The U.S. coronavirus death toll neared 55,000 early Monday, with more than 972,000 confirmed cases, according to NBC News’ tally.
The grim milestone comes as the White House coronavirus task force coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx warned that many of the social distancing measures that have upended American life will be a fixture through the summer.
To get a more accurate picture of the virus’ spread, the U.S. needs a “breakthrough” on coronavirus testing, she said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday.
Meanwhile in Italy, Europe’s hardest hit country, the prime minister laid out plans for a phased end to restrictions, including the opening of restaurants and libraries in mid-May.
Here’s what to know about the coronavirus, plus a timeline of the most critical moments:
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New Zealand set to lift some restrictions
New Zealand will lift some of its strictest coronavirus restrictions on Monday night after four weeks of lockdown. Prime Minister Ardern warned that “we must make sure that we do not let the virus run away on us again and cause a new wave of cases and deaths”.
Residents will be permitted to reconnect with close family, bring caregivers into the home and some people will be allowed to return to work. Those displaced when the lockdown came into place will be permitted to travel. Public gatherings remain banned.
The current restrictions will be put in place for two weeks before the government considers further loosening. The country of 5 million has seen 1,469 confirmed coronavirus cases and 18 deaths.
South Korea mulls reopening schools
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea reported only 10 new cases of the coronavirus, its 26th straight day below 100 as officials mulled reopening schools amid the slowing caseload.
The figures released by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday brought the national totals to 10,738 cases and 243 deaths.
At least 1,044 infections have been linked to international arrivals, but such cases have also declined in recent weeks amid tightened border controls.
NFL draft averages record 8.4M viewers across 3 days
Seth Markman was just as nervous as NFL coaches and general managers about the unknown factors involved with a virtual draft. But the ESPN executive producer said he was overwhelmed with how everything came together over the three days.
It also ended up being must-see TV as the first significant live sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic ground everything to a halt. The draft averaged a record 8.4 million viewers over all three days, according to the NFL and Nielsen. The previous high was 6.2 million last year.
“I thought a coach or general manager might put a towel on the camera or point it another direction, but there were zero issues,” Markman said. “There were a couple times that we lost a feed or two, but it quickly came back.”
