With new measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus, Senators returned to Washington on Monday. Soda machines were taped off, tables were spread out and basketball-size circles painted on the ground reminded visitors how far apart six feet is. Lawmakers were scheduled to take their first vote Monday night.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, justices conducted their first-ever oral argument by conference call. The audio was streamed live — also a first — on news sites and is available on CSPAN.
A report by the Department of Homeland Security's intelligence service details China's efforts to cover up the depth of its coronavirus outbreak while stockpiling medical supplies. The details come one day after one day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China must be held accountable for spreading the deadly virus.
More than 68,000 people have been sickened with the disease across the United States, according to an NBC News tally. New York state tops the list, with more than 25,117 deaths. More than 1 million Americans have contracted the virus.
Here's what to know about the coronavirus, plus a timeline of the most critical moments:
- MAPS: Confirmed cases in the U.S. and worldwide, confirmed deaths in the U.S. and globally.
- Reopening America: See what states across the U.S. are starting to reopen.
Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
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Miami Beach park closed after nearly 7,500 warned about masks
A popular park in Miami Beach was closed Monday after authorities issued thousands of warnings over the weekend to people who weren’t following coronavirus prevention rules, authorities said.
The city of Miami Beach tweeted that South Pointe Park was closed until further notice. Between Friday and Sunday, park rangers gave 7,329 verbal warnings to people in the city, most of them at the park, according to the city.
“Friendly reminder that you MUST wear a face cover when enjoying any one of our” parks, the city tweeted.
Florida’s statewide stay-at-home order expired Thursday, and many businesses, beaches and parks have reopened with social distancing and other rules in place.
Third inmate at Kansas prison dies from COVID-19
A third inmate has died at a Kansas prison where a riot broke out in a cell block at least partly over coronavirus cases in early April.
The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a statement that an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility who tested positive for the illness on Friday died Monday, NBC affiliate KSHB of Kansas City reported.
That is the third inmate at the prison in Lansing to have died from COVID-19, according to the state corrections department. A spokesperson for the department did not immediately return an email seeking comment early Tuesday.
As of Monday, there have been 380 "residents" there who have tested positive, and 289 are asymptomatic, according to the state corrections department. There have also been 88 staff who have tested positive. Fifty-two inmates have recovered and 22 staff have returned to work, according to its website.
The corrections department says the increase in inmate cases was due to the testing of all residents in an open-dormitory living unit. Kansas Department of Corrections Secretary Jeff Zmuda announced Thursday that all people housed at the prison, which was 1,732 men at that time, would be tested for the coronavirus.
Mississippi relaxes some orders days after governor delayed idea
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday said he is allowing in-room and outdoor dining at restaurants and relaxing rules about outside gatherings put in place to limit the spread of the coronavirus illness COVID-19.
The announcement comes days after Reeves said he was delaying further steps after the state saw its highest single-day reporting of cases and deaths, although at the time he noted some of the newly reported deaths happened previously but were newly classified as related to the disease.
Outdoor and in-room dining will be allowed at restaurants, with restrictions like social distancing and 50 percent capacity. Outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people will be allowed.
"It is not a dive into the deep end," the governor said.
The state health department on Monday reported 327 new cases and seven deaths. On Friday when the state saw its highest single-day reported increase there were 397 new cases and 20 deaths, which included 11 people who had previously died.
Fewer players will be allowed once Nevada casino gambling resumes
There will be fewer players at blackjack and craps tables at casinos once Nevada lifts its temporary ban on gambling, regulators have said in documents.
Casinos must keep crowds at 50 percent of the occupancy limit, according to documents released Friday by the state's gaming control board.
Chairs must be removed so people at gaming machines like slot machines don't sit next to each other, and blackjack tables should be limited to three players, craps to six and roulette and poker to four. Casinos must submit plans on spacing as well as sanitation and other measures. Those must include how things like dice, cards and chips will be disinfected.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak in March ordered the suspension of all gaming operations in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus and the illness it causes, COVID-19, and it is unclear when the ban will be lifted.
The governor last week said that casino gambling will not be in the first phase of reopening, which is expected to last at least two to three weeks. He has extended his stay-at-home directive until May 15, but eased some restrictions.
South Korea readying for second wave by setting up 1,000 clinics
South Korea's government will set up 1,000 clinics to treat potential coronavirus patients in the coming months in preparation for a possible second wave of COVID-19 this fall and winter, the vice health minister said.
"Clinics dedicated to treating COVID-19 patients will open so that we can detect and treat the patients early on," Kim Gang-lip, the vice health minister in charge of the government response to the COVID-19 crisis, said in a briefing. "Five hundred clinics using the public healthcare centers will open first, then private clinics will join them.”
There have been more than 10,800 confirmed cases in the country with 252 deaths, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. More than 9,200 of people with confirmed cases have been discharged from isolation.
South Korea on Monday announced plans to reopen schools starting next week, the Yonhap news agency reported. The education minister warned that the school reopening should not be considered as "the end of the coronavirus," and that teachers, parents and students should closely follow guidelines.
Report: By June 1, daily death the toll could reach 3,000
Businesses manage expectations, safety while reopening
Businesses in several states reopened their doors Monday, hopeful to bring back customers while managing expectations and safety during the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday marked another key date for states that are beginning to partly lift some social distancing restrictions in a test of how to safely reignite the economy during the pandemic, which has caused almost 1.2 million known cases in the U.S., with nearly 70,000 deaths.
Violent encounter in New York City prompts concerns about unequal policing of social distancing
A violent encounter between a New York City police officer and a bystander that police said began as an attempt to enforce social distancing rules has prompted concerns about unequal policing.
New York City's public advocate Jumaane Williams posted pictures on Twitter on Sunday — one of swarms of white people sitting in parks and three images from what appeared to depict encounters between police and people of color.
One of the images was a still from a video captured Saturday that has been widely shared online and showed a plainclothes police officer, who was not wearing a mask, pointing a Taser at bystanders on Avenue D in the East Village in Manhattan. NBC News has not been able to verify what happened before or after the events shown on the video. The video also depicted the officer, who has been identified by The New York Times and other media outlets as Francisco Garcia, punching and slapping one man to the ground.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on Twitter Sunday night that he was "really disturbed" by the video and that the behavior he saw in it "is simply not acceptable."