New Jersey Finally Reopens Indoor Dining, India COVID-19 Deaths Surpass Mexico: Live Updates

Summary:

• NJ to reopen indoor dining for first time since mid-March
• Restaurant capacity will be limited to 25%
• US cases top 6 million
• Controversy over FDA Commissioner’s remarks continues
• India passes Mexico’s death toll
• Hong Kong set to restart in-person learning

* * *

As
we reported Sunday evening, the US surpassed 6 million
confirmed coronavirus cases, adding the latest million cases in 22
days, compared with just 16 days to go from 4 million to 5 million.
And as the outbreak slows, it looks like some of the most
recalcitrant states, which have until very recently been reluctant
to meaningfully roll back any of their pandemic-era emergency
orders, are finally starting to walk the long path back to (some
semblance of) normalcy.

For example, on Monday, New Jersey Gov Phil Murphy tweeted that
he would allow restaurants in the state to reopen their dining
rooms – albeit with just 25% capacity – as he works to “restore one
of our state’s key industries”.

In other words: the exodus of wealth tax payers finally
motivated Murphy to act.

NEW: Restaurants statewide
will be able to open for indoor dining beginning this FRIDAY at 25%
capacity and with social distancing between tables.

Reopening responsibly will help us restore one of our state’s key
industries while continuing to make progress against
#COVID19. pic.twitter.com/EPdEfi5Dmh

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy)
August 31, 2020

Restaurants will be allowed to reopen their dining rooms on
Friday morning for the first time since mid-March.

Unfortunately for restaurant owners, running a restaurant at
just 25% capacity would be extremely difficult – if not impossible
– to do profitably.

Restaurant owners in NJ were initially instructed that they
could reopen their dining rooms at 25% capacity on July 2. Outdoor
dining has been ongoing since June 15. But on June 29, just three
days before indoor dining was set to open,Murphy announced that he
would post plans indefinitely following a spike in new cases.

Murphy blamed overcrowded dining areas and irresponsible
citizens who refused to wear masks as justification for the
decision.

Since early July, restaurants, who spent thousands on cleaning
supplies and plexiglass dividers, have been distraught over
Murphy’s inability to offer a clear timeline for reopening,
something the governor blamed on the “unsteady rate of
transmission”.

Hospitality industry lobbyist Marilou Halvorsen, president and
CEO of the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association,
told
North Jersey.com that 30% of restaurants will close because of
business lost during the pandemic.

While we imagine thousands of Garden Staters will rush to
revisit their old favorite restaurants (at least those that are
still around), for those stuck living on rice and beans no that all
the “Trump money” has dried up, at least you can enjoy this video
of NJ.

Paris is now offering free coronavirus testing at locations in
each of its 20 districts starting Monday as it battles against a
sharp resurgence of cases that has centered mostly in France’s two
largest cities, Paris and Marseilles.

As the number of new cases tapers off in Hong Kong, high
schools will soon be able to resume face-to-face classes in phases
starting Sept. 23, according to an announcement from Secretary for
Education Kevin Yeung.

Perhaps the biggest news overnight comes out of India’, which
saw its death toll finally top Mexico’s to claim the
third-largest death toll globally.

India is fast becoming the world’s new virus epicenter as
outbreaks in both the US and Brazil slow.

The grim milestone comes a day after the world’s second-most
populous country reported its latest record jump in new infections,
which was also the most new cases reported in a day by any country
on earth.

India reported 78,512 additional cases and 971 fatalities on
Monday. It now has more than 3.6 million cases, while the death
toll is above 64,000, compared with Mexico’s. On Sunday, Mexican
health authorities reported 4,129 new confirmed novel coronavirus
cases and 339 additional deaths, bringing the total number to
595,841 cases and 64,158 deaths.

Finally, as we noted last night, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn
has doubled down on his claim, made during an interview, that the
FDA would approve a vaccine before Phase 3 trials were finished if
it thought doing so would be “appropriate”. It’s just the latest
media-assisted ‘witch hunt’ for undue political influence.