Coronavirus need-to-knows: Major school districts likely won't return to in-person teaching; Rhode Island tells visitors to leave beaches

Rachel Aretakis, USA TODAY
·3 min read

Going back to school this fall – physically – is looking more and more unlikely for major school systems in the U.S., despite the CDC's new guidance.

The country's largest school systems are in far worse shape than they were this spring as the school year waned toward a closing, a USA TODAY analysis finds. In all, 11 of the 15 largest U.S. school systems are in communities adding COVID-19 cases at more than three times the rate they were in the two weeks ending May 1. Read more from our report here.

In other news, Rhode Island is telling visitors from Massachusetts and Connecticut to stay away from its beaches, and to do this, authorities are cracking down on illegal parking. And the entire Michigan State football team will quarantine or isolate over the next 14 days after a student-athlete and a second staff member tested positive for COVID-19.

📈 Today's stats: The U.S. is seeing the number of death records catch up to the number of new case records. A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins data through late Friday shows 11 states set records for new cases while 10 states had a record number of deaths.

New case records were set in Alaska, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Record numbers of deaths were reported in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Utah. Find state data here, or see details for your county here.

Today's top headlines

  • Supreme Court rules on social distancing restrictions, saying Nevada can impose tighter restrictions on churches than casinos .

  • The extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits is set to end soon and Mitch McConnell says it may take weeks to reach an agreement on a second stimulus package that would extend the weekly payment, The Washington Post reports.

  • McDonald's orders up face masks: It's the latest restaurant to chain to require customers to wear face coverings at all U.S. restaurants starting Aug. 1.

  • Dr. Fauci's on flying or eating at restaurants: It's a hard pass for the nation's top infectious disease expert, who recently told MarketWatch that he would not eat inside a restaurant or get on a flight given the current state of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.

  • Symptoms that won't go away: A CDC report finds that COVID-19 patients face a significant likelihood of lingering symptoms, even if they weren't sick enough to go to the hospital. The report follows widespread reports from "long-haulers" who report life-altering symptoms for weeks or months after first getting sick.

Dive deeper with these stories from USA TODAY Network

► Humidity, sweat and sunscreen are all typical summer elements that can wreak havoc on your skin — throw a face mask in the mix and you've got ideal conditions for breakouts. Here are some tips to avoid "maskne" from the Detroit Free Press.

► High school football coaches want to play this fall. But epidemiologists and infectious disease experts say it simply isn’t smart in most parts of the country. Read more from the IndyStar.

► One-way valves on face masks are designed to help provide more comfort by allowing air to escape the mask when users exhale. But that function also allows the coronavirus virus to spread, and some face mask mandates are banning the use of them. Read more from the Arizona Republic.

► Days from the end of enhanced unemployment benefits and a federal eviction moratorium, 24 million Americans say they have little to no chance of being able to pay next month’s rent, a U.S. Census Bureau survey shows. Check out these graphics from USA TODAY.

Contributing: Elinor Aspegren and Mike Stucka, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID updates: New CDC guidelines schools; Michigan State football