Fears continue to grow over the growth of COVID-19 in Latin America, with the number of confirmed cases in Brazil passing that of Italy to make it the second worst-affected country, after the United States.
Brazil recorded 1,349 deaths in a single day Thursday — only the U.S. and the U.K. have declared more COVID-19 related deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. President Jair Bolsonaro has been accused of minimizing the effects of the crisis.
Elsewhere, more shops, businesses and places or worship are opening up. The Las Vegas strip was abuzz this week with tourists and revelers after some casinos reopened. Across the Muslim world, from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia, Friday prayers are starting again after weeks of mosques being off-limits.
Meanwhile authorities across the world are struggling to ensure that people attending protests sparked by the death of George Floyd practice social distancing.
More than 1.84 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S. along with more than 107,000 deaths.
Here's what you need to know about the coronavirus, plus a timeline of the most critical moments:
- MAPS: Confirmed cases in the U.S. and worldwide; confirmed deaths in the U.S. and globally
- Reopening America: See what states across the U.S. have already reopened.
- The coronavirus has destroyed the job market in every state. See the per-state jobless numbers and how they’ve changed.
Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
This live coverage has now ended. Continuing reading June 6 coverage here.
Obama holds town hall on racial injustice with Rep. John Lewis
Black unemployment rises
Before George Floyd was killed in police custody and protests wracked the country, he had been laid off from his security job at a Minneapolis restaurant. He was just one of the millions of workers of color most likely to lose their job in the pandemic, recent labor market data shows.
As the nationwide shutdowns gradually lift and economic activity returns, the latest employment figures show that while the virus is colorblind, its effects are anything but indiscriminate.
Black unemployment rose to 16.8 percent in the monthly employment snapshot released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While that number is slightly up from 16.7 last month, white unemployment came in at 12.4 percent, down from 14.9 percent.
Protesters should get tested and timing is key
Around the country, thousands of protesters are shoulder-to-shoulder, shouting for change. Some wear masks. Few wear eye coverings. And social distancing is near impossible.
“The question that's been posed to me is do mass protests have the risk of spreading covid-19? The answer is: yes,” Dr. Jay Varkey, an infectious disease physician at Emory said.
Director of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Dr. Robert Redfield also advised demonstrators to “highly consider” a coronavirus test. That doesn’t mean go to a testing site a day after protesting.
“The virus enters your body immediately. But it does take some time for enough of the virus to build up in your system for a diagnostic test to detect it,” NBC medical correspondent Dr. John Torres said.
“In three, five, seven days, go get tested,” Redfield said.
Getting a test too early could result in a false negative. So waiting between 3-7 days will give a more accurate read.
Donald Trump touts racial equality while referring to COVID-19 as 'China plague'
President Donald Trump referred to the coronavirus as the “China plague” on Friday during a news conference in which he boasted about the U.S. economy.
Speaking at the White House, Trump addressed the May jobs report that was released this week, claiming that a strong economy is the “greatest thing that can happen for race relations.”
“When we had our tremendous numbers … just prior to the China plague that floated in, we had numbers, the best in history, for African American, for Hispanic American, for Asian American, and for everybody,” he said.
The re-emergence of the phrase elicited criticism across social media, from many who pointed out that terms like the “China plague” or the “China virus” -- which experts have warned could put Asian Americans in harm’s way -- run counter to ideas of racial equality, particularly as protests continue across the nation over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in Minneapolis police custody.
Dow closes up 829 points after blowout jobs report
The Dow Jones Industrial Average continued its five-day rally on Friday, after the monthly jobs report revealed 2.5 million positions were added to the economy last month, the largest monthly gain on record. Economists had predicted 8 million jobs would be lost.
Confidence in a faster economic recovery boosted all three major averages, with the Dow closing up by 829 points at the closing bell, or just over 3 percent. The S&P closed up by 2.6 percent and the Nasdaq gained 2 percent, reaching a record high.
Companies that would benefit from a return to travel and tourism saw some of the strongest gains, with American Airlines up by 8 percent and MGM Resorts up 2.4 percent. Boeing provided the biggest boost for the blue-chip Dow, gaining more than 11 percent.
President Donald Trump described the jobs report as "amazing," "incredible," and "really big."
"This shows that what we've been doing is right," he said in a news briefing from the White House Rose Garden on Friday morning.
Ohio golf club plans to host PGA Tour event -- with fans in attendance
A PGA Tour event, the Memorial Tournament, is slated to be held next month in Ohio with fans in attendance, Gov. Mike DeWine announced.
The golf tournament is scheduled for July 16 to 19 at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin.
Further details on social distancing measures were expected in the coming days and weeks. Tournament organizers, in a statement, called the decision "an example of how public gathering events can be developed and implemented with approved and accepted protocols in place."
Ohio also plans to reopen casinos, racinos, amusement parks and water parks on June 19, DeWine said.
