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The U.S. is keeping its borders with Canada and Mexico closed for another month in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf said Monday restrictions on non-essential travel will be extended through Nov. 21.
The announcement comes days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it would keep its borders closed until the U.S. gains control of the coronavirus.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set Tuesday as a deadline for Democrats and the White House to reach a deal on a coronavirus relief bill before Election Day. That day is here.
Pelosi reported some progress on a deal late Monday, telling MSNBC: “Finally, they have come to the table and we’re going to try to get something done.”
Some significant developments:
- Fargo became the first city in North Dakota to issue a face mask mandate on Monday amid the state’s rising coronavirus caseload.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a “strong recommendation” for people to wear a mask on trains, planes, buses and other transportation.
- As states finalize their distribution plans for a COVID-19 vaccine, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state will independently review any FDA-approved vaccines before passing one out.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 8.2 million cases and 220,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins data. The global totals: More than 40.3 million cases and 1.1 million deaths.
📚Read this: The latest in USA TODAY’s Deadly Discrimination series looks at how systemic racism in the San Francisco Bay Area is making COVID-19 especially lethal for Asian Americans.
🗺️ Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.
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Nancy Pelosi’s deadline for COVID-19 stimulus bill by Election Day is Tuesday
The clock is ticking for Democrats and Republicans to reach a COVID-19 relief deal after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set a Tuesday deadline for both sides to come together to restore urgently needed benefits before Election Day.
Both sides are struggling to cut a deal weeks before the election. Democrats and Republicans are hundreds of billions of dollars apart in their proposals and unable to resolve major policy differences on COVID-19 testing, child tax credit provisions and funding for state and local governments.
Congress passed a comprehensive aid package in March, and many of its provisions have lapsed. The federal boost to unemployment benefits ran out in July, airline assistance expired in October, and Americans weathering an economic recession eagerly await another round of relief checks.
President Donald Trump ended relief talks at the beginning of the month, telling Senate Republicans to focus instead on the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, but he reversed course, reopening negotiations with congressional Democrats. Here’s the latest on negotiations.
– Nicholas Wu
Gov. Tate Reeves issues new mask mandate for 9 Mississippi counties
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves announced Monday that a mask mandate will be reinstated for nine counties in an effort to combat the rise of COVID-19 cases in the state. All residents in the impacted counties will be required to wear a mask in all public areas where it’s not possible to maintain six feet of distance. In addition, all private and public social gatherings will be limited to 10 people while indoors and 50 people outdoors. The order will not apply to churches, classrooms or voting precincts.
The mandate comes come as Mississippi is experiencing a rise in cases following the expiration of the state’s mask mandate at the end of September. The new executive order will begin at 8 a.m. Wednesday and remain in effect until Nov. 11.
– Keisha Rowe, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Baltimore hotel offers free lodging for people who can’t quarantine at home
A historic Baltimore hotel has been repurposed amid the coronavirus pandemic, serving as a free isolation center for people with COVID-19. Since May, more than 600 people have come through the Lord Baltimore Hotel’s doors, The Baltimore Sun reported. Referrals to the city’s Triage, Respite, and Isolation Center come from hospitals as well as homeless shelters and recovery houses. It’s intended for people who aren’t sick enough to require hospitalization but who can’t self-isolate at home.
The initiative is a partnership between Baltimore and the University of Maryland Medical System. It’s being funded through $103 million the city received from the federal coronavirus relief bill. While those dollars expire in December, city officials plan to seek funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to keep it open longer, the newspaper reported.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers limits gatherings, bar capacity
A Wisconsin judge has revived Gov. Tony Evers’ order limiting public gatherings, including the number of customers who may visit bars and restaurants at one time. Judge James Babler denied a motion from the Tavern League of Wisconsin and two bars to continue to block the Evers administration’s latest health emergency order after a ruling last week by a Sawyer County judge that prevented enforcement of the order temporarily.
Babler, who was appointed by former Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, said the plaintiffs could not show they were complying with the order and therefore hadn’t proven they were harmed by it. “This critically important ruling will help us prevent the spread of this virus by restoring limits on public gatherings,” Evers said in a statement.
– Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
California to independently review FDA-approved vaccines
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said his state won’t allow distribution of coronavirus vaccines until it is reviewed by the state’s own panel of experts — no matter who wins the presidential election next month. The governor named 11 doctors and scientists to review any rollout of vaccines by the federal government or vaccine developers. The board members hail from top California top universities and medical providers, along with state and local public health officials.
Newsom’s position pledge raises the possibility that California’s 40 million residents might not receive a vaccine as distribution begins in other states.
COVID resources from USA TODAY
Contributing: The Associated Press
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