you are zipping a zipper but you put another zipper inside, so the two sides cannot meet, said Matteo Porotto, a microbiologist at Columbia University and one of the papers authors.
The work was described in a paper posted to the preprint server bioRxiv Thursday morning, and has been submitted to the journal Science for peer review.
Ferrets are used by scientists studying flu, SARS and other respiratory diseases because they can catch viruses through the nose much as humans do, although they also infect each other by contact with feces or by scratching and biting.
The protective spray attaches to cells in the nose and lungs and lasts about 24 hours, Dr. Anne Moscona, a pediatrician and microbiologist at Columbia and co-author of the study.
If it works this well in humans, she said, you could sleep in a bed with someone infected or be with your infected kids and still be safe.
Global Roundup
Chinas foreign ministry issued a strong warning on Friday about the danger of imported coronavirus cases, while imposing further stringent limits on almost any arrivals of international travelers.
Wang Wenbin, the foreign ministry spokesman, said that despite a requirement of a negative nucleic acid test for coronavirus infections before travelers can board a flight to China, more and more people have been showing up with the virus. The number of imported cases grew 45 percent in October to 515 cases, compared with September, he said.
The epidemic situation abroad has deteriorated lately, and the risk of imported epidemics facing China continues to increase, Mr. Wang said at his daily news briefing.
On Friday, Chinese embassies in countries including Ethiopia, France, Italy and Russia prohibited almost all travel to China, except for Chinese nationals. That followed similar prohibitions imposed on Thursday on travel from Bangladesh, Belgium, Britain, India and the Philippines.
Since late spring, China has barred foreign tourists and business travelers, and has said that foreign residents of China could only return with special permission from a Chinese consulate or embassy. The rules this week have been aimed at blocking the return of foreign residents who have recently obtained the necessary special permission but have not yet arrived in the country.
China has also introduced a rule this week that Chinese nationals and any foreign residents still eligible to return to the country must take two tests in the 48 hours before flying and obtain approval of the results from a Chinese Embassy or consulate. These travelers must have negative results not only on a nucleic acid virus test, but also a blood test for antibodies, which measures whether someone has previously been infected or seriously exposed to the virus.
Responding to international criticism that requiring an antibody test is excessive, Mr. Wang said that nucleic acid testing by itself was not accurate enough.
He also defended another new rule this week, that the nucleic acid and antibody tests must be passed at each transit stop on a passengers trip to China. Mr. Wang said that nearly half of the imported cases in China involved people who got sick after passing a nucleic acid test shortly before traveling. Introducing another round of testing could catch some of these travelers before they reach China.
In other developments around the world:
Italy is locking down six regions in the countrys deeply infected north and highly vulnerable, and poorer, south. The measures, which start Friday, are the most drastic since a nationwide lockdown in March.
The Australian state of Victoria on Friday reported its seventh consecutive day of no locally transmitted virus cases, suggesting a three-month lockdown in the states capital of Melbourne had successfully contained a second wave outbreak. Victorias premier, Daniel Andrews, said the state remained on track to ease travel restrictions between Melbourne and other parts of the state on Sunday, but he urged people to remain vigilant.
People in Germany bought 139 percent more toilet paper in the third week of October than they did in the months before the pandemic last year, according to government data published on Thursday. Despite the uptick, the figures suggest that most people have overcome the impulse to stockpile, which Germans call hamster buying. The country tightened coronavirus restrictions this week.
The N.F.L. has fined the Las Vegas Raiders $500,000 and their head coach, Jon Gruden, an additional $150,000 and has taken away a late-round draft pick next year because of repeated violations of the leagues coronavirus protocols, according to a league employee who was not authorized to discuss the penalties publicly.
The team, which had already been fined for violations earlier in the season, is likely to appeal the latest penalties, the employee said.
Thursdays fines and the loss of a draft pick were by far the strongest punishment yet against an N.F.L. team, as the league has tried to push through a season while the coronavirus continues to rage in many areas of the United States.
The N.F.L. has increased the restrictions on where and how players, coaches and staff members can move around in and outside team facilities, and it warned teams last month that violations would result in increasingly stiffer penalties, including the loss of draft picks and potentially the forfeiting of games.
The Tennessee Titans have had the worst outbreak in the league, with at least two dozen players, coaches and staff members testing positive in a period that forced the postponement of two games and required a half-dozen other teams to juggle their schedules. The league fined the Titans $350,000 for their handling of the outbreak. But it did not take away any draft picks.
Last month, Gruden was fined $100,000 and the team was fined $250,000 because the coach had not worn his face covering properly on the sideline during a game. The team was also fined $50,000 for allowing an unauthorized visitor in the locker room.
The American economy gained 638,000 jobs last month, a sign the labor market continues to heal slowly as a resurgence in the coronavirus threatens future growth.
The unemployment rate fell sharply to 6.9 percent, from 7.9 percent in September, the Labor Department reported.
By Ella KoezeUnemployment rates are seasonally adjusted.Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
The overall job gain would have been larger without the loss of 147,000 temporary census positions.
The nation has recovered a little over half of the 22 million jobs lost after the pandemic struck in March, but the gains have softened in recent months. The economy added almost 1.8 million jobs in July and 1.5 million in August, but the figure fell to 672,000 in September.
Among the big contributors to the October increase were two industries hit hard by the pandemic: food and drink establishments, which added 192,000 jobs, and retailing, which picked up 104,000. But cooler temperatures and caution about shopping amid surging coronavirus cases threaten those gains.
Its better than expected, but were starting to see headwinds, Diane Swonk, chief economist at the accounting firm Grant Thornton in Chicago, said of the October report. The drop in the unemployment rate is welcome news, but there are still over 11 million unemployed workers.
Even as the unemployment rate has come down, joblessness for many has become more prolonged. The Labor Department said the number of long-term unemployed those without work for 27 weeks or more grew to 3.6 million in October, an increase of 1.2 million.
Millions of unemployed workers have had a harder time paying bills since an emergency federal program paying $600 a week in additional benefits expired at the end of July. Another set of federal jobless benefits will last only through the end of the year.
By Ella KoezeData is seasonally adjusted.Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning research group, estimates that more than 30 million workers have lost jobs or had their hours or pay reduced in the coronavirus-related downturn.
With the Senate remaining in Republican hands, as election returns suggest, any further relief will probably be more modest than the multitrillion-dollar package that seemed likely if a blue wave had given Democrats control of Congress and the White House. As a result, Carl Tannenbaum, chief economist at Northern Trust in Chicago, has cut his estimate of growth next year by a full percentage point.
The good news is that the U.S. job market is healing, Mr. Tannenbaum said. But full recuperation may take awhile.
Chocolate shops and stationery stores were busy as usual. Universities held in-person lectures. And workers crowded into some offices and factories, often with nothing more than a bottle of communal hand sanitizer to protect them from the rampant spread of the coronavirus.
In England on Thursday, the first hours of Lockdown 2.0, as local newspapers called it, looked very little like a lockdown at all.
The situation exposed the enormous difficulties of European governments, struck by a second wave of the coronavirus, as they try to put the genie back in the bottle after months of encouraging people to flock back to offices and pubs.
Since the spring, when lawmakers with little dissent ordered people to stay home, the political consensus around lockdown measures has collapsed. As a result, Englands new shutdown rules were shot through with loopholes, and companies openly flouted what relatively lenient restrictions were in place. At the same time, citizens and scientists alike fretted about the virus spreading unchecked for much of the winter.
It feels very much like a lockdown in name only, said Steve Gremo, a software developer in Kent, in southeast England. In March, it seemed like the country came to a complete halt. It was not the same vibe this morning at all.
The latest shutdown under which pubs, restaurants and other nonessential shops were supposed to close, but schools, universities and many workplaces were left open is slated to end on Dec. 2. But many scientists doubt that four weeks of spotty restrictions will be enough to stamp out the virus, or that the government will have done enough by then to revamp its contact tracing system to allow officials to keep track of the viruss spread for the rest of the winter.
Despite skepticism from scientists, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted on Thursday that the new restrictions would work.
This is not a repeat of the spring, he said. Four weeks is enough for these measures to make a real impact.
But the busy subways, motorways, shops and workplaces that were in evidence across England on Thursday made plain that companies were reluctant to take the same precautions they did during the first lockdown.
The coronavirus continued its deadly march in Eastern Europe on Friday. Poland, where the daily average of new cases is above 21,000, saw its highest daily death count of the pandemic 445 and admitted the first patient to its new field hospital at a stadium in Warsaw. Romania, which passed 10,000 daily cases for the first time, announced that it would close schools and implement an overnight curfew. And Hungary has declared a state of danger this week, giving its prime minister the power to rule by decree to combat the virus, though restaurants and stores are still open.
In Romania, new measures are set to go into effect Monday, including closing shops with the exception of pharmacies by 9 p.m. and requiring masks in all public spaces. Fairs and indoor markets will be closed until early December, and employees are being encouraged to work from home. Schools will move entirely online and Romanians will be required to fill out forms if they leave their homes after the nighttime curfew comes into effect.
The measures that have been taken so far are no longer enough, President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday in announcing the new restrictions.
Romania, which has recorded at least 287,000 cases of the virus and 7,663 related deaths, has one of the least developed health care systems in the European Union, and there are concerns over whether the country can handle the rising caseload.
In Poland, where demonstrators have been protesting a newly passed near-total ban on abortion, the prime minister blamed protesters for the coronavirus situation. The country announced new regulations this week. Starting Saturday, all cultural institutions, such as museums, theaters and cinemas, as well as nonessential shops in commercial centers will be closed. There will be limits on the numbers of customers in other shops, and hotels will be allowed to accept only customers traveling on business. All schooling will be online.
The country has a seven-day average above 21,000 cases, and the prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has said a new national quarantine is possible.
In Hungary, an official with the Hungarian Chamber of Doctors warned that without stricter measures to limit the virus, the situation in the country may in weeks resemble that of Italy earlier this year, according to an interview published Friday. Hungarys daily death toll is averaging more than 70, but topped 100 on Friday.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday that the government expected to need some 2,240 intensive care beds by Nov. 21 and 4,480 by Dec. 10, adding that this number represents the maximum capacity of the health care system. On Thursday, Hungarys foreign minister Peter Szijjarto, who recently tested positive for the virus, announced that the country would start importing a coronavirus vaccine from Russia for final testing and licensing in December.
Kit Gillet, Anatol Magdziarz, Monika Pronczuk and Benjamin Novak
Since Hawaii welcomed tourists back in mid-October, allowing them to skip its 14-day quarantine as long as they had a negative coronavirus test, more than 100,000 people have rushed to the islands from mainland states, exciting state officials, some hoteliers, airlines and local business owners, who for seven months have watched the states economy grind to a halt.
Instead of the quarantine, the islands began accepting a preflight coronavirus test for entry under a program it is calling Safe Travels. The state is only accepting what are known as nucleic acid amplification tests processed by specially certified laboratories, and test results from certain trusted testing and travel partners, including some airlines.
Hawaii is at the vanguard of what travel will look like for the next year or so as we reopen, said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines, one of a handful of airlines that began offering pre-travel Covid-19 tests in October.
