American workers are desperate. The U.S. economy shrank by a record 33% annual rate between April and June, as the pandemic forced countless businesses to close their doors and pushed tens of millions of Americans out of work. As of now, the unemployment rate hovers around 15%.
On top of all this, Americans lucky enough to remain employed are facing what many workers see as a serious threat to their safety and security: a proposed policy that would prevent them from suing if they get sick with COVID-19 at work.
This “liability shield” is part of Congressional Republicans’ new COVID-19 relief bill, as my colleague Alana Abramson reports. It would protect corporations, schools, religious organizations, health care organizations and nonprofits from coronavirus-related lawsuits, as long as they’re following some type of public-health guidance. Under the measure, a worker who gets sick on the job would have no legal recourse unless they could prove their employer acted with “willful misconduct or gross negligence.”
Texas Senator John Cornyn, who introduced the White House-backed proposal, says it’s about “prevent[ing] opportunistic lawsuits from harming the workers and institutions we are depending on to see us through this crisis.” But workers, labor-rights advocates and many Democratic lawmakers see it differently. To them, the liability shield would allow workplaces to get away with all but the most flagrant safety violations, potentially putting employees’ health at risk.
Opposition by Democrats means the proposal is unlikely to pass as written, since any major coronavirus bill will require bipartisan support to make its way to U.S. President Donald Trump’s desk. But it’s already sending a powerful message to American workers. Mercedes Taylor, an overnight security guard at Houston’s William P. Hobby International Airport, told Abramson she feels defeated by the proposal, even though she has no plans to sue her employer.
“We’re getting $12 an hour. We have no sick days,” Taylor said. “For them to be concerned about the liability of employers and them not being sued versus the employees who have been consistently showing up for work and providing a service? I’m very disappointed.”
More than 17.2 million people around the world had been sickened by COVID-19 as of 1 AM eastern time today, and more than 671,000 people have died.
Here is every country with over 250,000 confirmed cases:
After just shy of 100 days with no new COVID-19 cases, Vietnam has recorded its first-ever coronavirus-related death. A 70-year-old man died after contracting the virus in a hospital in the coastal city of Da Nang, according to local news outlets. The news comes as a blow to Vietnam, which has done an admirable job containing the virus via sophisticated contact-tracing and testing systems.
Hong Kong will postpone its legislative elections by a year due to a worsening COVID-19 outbreak there, leader Carrie Lam said today. Lam’s announcement sparked outcry from the pro-democracy opposition, many of whom see the plan as a strategy to slow the movement's momentum.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson today postponed some COVID-19 reopening measures—just a day before they were set to take effect—citing a concerning rise in case numbers in the country. The move means businesses including bowling alleys, wedding halls, casinos and skating rinks will not be permitted to open as planned.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's wife tested positive for COVID-19, officials confirmed yesterday. So did yet another member of Bolsonaro’s cabinet—the fifth to do so. Bolsonaro, who has frequently downplayed the threat of coronavirus, tested positive for the virus earlier in July. He said yesterday that he continues to feel weak because he has “mold in [his] lungs” after 20 days isolating at home.
The Situation in the U.S.
The U.S. recorded nearly 4.5 million coronavirus cases as of 1 AM eastern time today. More than 152,000 people have died. Here's where daily cases have risen or fallen over the last 14 days, shown in confirmed cases per 100,000 residents:
On July 30, there were 68,033 new cases and 1,233 new deaths confirmed in the U.S. Here's how the country as a whole is currently trending:
The U.S. government will pay French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi up to $2.1 billion to secure 100 million doses of its experimental coronavirus vaccine, the company announced today. The deal, part of the Trump Administration’s “Operation Warp Speed” project, will fund Sanofi and its partner GlaxoSmithKline as they test and develop their vaccine, while ensuring the U.S. gets millions of doses if it turns out to be successful. The Administration has struck multiple deals of this sort, for a total investment of more than $8 billion; the contract with Sanofi is its single largest so far.
Testifying before a Congressional subcommittee today, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, re-upped his cautious optimism about the timing of a COVID-19 vaccine. “I don’t think it’s dreaming” to think a vaccine could be ready for phased distribution by the end of the year or early 2021, he said. In prepared testimony, however, Fauci and other top U.S. health experts emphasized that it’s unclear how long the pandemic will drag on, but it will “likely continue for some time.”
During the same hearing, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield again emphasized his stance that schools should be aiming to reopen this fall for the sake of children’s health. Last week, the CDC released guidance strongly in favor of a return to in-person learning, despite the virus’ continued spread in the U.S.
A new research letter published in JAMA Pediatrics, however, may further complicate the back-to-school safety debate. Kids get seriously ill with COVID-19 much less frequently than adults, and several studies have also suggested they don’t transmit the virus as easily as older people. But the new paper—which analyzed 145 COVID-19 patients, ranging in age from five to 65 years old—found that kids carry at least as much virus in their noses and throats as adults do, suggesting children could spread the virus. While the study was small, it’s certainly cause for further research.
Buddy, a 7-year-old German shepherd from Staten Island who this spring became the first U.S. dog to test positive for COVID-19, has died, National Geographicreports. It’s unclear whether Buddy died from coronavirus or underlying cancer, veterinarians told the magazine.
All numbers unless otherwise specified are from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering, and are accurate as of July 31, 1 AM eastern time. To see larger, interactive versions of these maps and charts, click here.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD KNOW
Bill Gates Wishes ‘Experts Were Taking Charge’
Microsoft co-founder-turned-global philanthropist Bill Gates had harsh words for the U.S.’ COVID-19 response when he spoke with TIME’s Alice Park yesterday. On the whole, he said he would not give American efforts “a passing grade.” Read more here.
How a Mumbai Slum Beat the Odds
Dharavi, a Mumbai slum populated by roughly 1 million people, beat back coronavirus by aggressively seeking out sick individuals and setting up community testing centers and quarantine facilities, the Washington Post reports. Its success may hold lessons for other densely populated areas. Read more here.
Medical Nonprofits Are Hurting Financially
It’s hard to adequately describe the myriad ways COVID-19 has upended the medical world. One casualty, STAT reports, are medical nonprofits and advocacy organizations, which often rely on in-person fundraising events to power their work. Read more here.
Take It Outside
The New York Times asked its readers how they’ve shifted life outdoors to stay safe during the pandemic. The answers were often delightful, ranging from driveway cabaret concerts to forest-based psychotherapy. Read more here.
A quick programming note: the Coronavirus Brief will be off this weekend, and will return on Monday.
Thanks for reading. We hope you find the Coronavirus Brief newsletter to be a helpful tool to navigate this very complex situation, and welcome feedback at coronavirus.brief@time.com.
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Today's newsletter was written by Jamie Ducharme and edited by Alex Fitzpatrick.
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