Biden says he would require masks; Russia reports lowest daily new cases since April
The White House coronavirus task force is slated to hold its first news briefing in nearly two months Friday, as new coronavirus cases continue to surge across large parts of the country. Vice President Mike Pence will lead the briefing, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, but the briefing will take place at HHS offices rather than at the White House, where past briefings have been held.
This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.Â
- Global cases: More than 9.62 million
- Global deaths: At least 489,731
- U.S. cases: More than 2.42 million
- U.S. deaths: At least 124,415
The data above was compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Russia reports lowest daily rise of new cases since April
A man with an umbrella in Red Square against the background of St Basil’s Cathedral. From June 1 through 14, Moscow citizens are allowed to take walks and practise sports outside, including those older than 65 and suffering from chronic illnesses, according to schedules varying from house to house.
Sergei Savostyanov | TASS | Getty Images
7:14 a.m. ET — Russia reported its lowest daily rise of new coronavirus infections since late April, Reuters reported, as the tally of Covid-19 cases climbed by 6,800 to 620,794.
The country’s coronavirus response center said this was the first time Russia had reported fewer than 7,000 new cases of the virus over a 24-hour period since late April.
To date, Russia has reported the third-highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world, behind only the U.S. and Brazil, respectively. —Sam Meredith
Joe Biden says he would mandate masks
Democratic U.S. presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden listens as he meets with local residents at the sports bar Carlette?s Hideaway during a campaign stop in Yeadon, Pennsylvania U.S., June 17, 2020.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
7:11 a.m. ET — Presumptive Democratic nominee for president Joe Biden would require that Americans wear masks nationwide if he were president, he said in a taped interview with KDKA in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
“The one thing we do know is these masks make a gigantic difference,” he said while wearing a mask. “I would insist that everybody out in public be wearing that mask. Anyone to reopen would have to make sure that they walked into a business that had masks.”
Asked specifically whether he would use executive authority to mandate masks, Biden responded, “Yes. Yes, I would.”
“I would do everything possible to make it required that people had to wear masks in public,” he said.
Biden’s stance on masks as an effective public health intervention stands in stark contrast to that of President Donald Trump, who has avoided appearing in public with a mask and has said that he thinks some people wear masks to signal disapproval of him. —Will Feuer
Read CNBC’s previous coronavirus live coverage here: Texas and Florida pause reopening more business as cases surge
