August 1 coronavirus news

By Helen Regan, Steve George, Ivana Kottasová, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 12:04 a.m. ET, August 2, 2020
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10:52 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

GOP convention closed to press, portions will be livestreamed due to social distancing restrictions

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Ryan Nobles

2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) signage is displayed inside the Spectrum Center during a media walk-through in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 12, 2019.
2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) signage is displayed inside the Spectrum Center during a media walk-through in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 12, 2019. Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The dramatically scaled-down Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, will be closed to the press, a convention spokesperson and Republican official familiar with the plans tell CNN.

Reporters will not be allowed on site as RNC delegates vote to formally nominate President Donald Trump as the 2020 Republican presidential nominee, but the vote will be livestreamed, the Republican official said.

The restriction is unprecedented in modern American political history, but Republican officials said they were forced to limit attendance due to social distancing restrictions imposed by the governor of North Carolina.

"Given the health restrictions and limitations in place within the state of North Carolina, we are planning for the Charlotte activities to be closed press Friday, August 21 -- Monday, August 24," the RNC convention spokesperson said in a statement Saturday.
"We are happy to let you know if this changes, but we are working within the parameters set before us by state and local guidelines regarding the number of people who can attend events," the spokesperson said.

The news was first reported by the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced numerous changes to the nominating process and RNC plans have repeatedly shifted -- with more changes potentially to come. Trump canceled convention activities in Jacksonville, Florida, late last month.

Read the full story:

10:15 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

China reports 49 new coronavirus cases

From CNN's Isaac Yee in Hong Kong

A health worker carries out a Covid-19 test on a resident in a testing vehicle in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province on July 29.
A health worker carries out a Covid-19 test on a resident in a testing vehicle in Shenyang in China's northeastern Liaoning province on July 29. Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

China registered 49 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the National Health Commission said on Sunday morning.

Of those, 33 were classed as locally transmitted, with 30 cases in the far western region of Xinjiang.

The other three locally transmitted cases were reported in Liaoning, a northeastern province bordering North Korea.

Some 20 asymptomatic cases were also recorded, the NHC said.

The NHC also reported 16 imported cases, found in regions across China including Shanghai, Shandong and Hubei.

9:19 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

Mexico reports highest single-day jump in coronavirus cases and deaths

From journalist Karol Suarez in Mexico City 

Mexico recorded its highest daily increase of new coronavirus cases Saturday, with 9,556 infections reported in the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said. 

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the country stands at 434,193. 

The ministry also reported a new daily high of 784 fatalities related to the virus, bringing the death toll to 47,472. 

This comes a day after Mexico surpassed the United Kingdom's total number of coronavirus deaths, becoming the country with third highest number of Covid-19 fatalities, according to Johns Hopkins University data. 

CNN is tracking worldwide coronavirus cases here:

9:30 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

MLB officially postpones Sunday's Brewers vs. Cardinals game

From CNN's Kevin Dotson

Brewers players are shown warming up at Miller Park in Milwaukee on July 31.
Brewers players are shown warming up at Miller Park in Milwaukee on July 31. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentine via USA Today

Major League Baseball announced the postponement of Sunday’s scheduled doubleheader between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Milwaukee Brewers just hours after postponing Saturday night’s game between the two teams.

From the MLB's press release:

"Due to additional testing and monitoring of the St. Louis Cardinals’ players and staff members, the Sunday doubleheader between the host Milwaukee Brewers and the Cardinals at Miller Park has been postponed. The Cardinals will play four games against the Tigers in Detroit from Tuesday-Thursday, including a Wednesday doubleheader. The Cardinals and Tigers will serve as the home Club for two games each at Comerica Park. The Brewers will play this week’s home-and-home series vs. the Chicago White Sox as scheduled."
8:23 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

Delta flight returns to gate after travelers refuse to wear masks

From CNN's Jennifer Selva

A Delta flight was forced to return to the gate when two of their customers wouldn’t wear masks, according to Delta Air Lines spokesperson Emma Protis.

Protis told CNN in an email that Flight 1227 on July 23 was on its way from Detroit to Atlanta when they were forced to turn around.

Delta released the following statement to CNN:

Flight 1227 from Detroit to Atlanta returned to the gate following two customers who were non-compliant with crew instructions. After a short delay, the aircraft departed to Atlanta."

The two passengers were removed from the plane, Protis said.

According to Delta's website, "Delta customers and employees are required to wear a face mask, or appropriate cloth face covering over their nose and mouth throughout their travel, aligning with best practice guidelines from the CDC."

8:12 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

No one attending the scaled-back Hajj in Saudi Arabia has contracted Covid-19, health ministry says

From CNN’s Jomana Karadsheh and Sharif Paget

Muslim pilgrims maintain social distancing as they circle the Kaaba in the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday, July 31.
Muslim pilgrims maintain social distancing as they circle the Kaaba in the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia on Friday, July 31. AFP/Getty Images

No one attending this year’s scaled-back Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia has contracted Covid-19 so far, the country’s health ministry said Saturday.  

The Muslim ritual, which started on Tuesday and ends on Sunday, normally hosts more than 2 million people, but after the coronavirus outbreak, Saudi authorities were forced to ban international visitors wishing to perform Hajj this year.

The Kingdom started preparing for the scaled down Hajj in February and after selecting 1,000 pilgrims – Saudis and foreign residents in the country, between the ages of 20 and 50 – enforced a 14-day pre-Hajj quarantine, tested them, provided trainings on social distancing and monitored the pilgrims, Dr. Abdullah Assiri, assistant deputy minister for preventative health at the Saudi Ministry of Health, told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.  

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, congratulated Saudi Arabia Thursday for the steps it took, calling it a "powerful demonstration of the kinds of measures that countries can – and must – take to adapt to the new normal."

According to the Saudi health ministry, the kingdom registered 1,573 new coronavirus cases and 21 deaths on Saturday. 

Saudi Arabia has the highest number of cases in the Arab world with 277,478 infections, according to the ministry’s latest tally. 

8:18 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

South Africa coronavirus cases surpass 500,000

From CNN's Jennifer Hauser

South Africa's National Department of Health reported over 10,000 new Covid-19 cases Saturday, bringing the total number of infections recorded in the country to more than 500,000. 

A total of 503,290 cases have been confirmed in the country, including more than 8,100 deaths, according to the Health Department.

South Africa is the hardest hit country on the continent. It has recorded the fifth highest number of cases in the world, according to Johns Hopkins University.

8:18 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

Colombia records largest daily jump in new infections as total cases surpass 300,000

From journalist Stefano Pozzebon in Bogota

Health workers prepare to test people for coronavirus at a metro station in Medellin, Colombia, on July 6.
Health workers prepare to test people for coronavirus at a metro station in Medellin, Colombia, on July 6. Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP/Getty Images

Colombia reported a new record of daily coronavirus cases after 10,673 new infections were recorded on Saturday, bringing the total to 306,181, its health ministry said.

The ministry also registered 225 coronavirus-related deaths, the lowest death toll in 10 days, raising the country's deaths to 10,330. 

Despite the surge of coronavirus cases in the past two weeks, the Colombian government is pushing for a lockdown of only the most affected communities, while large parts of the country have started partially reopening.

The state of emergency in Colombia is set to last through August 30.

6:51 p.m. ET, August 1, 2020

Brazil records more than 45,000 new coronavirus cases

From journalist Fernanda Wenzel in Porto Alegre

Brazil recorded 45,392 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 2.7 million, its health ministry announced Saturday.

The country reported 1,088 new deaths due to the virus, raising the nationwide death toll to 93,563.

Brazil has the second most Covid-19 cases and deaths worldwide after the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University data.