Coronavirus Briefing: What Happened Today

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/22/us/coronavirus-today.html

Version 2 of 29.

This is the Coronavirus Briefing, an informed guide to the global outbreak. Sign up here to get the briefing by email.

A new study found that hydroxychloroquine, the antimalaria drug promoted by President Trump, may actually harm coronavirus patients.

An early-stage trial of a vaccine developed in China and tested on 108 people appears to be safe and may offer protection against the virus.

Mr. Trump declared houses of worship “essential services” and ordered governors to let them reopen.

Get the latest updates here, plus maps and a tracker for U.S. metro areas.

The U.S. is about to kick off its first major holiday weekend since the pandemic began — and it’s going to be unlike any other, with most of the traditional activities off limits or significantly restricted.

But the virus doesn’t have to spoil your holiday plans. With some precautions, it’s still possible to honor the fallen and enjoy the warm weather while lowering your risk of infection. Here are some tips to stay safe:

Though many memorial events have been canceled, some are being adapted, like a “virtual flag garden” in Massachusetts and a streamed service for veterans in Minnesota.

The biggest risk of swimming in pools, lakes or the ocean is your exposure to other people, not the water itself — other coronaviruses have proved to be unstable in water and highly sensitive to chlorine. Being able to avoid others, both in and near the water, is the key to safe swimming.

Ideally, you should socialize only with people in your household. But if you decide to gather with others, it’s best to do so outdoors. Keep the group small, and stay at least six feet apart.

The safest picnic is with your family, but if you invite guests, they should bring their own food, drinks, ice and coolers and sit at their own tables. Wear masks for long conversations, and have hand sanitizer available or set up a hand-washing station.

Be prepared for transformed airports. During security screenings, you’ll be asked to scan your own boarding pass and put any food you’ve brought in a separate bin to prevent cross-contamination. And the 3.4-ounce rule has been relaxed for hand sanitizer: You’re allowed to bring up to 12 ounces on board.

The Times is providing free access to much of our coronavirus coverage, and our Coronavirus Briefing newsletter — like all of our newsletters — is free. Please consider supporting our journalism with a subscription.

If you plan to hit the beach this weekend, read up on the local rules and go only if you can avoid crowds. (There may even be a webcam that you can check first.) But be warned: Some states, counties and communities are limiting access to locals only.

Here’s a look at how some states are regulating beaches at the start of the summer:

California: Beaches in 15 counties are open for “active use,” which does not include lounging on beach towels.

New Jersey: The second phase of reopening the Jersey Shore begins this weekend. Sunbathing is allowed, but swimming is not expected to be permitted until July.

Florida: Most beaches are open, but many are restricting activities and large gatherings, and some have reduced hours. Beaches in Miami remain closed but are planning to reopen on June 1.

Massachusetts: Beaches will reopen for swimming on Memorial Day, but volleyball is banned and sunbathers must place their towels 12 feet apart.

New York City: Mayor Bill de Blasio said that, for now, beaches are intended only for those who live near them, and not for swimming. The city is considering opening beaches for bathers in early June.

The corner of Lafayette and East Fourth Streets in Manhattan used to be a busy thoroughfare, with coffee shops, gyms and hurried N.Y.U. students walking between classes. But during the pandemic, the usual sounds of the city have gone quiet. Hear it for yourself here.

Updated June 2, 2020

Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission.

Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home.

States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.

Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.

Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.

If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)

More than 40 million people — the equivalent of 1 in 4 U.S. workers — have filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic took hold. One in five who were working in February reported losing a job or being furloughed in March or the beginning of April, data from a Federal Reserve survey released on May 14 showed, and that pain was highly concentrated among low earners. Fully 39 percent of former workers living in a household earning $40,000 or less lost work, compared with 13 percent in those making more than $100,000, a Fed official said.

Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications.

The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.

If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.

If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.

Is your bad mood something more? You may want to contemplate whether the coronavirus has simply put you in a funk, or if you have depression that should be evaluated and treated. You can familiarize yourself with depression’s physical and mental markers.

Try a new board game. These travel-themed games will transport you to Renaissance Florence, Barcelona, Istanbul and beyond with just the roll of a die.

Host your own summer camp. Ask your kids what they were most looking forward to about camp — then help them grieve their losses and figure out which parts you can recreate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several state health departments have come under fire for mixing antibody and viral tests in their reported results, in a way that experts say could distort the true picture of the pandemic.

Are you more likely to die from the coronavirus or from driving to work, skydiving or being a soldier in a war? A former academic physicist puts the risk into perspective.

See what it was like inside one of the hardest-hit hospitals in New York during the peak of the city’s outbreak.

Hundreds of companies have canceled their summer internship programs, undercutting a steppingstone to employment for young people.

After losing some customers to rivals during the pandemic, Amazon is trying to lure them back with faster shipping times and big sales.

A teenage girl crossed India on a $20 bike to get her father safely home amid the crisis.

My 12-year-old grandson and I are writing a book called “Coronavirus: A Novel.” The idea is to create a keepsake of our experience and to pass it on to his future offspring. The process is pretty much like improv. One of us writes a fictional passage and leaves off midstream. The other continues the story in whatever direction they lead it.

— Barbara Seldin, San Diego

Let us know how you’re dealing with the outbreak. Send us a response here, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter.

Sign up here to get the briefing by email.

Email your thoughts to briefing@nytimes.com. Did a friend forward you the briefing? Sign up here.