Melbourne to remain in hard lockdown despite fall in Covid-19 cases

The Australian city of Melbourne will remain on a strict "Stage 4" lockdown until at least September 28, despite the daily average number of new Covid-19 cases dropping into double-digits.

Stage 4 restrictions were due to expire on September 14, however the government of Premier Daniel Andrews said today that the city would not be in a safe enough position to do so.

Melbourne has suffered through the toughest restrictions felt by Australians through the Covid-19 pandemic, as the city has felt the brunt of a brutal second wave of coronavirus.

The cases: At least 19,542 cases and 666 deaths have been recorded in the state of Victoria, the vast majority coming from the capital Melbourne in July and August. New South Wales, the next worst-hit Australian state, has recorded 4,114 cases and 52 deaths, mostly in April. 

What the Stage 4 restrictions mean: They include the closure of all non-essential businesses, a curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. local time each day and restrictions on who may go outside and for how long.

Some minor changes will come into effect as of Sunday, September 13: The curfew will be pushed back to 9 p.m. and outdoor socializing with one other person will be allowed, Andrews said.

What to watch for: Further restrictions will be removed gradually from September 28 should the 14-day average for new cases per day be between 30 and 50. That includes public gatherings increased to a maximum of five people, some businesses reopened and some students allowed back to class.

If the 14-day average in new daily cases is below five as of October 26, the curfew will be lifted and residents will not need a valid reason to leave their home. 

Saturday saw 63 new cases of Covid-19 in Victoria and five deaths added to the total.

The NFL's Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals will be allowed to host up to 6,000 spectators at two home games scheduled for September and October, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Saturday.

DeWine granted the two NFL teams variances to the state's sports order put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus. 

For the Browns, the games are on September 17 against the Bengals and September 27 against the Washington Football Team. For the Bengals, the games are October 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars and October 25 against the Browns.

At each of the four games, only 1,500 spectators will be allowed on either side of the stadium. Everyone must wear a face mask and use the designated entrance for their ticket.

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At least three of the companies working to develop a coronavirus vaccine are putting together an unusual joint pledge promising not to seek approval for their vaccines until they have been proven safe and effective, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. 

The Wall Street Journal said the pledge would be aimed at calming worries about a rush to approve a vaccine early, before trials have adequately demonstrated whether any experimental immunizations really work. 

The newspaper said it reviewed a draft of the statement that was being finalized by companies that include Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. Pfizer and Moderna have vaccines in late-stage, Phase 3 clinical trials in the US; Johnson & Johnson is preparing to start one.

It quoted “two people familiar with the matter” as saying the pledge may be released next week.

Moderna said in an email to CNN that it had “no comment on any potential outreach, but reaffirms our own commitment to ensuring that safety and efficacy data from our Phase 1, 2 and 3 trials drive any regulatory decisions regarding use of our COVID-19 vaccine candidate.”

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson did not immediately return CNN’s requests for comment. A spokesperson for GlaxoSmithKline, which also has a coronavirus vaccine in clinical trials in the US, was unable to confirm reports about a pledge.

Kristina Mladenovic returns a shot during the second round of the US Open on Wednesday, September 2. Seth Wenig'/AP

The women’s doubles tennis team of Kristina Mladenovic and Timea Babos has withdrawn from the US Open Tennis Championships in New York following the identification of a player who had “prolonged close contact” with another tennis player who tested positive for Covid-19, according to a statement from the US Open.

Quarantine notices were issued to all players who were in prolonged close contact with the unidentified player with Covid-19 and any players in quarantine are prevented from traveling to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City from Nassau County, where all the players are staying, the US Open said.

An aerial view of Mantoloking, New Jersey, in 2019. Thomas P. Costello/Asbury Park Press/USA Today Network

The borough of Mantoloking, New Jersey, has pulled all lifeguards for the remainder of its beach season after one of them tested positive for Covid-19.

The borough has warned beachgoers who may have come in contact with the lifeguard to get tested.

In a message on its official website, Mantoloking said the lifeguard worked on the stand on Aug. 22 and 23. As a precaution, it suspended lifeguards on its beaches on Aug. 27, but the beaches remain open for patrons to swim at their own risk.

Beach badges will remain available for sale, the website said. Social distancing is required and cleaning staff will continue to patrol the beaches through Labor Day.

The state of New York continued to have a Covid-19 infection rate below 1% for the 29th straight day, a release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office said.

There were two additional deaths associated with the virus across the state yesterday, according to the release.

There are now 147 Covid-19 cases in Maine and three deaths associated with an outbreak from an August wedding in Millinocket, the state’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spokesperson Robert Long told CNN.

Those numbers include an outbreak at a building that houses York County Jail and cases associated with the Maplecrest Rehabilitation Center, Long said.

The state has a total of 4,667 cases of Covid-19 and 134 deaths associated with the virus, according to the state’s Covid-19 website.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 26.6 million worldwide and killed more than 875,000. Here's what you need to know.

US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams attends an event in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, September 3. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

US states should be prepared to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by November 1 "just in case" one is ready, US Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has asked public health officials in the states to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine by late October or early November.

More than 6.2 million people have been infected in the US since the pandemic began, and 187,768 people have died, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Adams said the guidance is "just in case" a vaccine is approved by that time, reiterating comments by public health officials that such an event is possible but not probable.

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