The Latest: Nepal ends 120 days of coronavirus lockdown

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A member of a television crew stands dressed as Hindu god Shiva as Nepalese Hindu devotees wearing masks sit after offering prayers from outside the closed gate of Pashupatinath temple during the holy month of Shrawan in Kathmandu, Nepal, Monday, July 20, 2020. The temple has been remaining closed for almost four months as part of measures to control the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/NIranjan Shrestha)

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Nepal’s government has ended a lockdown 120 days after it was imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.

Information Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada said the number of cases was declining in Nepal.

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Government and private offices would be fully functional from Wednesday and all private and public vehicles would be allowed back on the streets. All the markets, malls and shops would be also be allowed to open. However, airports and commercial flights would resume only on Aug. 1.

Khatiwada said schools and colleges would remain closed until further notice. Prohibition would continue on large public gatherings, religious functions, parties, gymnasium, zoo and parks.

The lockdown was first imposed in March and it was renewed several times. The country has 17,994 confirmed cases and 40 deaths from coronavirus.

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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:

— CDC: Antibody tests show virus rates 10x higher

— Jordan to reopen airports to tourists in August

— Weary EU leaders finally clinch $2.1 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery fund

— New research suggests that antibodies the immune system makes to fight the coronavirus may only last a few months in people with mild illness, according to report in the New England Journal of Medicine.

— The Justice Department says hackers working with the Chinese government targeted firms developing coronavirus vaccines and stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and trade secrets from companies worldwide.

— With the pandemic worsening and aid expiring, Washington's divisions thwart new relief package.

Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at http://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:

SEOUL, South Korea -- Just days after South Korean officials hopefully declared the country’s COVID-19 epidemic was coming under control, health authorities reported 63 newly confirmed cases.

South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday said at least 36 of the new cases came from the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area, where about half of the country’s 51 million people live.

The KCDC didn’t immediately confirm whether the numbers included a new cluster of infections discovered at a frontline army unit in Pocheon, north of Seoul, where at least 13 troops have reportedly tested positive.

The KCDC said 29 of the new cases were local transmissions and tied the other 34 to international arrivals as the virus continues to spread in Asia, the United States and beyond. The government also plans to send to send two military planes to Iraq on Wednesday to evacuate around 300 South Korean construction workers amid the spread of the virus there.

The national caseload is now at 13,879, including 297 deaths.

The country had reported four local transmissions on Monday, which was the lowest in two months, prompting a celebratory tweet from President Moon Jae-in who said the nation as winning its fight against COVID-19.

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MEXICO CITY — Mexico passed the 40,000-death mark Tuesday and reported near-record levels of newly confirmed coronavirus cases.

The Health Department reported that COVID-19 deaths rose by 915 to reach 40,400, the fourth highest total behind the United Kingdom at 45,507.

Mexico’s number of confirmed cases rose by 6,859 to 356,386, and the country now rivals Peru for the sixth-highest number of cases, but Mexico does so little testing that its number is considered vastly undercounted.

By Tuesday, Mexico had conducted just over 820,000 tests, or about one test for every 160 inhabitants. In recent weeks, 47% of all tests have com back positive, suggesting Mexico is mainly testing only those with considerable symptoms.

Health authorities indicated the country only has about 170,000 tests left, but left open the possibility of acquiring more.

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DETROIT — A judge has ordered the Detroit school district to test more than 600 students who are participating in voluntary summer classes.

The order from U.S. District Judge Arthur Tarnow on Tuesday came in response to a lawsuit by critics who claim the in-person classes are risky for kids and staff. Students and teachers are required to wear masks, and desks are spread apart. The lawsuit followed days of protest outside bus yards.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district will comply with the testing order with assistance from the city health department. But he suggested the judge had exceeded his authority.

“It is insulting to our parents that they must have their children COVID-tested to receive public school services yet parents outside of the city can receive the same services without testing,” Vitti said.

Classes started July 13. The Detroit district is also offering summer online learning.

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AUSTIN, Texas — While some big cities in Texas are reporting signs that an alarming surge in cases of the coronavirus may be leveling off, officials in counties along the border with Mexico said the outlook there remains bleak.

Dallas County officials said the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients dropped below 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time in more than two weeks, and officials in Houston are seeing signs of optimism.

But along the border in Starr County, Judge Eloy Vera said “we’re very close to losing the situation” and plans to issue voluntary stay-at-home recommendations this week.

He said it would be similar to one issued Monday in Hidalgo County, which set a curfew and recommends that all nonessential businesses cease any activity that can’t be provided at curbside or by takeout.

The orders, however, are not enforceable under Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s past mandates that do not allow local officials to set their own stay-at-home restrictions. Texas on Tuesday reported more than 9,300 confirmed new cases and 131 deaths, the state’s second deadliest day of the pandemic.

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FORT WORTH, Texas -- More than 500 women at a federal medical prison in Texas have tested positive for the coronavirus, in one of the largest confirmed outbreaks at a federal prison.

The Bureau of Prisons said the number of confirmed cases at the Federal Medical Center-Carswell in Fort Worth jumped to 510 on Tuesday, just two days after the Bureau of Prisons reported that 200 women there had tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus.

Only the federal prison in Seagoville, also located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, had more infected inmates, with 1,156 cases as of Tuesday.

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SAO PAULO — Brazilian authorities say the country’s Sao Paulo state has topped 20,000 deaths from COVID-19, while the nation as a whole has recored more than 80,000 fatalities due to the coronavirus.

Sao Paulo is Brazil’s most populous state, with 46 million people, and is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the South American country.

It has been enforcing social distancing measures since mid-March, but has never applied a full lockdown.

Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria replaced his health secretary this week, though he says the official left the post for medical reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.

___ DENVER -- Colorado teachers may refuse to report for work unless their criteria for reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic this fall are met.

That’s the word from Amie Baca-Oehlert, the head of the state’s largest teachers union, the Colorado Education Association.

Baca-Oehlert said Tuesday that teachers want more of a say in how school districts implement safety protocols such as mask-wearing, restricting movement among public school students and restricting class sizes.

She says individual school districts should establish their own protocols and provide all students with access to remote learning tools such as computers.

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SANTA FE, N.M. -- New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is thanking President Donald Trump for telling Americans that they should wear masks when they’re unable to keep distance between themselves and other people.

The Democrat tweeted her appreciation Tuesday, saying: “Thanks for joining us, Mr. President.”

Masks are mandated in New Mexico as the state has been dealing with an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

Health officials are now reporting an additional 307 cases. That brings the statewide total to 17,517 since the pandemic began. Officials also reported an additional 10 deaths, bringing that tally to nearly 590.

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WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump says he’s “getting used to” wearing a mask as he showed off his from the White House briefing room podium.

He’s telling reporters that he has “no problem” wearing one, saying: “I carry it. I wear it... and I’ll continue.”

Trump’s recent comments are a major change in tone for the president, who spent months resisting wearing a mask in public and once suggested they were a political statement against him.

But he told reporters Tuesday that he’s “getting used to the mask” and uses one when appropriate.

Trump then pulled his out of a suit pocket and encouraged the public, saying: “if you’re close together, I would put on the mask.”

Trump’s comments came at the end of the return of his evening briefing, which lasted less than half an hour. Trump appeared alone, with no public health experts appearing.

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DENVER -- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has ordered bars and restaurants across the state to stop serving alcohol past 10 p.m. as the number of coronavirus cases among young adults continues to increase.

He says anybody who has been drunk knows that inhibitions are reduced and social distancing takes a back seat when large groups are involved.

The order is expected to take effect before the weekend and last for 30 days. Last call at Colorado bars is normally 2 a.m.

The governor previously ordered bars closed as the state saw an uptick in cases, but those serving food were allowed to remain open.

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BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. John Bel Edwards is keeping Louisiana’s mask mandate and business restrictions in place for at least two more weeks as the number of coronavirus patients at hospitals is surging in all regions of the state.

The Democratic governor’s current regulations were set to expire Friday but instead will extend until at least Aug. 7.

The rules limit restaurants to 50% capacity for in-person dining, restrict bars to takeout and delivery only and place occupancy limits on gyms, salons and other businesses deemed nonessential. Face coverings are required for anyone ages 8 and older, with medical exceptions. Indoor gatherings above 50 people are banned.

Edwards’ announcement came Tuesday.

“We still have a lot of COVID-19 in Louisiana, more than we want, and it’s widespread all across our state,” the governor said. He added: “There is no doubt we have a long way to go and the situation is very serious, especially as it relates to hospitalizations.”

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LAS VEGAS -- Unions representing 65,000 Las Vegas-area casino workers have dropped two MGM Resorts International properties from a lawsuit accusing companies of skimping on coronavirus protective measures.

A Culinary Union executive called it a victory to drop legal proceedings against the owner of the Bellagio resort and the Signature Condominiums towers and begin “expedited arbitration” over safety requirements.

The union says 22 workers or dependent family members have died from COVID-19. MGM Resorts on Tuesday called the court filing “frivolous.”

Culinary and bartenders unions didn’t drop claims against Caesars Entertainment, operator of Harrah’s Las Vegas, over measures at a restaurant there.

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BRASILIA, Brazil — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he has had a third test to see if he is still infected with the coronavirus and that the result will be released Wednesday.

Speaking to supporters gathered in front of the presidential residence Tuesday, Bolsonaro said, “God willing, I will test negative.”

The president announced on July 7 that he had COVID-19, the disease that can be caused by the virus. On July 15, he said he had tested positive one more time.

Bolsonaro says that if his latest test proves negative, he wants to travel Friday to the state of Piauí in northeastern Brazil. The head of Brazil’s Ministry of Regional Development is scheduled to visit the city of Floriano in that state to dedicate new housing and a sanitation system.

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JACKSON, Wyo. -- Wyoming has approved a countywide mask mandate with some exceptions in Teton County during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that State Health Officer Alexia Harrist signed the order Monday, hours after the Teton County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a resolution for the mandate. Her signature was required to make the order law.

The mandate is in effect through July 31. People who have a physical or mental health reason to not wear masks are exempt under the order and do not need to provide documentation. The mandate is intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

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ATLANTA — Georgia reported its second-highest daily count of deaths on Tuesday since the COVID-19 pandemic began, in what health officials said was a consequence of the elevated number of coronavirus infections the state has seen since June.

The day a death is reported in Georgia is often not the day it occurs, and it’s not unusual to see a burst of deaths reported just after a weekend. But Tuesday’s total of 78 was below only the 100 Georgia deaths reported on April 7.

“It is due in part to decreased reporting over the weekend, but just as we’ve seen increased cases and hospitalizations, we are seeing the number of deaths increase, also,” wrote Department of Public Health spokesperson Nancy Nydam in an email.

Nydam couldn’t immediately say when the deaths reported Tuesday had happened. The numbers pushed Georgia’s 7-day and 14-day trend on deaths to their highest point since late June.

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has resumed a starring role in the White House’s coronavirus briefings on Tuesday, returning to the podium in the press briefing room in hopes that he can shore up support for his administration’s work amid flagging poll numbers.

Trump says the administration is doing well with vaccine and therapeutic development.

He says the country has learned so much about the disease, and “my administration will stop at nothing to save lives and shield the vulnerable, which is so important.”

Trump also warns the virus outbreak “will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better - something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is.”

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says the state is making progress in stemming coronavirus infections in the state’s long-term care facilities.

Walz and state health officials cite a dramatic drop in deaths and new cases of COVID-19 at nursing homes and other facilities over the last two months. Residents of long-term care facilities still make up the majority of coronvirus-related deaths in Minnesota, but officials say their interventions since mid-May have led to a significant drop in daily deaths and outbreaks in congregate care settings.

“We are certainly not taking a victory lap,” Walz told reporters Tuesday. “The key here was controlling infections.”

Officials scrambled to respond as deaths at long-term care facilities rose in late April and early May. Walz outlined a “battle plan” in early May that included expanded testing, more personal protective gear for health workers and ensuring “adequate” staffing levels when workers fall ill.

Officials said Tuesday those collective efforts have worked. In early May, there were 23 facilities reporting new cases each day. That number is now about six per day, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.

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BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana hospital leaders are warning that efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak could be hampered by conservative House Republicans’ push to revoke Gov. John Bel Edwards’ public health emergency declaration.

The Louisiana Hospital Association is joining GOP House Speaker Clay Schexnayder in trying to discourage Republican lawmakers from signing a petition nullifying the Democratic governor’s virus response orders.

The petition requires support from a majority of the House or Senate.

Supporters say Edwards is crippling the economy with his restrictions. The hospital association argues removal of the emergency declaration would decrease health facilities’ ability to bring in nurses and doctors from other states, expand telemedicine services and increase bed capacity.