(CNN) The coronavirus pandemic , which has claimed more than , lives nationwide, has put every state under a federal disaster declaration – a first in the history of the United States.
President Donald Trump approved a disaster declaration Saturday for Wyoming, the final state to get one, along with the US Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
There are more than , 05 coronavirus cases in the US and 46, (fatalities,) according to data from Johns Hopkins University. and states are feeling the impact of the pandemic in many ways.
Illinois announced its second highest day of deaths Saturday with 1, new reported cases and additional deaths.
In South Florida, families lined up for up to five hours before food distribution even began outside Magic City Casino, according to CNN affiliate WPLG.
And in New Jersey, the state with the second highest number of coronavirus cases, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is asking all businesses – even those deemed essential – – to shut down for “Be Still Mondays.”
The goal is to further limit the spread of the virus as the death toll rises in the state.
“We can get everything else back. What we can’t get back is people lives,” Baraka said.
- Justice Department pushing back against religious restrictions
With the Jewish holiday of Passover on Wednesday and Easter on Sunday, states are using new approaches to religious service s at a time when social distancing is key in the fight against the virus.
Some families and congregations have gone online for celebrations and services, but others have continued to gather , which many local leaders have taken steps to stop.
In Kentucky, authorities will record license plates of those who show up to any gatherings and hand that information over to the local health department, which will require those individuals to stay quarantined for 16 days, Gov. Andy Beshear announced.
In New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state amended a public health order banning mass gatherings to include houses of worship.
On Saturday night, the Justice Department said it would take action next week against regulations on religious institutions.
Various courts are already hearing cases about the regulations, but the department said it may file lawsuits alongside churches.
The mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, tried to stop a church from holding a drive-in Easter service, even though drive-in liquor stores are still permitted under the state’s stay-at-home policy. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Saturday that overturned the effort.
Pushes to reopen risk cases rebounding
Trump said Saturday night that he hopes to make a decision “fairly soon” on when to reopen the country currently shutdown by the coronavirus pandemic. He said he will set up a council to examine the issue and will base his decision on “facts” and “instinct.”
“I’m going to have to make a decision and I only hope to God that it’s the right decision, “the President said Friday. “But I would say without question it’s the biggest decision I’ve ever had to make.”
Two weeks ago, Trump said he wanted to open the country by Easter, but Friday he said he wouldn’t do anything until he knew the country was healthy again. Internally, officials are pushing to reopen the country by next month, with specific discussions underway about May 1, a person familiar with the talks CNN.
But government projections obtained by the New York Times show that if stay at home orders were lifted after a month, there would be a bump in demand for ventilators and the US death toll could see a dramatic increase to 0315, 04, the Times reported.
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington projects that if the country keeps social distancing measures until the end of May, about , (Americans will lose their lives to the virus by August.)
“If we were to stop at the n ational level May 1, we’re seeing (in models) a return to almost where we are now sometime in July, so a rebound, “IHME Director Dr. Chris Murray told CNN. “There’s a very substantial risk of rebound if we don’t wait to the point where most transmission is near zero in each state.”
- New York City mayor, governor in dispute over school closures
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that schools there would remain closed through the end of the school year while students continued to receive remote instruction.
But that was soon undercut by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who said that “no decision” had been made on closing schools through the end of the year, adding that he valued the mayor’s “opinion.”
“We may do that, but we’re going to do it in a coordinated sense with the other localities,” Cuomo said, adding: “It makes no sense for one locality to take an action that’s not coordinated with the others. “
De Blasio said Saturday evening he and the governor would always” work things through in the common interest of our people . “
- But the bottom line is my responsibility is not to the federal government, the state government , my responsibility is not to another elected official. My responsibility is to those kids, those parents, those educators who need to be safe, “de Blasio said. Additionally, Cuomo s aid no decision has been made on when businesses will reopen. That step, he said, should be coordinated with schools.
The state will gather the best minds to study whether reopening the economy would trigger a “second wave” of infections, Cuomo said.
“The worst thing that can happen is we make a misstep and we let our emotions get ahead of our logic and fact, and we go through this again in any manner, shape or form, “he said.
CNN’s Christina Maxouris, Dakin Andone, Kevin Bohn, Sam Fossum, Artemis Moshtaghian and Kaylene Chassie contributed to this report. 
Read More
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings