Virus Outbreak, ADVISORY

The number of laid-off workers applying for unemployment aid fell below 1 million for the first time since the pandemic intensified in March, though applications remain at an extraordinarily high level. The Labor Department said that applications fell to 963,000, the second straight drop, from 1.2 million the previous week. The decline suggests that layoffs are slowing, though last week’s figure is still above the pre-pandemic record of just under 700,000.

The AP plans the following coverage today of the virus outbreak. For up-to-the minute information, visit AP Newsroom’s coverage hub Find AP Virus Alerts here

SENT/DEVELOPING:

VIRUS OUTBREAK: The number of laid-off workers applying for unemployment aid fell below 1 million last week for the first time since the pandemic intensified five months ago yet still remains at a high level. The viral pandemic keeps forcing layoffs just as the expiration of a $600-a-week federal jobless benefit has deepened the hardships for many. SENT; developing. With VIRUS OUTBREAK-THE LATEST.

FINANCIAL MARKETS: The S&P 500 again crossed above its record high but closed just below that level for the second day in a row. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LATINOS-MISINFORMATION: False claims and conspiracy theories, ranging from bogus cures to the idea that the coronavirus is a hoax, have dogged efforts to control the pandemic from the beginning. While bad information is a problem for everyone, it can pose a particular threat to communities of people of color who already face worse outcomes from the virus. Among Latinos in the U.S., misinformation around the coronavirus has found fertile ground because many in their communities have higher levels of distrust in government, less access to medical care and may need to be reached by Spanish-language public health resources. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SCHOOL BOARD DILEMMA: School boards nationwide are facing what one South Carolina leader calls an impossible decision. It’s a simple question: Do we return to school amid the coronavirus pandemic? But officials say there are no right or easy answers. SENT: 1420 words, photos, video. A 990-word abridged also has been sent.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-SPAIN'S SECOND WAVE: Spain is facing another surge in coronavirus infections not even two months after beating back the first wave. A field hospital being set up by the army in Zaragoza is a grim reminder of the tragic months of March and April. But there appears to be no single reason why Spain is struggling more than its European neighbors.SENT: 980 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-RWANDA-NEW TESTING: Like many countries, Rwanda is finding it impossible to test each of its citizens for the coronavirus amid shortages of supplies. But researchers there have created an approach that’s drawing attention beyond the African continent. SENT: 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-FRANCE INJUSTICE: The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare deep disparities across economic and racial lines in France’s health care system. Two recent studies demonstrated how the virus has hit France’s poorest communities and its Africa- and Asia-born populations hardest. SENT: 830 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DISRUPTED FAITH: The coronavirus is challenging people of all faiths to find ways to worship and observe religious occasions. SENT: 750 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VIRAL QUESTIONS-FOUNTAIN: Is it safe to drink from a fountain during the pandemic? There’s no evidence you can get COVID-19 from the water itself. SENT: 300 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-CONGRESS: Americans counting on emergency coronavirus aid from Washington may have to wait until fall. Negotiations over a new coronavirus aid package have all but ended. SENT: 640 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-GERMANY: Officials in Germany’s Bavaria state have acknowledged that tens of thousands of travelers tested for the coronavirus upon entering the country over the past two weeks are still waiting to find out whether they were infected. SENT: 760 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BOLIVIA: Bolivia’s political crisis is adding to the burden on its health care system as the coronavirus spreads across one of Latin America’s poorest countries. SENT: 650 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ASIA: The coronavirus outbreak centered in Australia’s second-largest city showed a decline in new infections, though the state’s leader urged continued vigilance. Includes developments from throughout Asia. SENT: 510 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-LIVES LOST-SHAKESPEARE LADY: A Connecticut woman who became famous for her gritty and colorful performances of Shakespeare on the streets of a college town has died of the coronavirus. SENT: 1100 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DIARY-EPICENTER VACATION: The CDC recommends staying at home as much as possible to avoid spreading coronavirus, “especially if your trip is not essential.” But as the pandemic stretches beyond the horizon, one writer needed to provide his family with a change of scenery from their home in Georgia. SENT: 660 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ONE GOOD THING-ICE POP: When 6-year-old Amiyah Dantzler-Clay and her 5-year-old brother Jayden saw a police officer parked in front of their Baltimore home on a hot summer day, they surprised him with a refreshing grape-flavor ice pop. SENT: 410 words, photos.

NFL FACILITIES-VIRUS PROOFING: When NFL players leave their socially distanced cubicles in locker rooms now for the next meeting, they must remember to bring more than just their playbooks. Wearing masks and proximity tracker watches are required around team facilities, too. SENT: 1000 words, photos.

ALSO:

VIRUS OUTBREAK-ATLANTA MASK LAWSUIT: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he’s dropping a lawsuit against the city of Atlanta in a dispute over the city’s requirement to wear masks in public and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. SENT: 350 words, photos.

COLOMBIA-INDIGENOUS-HUNGER: A human rights group is warning that lack of access to clean water is leading to alarmingly high levels of child mortality and malnutrition among Colombia’s largest Indigenous group. And it said Thursday the problem could grow worse as a result of the pandemic. SENT: 510 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN: Britain has started testing a new smartphone app to help people find out whether they’ve been close to someone infected with COVID-19 after security concerns torpedoed an earlier effort to use technology to track the disease. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-BRITAIN-EXAMS FIASCO: Thousands of school-leaving children in Britain have been left distraught after finding out that they were handed lower-than-expected grades. Many in the UK are questioning how the results were calculated after the coronavirus pandemic cancelled exams that are key for college applications. SENT: 250 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-DETENTION CENTER: A diabetic Costa Rican man in federal immigration custody has become the second detainee in Georgia to die from COVID-19 complications after being held at a detention center that has reported more than 150 coronavirus cases. SENT: 430 words.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-THAILAND-UNITY APPEAL: Thailand’s prime minister, facing growing demands from students for change, is warning that the nation must pull together to overcome the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. SENT: 400 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-AFRICA: The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says an Africa-wide study of antibodies to the coronavirus has begun, while evidence from a smaller study indicates that many more people have been infected than official numbers show.SENT: 480 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-NEW ZEALAND: A puzzling new outbreak of the coronavirus in New Zealand’s largest city has grown to 17 cases, with officials saying the number will likely increase further. SENT: 590 words, photos.

VIRUS OUTBREAK-VENEZUELA DANCER: Venezuelan ballerina Carolina Wolf has reinvented her daily training routines to stay fit as the new coronavirus pandemic has locked her company out of its theater in Caracas. SENT: 460 words, photos.

FILM-NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL: This year’s New York Film Festival will be held largely virtually and in outdoor screenings, organizers said Thursday while unveiling a lineup featuring new films from Chloe Zhao, Steve McQueen and Azazel Jacobs SENT: 350 words, photos.

INTERACTIVES/GRAPHICS:

-US cases county-by-county. Embed code can be found in Coverage Plan. A static graphic also will be available in AP Newsroom.

-State trends (table): Trends in new cases and positivity rates for each U.S. state over the past 14 days.

-Case count (table): Searchable table of confirmed cases, including recoveries and deaths, by country, updated each hour.

-Interactive breakdown of unemployment filings by state with time scale for each (going back as far as 2000)

-Virus Europe Spread (map): An auto updating European map tracking the total confirmed cases, recoveries and deaths from coronavirus.

Additional graphics and interactives include:

- Flattening the Coronavirus Curve (Chart): Chart compares the cumulative cases over time in some of the hardest hit countries by coronavirus.

-Virus Global Spread (table): Table of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Table also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus Global Spread (Map): Map of countries which have confirmed cases of the virus. Map also includes when the virus was initially reported and the number of deaths by country.

-Virus US State Map: State by state count of confirmed cases in the U.S.

-Virus US State Table: Table tracks the number of cases, recoveries and deaths for the US including its territories.

-Status of Cases Worldwide: Auto-updating once a day, this chart tracks the levels of active cases and deaths from COVID-19 around the world over time.

PHOTOS:

AP photos have moved from Britain, Germany, Spain, India, China, North Korea, Japan, various US, Latin America locations.

VIDEO:

AP video has moved from France, China, Rwanda, Australia, various US, Latin America locations.