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The high court has halted a judge’s order that had invalidated the restrictions.
6 min read
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now killed more than 318,000 people worldwide.
Over 4.8 million people across the globe have been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new respiratory virus, according to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The actual numbers are believed to be much higher due to testing shortages, many unreported cases and suspicions that some governments are hiding the scope of their nations’ outbreaks.
Since the first cases were detected in China in December, the United States has become the worst-affected country, with more than 1.5 million diagnosed cases and at least 90,369 deaths.
Tune into ABC at 1 p.m. ET and ABC News Live at 4 p.m. ET every weekday for special coverage of the novel coronavirus with the full ABC News team, including the latest news, context and analysis.
Today’s biggest developments:
Here’s how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Please refresh this page for updates.
4:56 a.m.: Daily coronavirus deaths fall below 100 in Italy
Italy reported less than 100 new deaths from the novel coronavirus on Monday for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
The country’s Civil Protection Department registered 99 fatalities over a 24-hour period, bringing the nationwide death toll to 32,007. Monday’s daily rise was down from 145 the previous day.
The number of active cases also fell Monday to 66,553, down from 68,351 the previous day. Meanwhile, four regions — Basilicata, Calabria, Sardinia and Umbria — reported having zero infections.
Overall, more than 225,000 people in Italy have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Once the worst-hit country in Europe, Italy was the first nation in the world to put a nationwide lockdown in place due to the pandemic. The country began to slowly lift the strict lockdown earlier this month. Most businesses have since resumed activities but under social distancing rules, with shops, restaurants, hair salons and churches reopening Monday.
What to know about coronavirus:
3:45 a.m.: Oregon Supreme Court temporarily reinstates governor’s coronavirus restrictions
The Oregon Supreme Court has halted a lower court’s order that had invalidated the statewide restrictions imposed by Gov. Kate Brown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A Baker County circuit judge ruled on Monday that the governor’s coronavirus-related restrictions were “null and void,” in response to a lawsuit filed earlier this month by 10 churches across Oregon that argued the state’s social-distancing rules were unconstitutional. Within hours, Brown filed an emergency motion seeking a hold on the judge’s preliminary injunction pending a review by the Oregon Supreme Court.
The state’s high court granted that motion late Monday night.
“Following swift action by the Oregon Supreme Court, my emergency orders to protect the health and safety of Oregonians will remain in effect statewide while the court hears arguments in this lawsuit,” Brown said in a statement after the court’s ruling. “From the beginning of this crisis, I have worked within my authority, using science and data as my guide, heeding the advice of medical experts. This strategy has saved lives and protected Oregonians from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The Oregon Supreme Court is requiring both sides to submit their arguments in the case by Friday. The court did not set a timeframe for when it would decide the issue, according to Portland ABC affiliate KATU.
Brown declared a statewide state of emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic in early March and has since issued multiple executive orders, including the closure of all schools and nonessential businesses as well as a ban on dine-in service at restaurants and bars.
Earlier this month, the governor extended the order another 60 days until July 6. However, most Oregon counties have gotten the state’s approval to begin relaxing those restrictions last Friday.
ABC News’ Marilyn Heck and Phoebe Natanson contributed to this report.
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