Texas sees highest single-day increase in cases

In California, more than 180 people may have been exposed by a person who had coronavirus during a religious service last week, the Butte County Public Health Department said.

“At this time, organizations that hold in-person services or gatherings are putting the health and safety of their congregations, the general public and our local ability to open up at great risk,” said Butte County Public Health Director Danette York.

“Moving too quickly through the reopening process can cause a major setback and could require us to revert back to more restrictive measures.”

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Sunday said that there haven’t been spikes in cases in the states that have reopened so far, but there are still jumps in places that haven’t.

“So this is going to be really important for us to watch the circumstances on the ground. But, you know, with reopening, what’s the key to reopening? First, we need to have good surveillance.”

Governor admits reopening is ‘a huge risk’

“About 90% of our economy is back open because we thought it was a huge risk not to reopen,” Gov. Mike DeWine said Sunday.

“But we also know it’s a huge risk in opening.”

But with greater freedoms come added responsibilities to prevent a resurgence and, in turn, another blow to the economy.

“People have to add that extra layer. We’re asking them to put masks on,” DeWine said.

And if the situation gets worse, “we’re prepared to do what we have to do to pull back,” he said.

“We don’t want to be like some of the other countries we’ve seen where they shut down, opened up, and now are starting to shut down again. That is not where we want to be. And it’s in everyone’s collective hands how we act in the next month or two, whether or not we’re going to be in that position.”

North Carolina churches can resume indoor services

Gov. Roy Cooper’s order said larger worship services were allowed as long as they were outdoors.

Cooper’s office said while it doesn’t agree with the decision, it would not appeal. Instead, it urged “houses of worship and their leaders to voluntarily follow public health guidance to keep their members safe.”

“We don’t want indoor meetings to become hotspots for the virus, and our health experts continue to warn that large groups sitting together inside for long periods of time are much more likely to cause the spread of Covid-19,” the governor’s office said.

Beaches are set to reopen

With Memorial Day approaching, beaches on the East and West coasts are starting to welcome visitors again.

In Ocean City, New Jersey, a loudspeaker reminded sun lovers every 15 minutes this weekend to “practice social distancing while walking the boardwalk and beach.”

All New Jersey beaches will open next weekend for the Memorial Day holiday and Ocean City took a “dry run” to see how well people respect the social distancing rules.

In California, Los Angeles County was the latest to re-open its shores — with new rules.

FDA authorized ‘at-home sample collection kit’

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized an “at-home sample collection kit that can then be sent to specific laboratories for Covid-19 diagnostic testing.”

The kit received an emergency use authorization Saturday. It can be used by people who have already been screened using an online questionnaire that’s reviewed by a healthcare provider.

It will allow people to “self-collect a nasal sample at home” using the kit that has been authorized, the FDA said.

“The authorization of a Covid-19 at-home collection kit that can be used with multiple tests at multiple labs not only provides increased patient access to tests, but also protects others from potential exposure,” said Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health.