Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary, Katie Miller, has tested positive for coronavirus, Trump confirmed today.
Miller who also handled communications for the coronavirus task force said she was asymptomatic, according to NBC News.
Pence was delayed for nearly an hour for this trip to Iowa this morning. Six Staffers who had contact with the infected aide were removed from his plane, according to a senior administration official.
The confirmation came one day after the news that a personal valet for President Trump tested positive for the virus.
It is the second time the White House has announced a Pence staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. The first tested positive in March.
As of Friday, more than 75,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, and more than 1.2 million have tested positive.
“We are finally ahead of this virus,” Cuomo said.
For the first time since the pandemic outbreak, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared on Friday that his state is finally ahead of its battle against the coronavirus.
“Now I feel for the first time we’re actually ahead of it. We have shown that we can control the beast,” Cuomo said.
Total hospitalizations are down to 8,196, from more than 18,000 at the peak. The daily death toll is at about 200, down from a high of nearly 800, Cuomo said at a press briefing.
He also predicted the state to “see a steady sharp decline” in new hospitalizations, which are still around 600 a day.
Cuomo urged residents to stay cautious as another wave could hit in the future.
“We haven’t killed the beast, but we’re ahead of it,” he said. “We are ahead of it, and we are in control of our own destiny.”
NY Pause, the name for the state’s stay-at-home measures, will still continue until May 15, Cuomo said.
California starts to reopen today
America’s most populated state California is taking the first significant step to reopen its economy on Friday by easing restrictions for certain businesses.
California Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled his plan to allow small retail stores to open.
Select retailers such as clothing, flowers, furniture and books can reopen to curbside pickup and delivery options. In-store shopping is still not permitted.
Friday’s move is the first of two phases in “Stage 2″ of the state’s four-part reopening plan.
In hard-hit Los Angeles County, the state’s epicenter, Mayor Eric Garcetti warned that reopening is not “the flipping on of a switch.”
Garcetti added that local beaches will remain closed.
Shanghai Disneyland reopening tickets sell out in minutes
On the other side of the world in Shanghai, China, people can not wait to jump at a chance to visit the amusement park for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak forced the park to close on Jan. 25.
Tickets for Monday’s reopening of Shanghai Disney sold out within minutes, according to NPR.
The park’s officials said that visitors will be required to wear face masks at all times unless they are eating.
Visitors are also required to practice physical distancing.
There will be no selfies with famous Disney characters and crowd-oriented features, such as children’s play areas and theater shows, will remain shut down.
“I screamed when I got the ticket,” Shanghai resident Shuwen Chen said. “I’ve been waiting for months to hang out with my friends at Disneyland.”
The park usually sees around 80,000 visitors per day, according to CNBC, but the government has mandated Disney operate at 30% capacity.
