During afternoon hours local time in Beirut, Lebanon, a massive explosion occurred in a warehouse near the Beirut Port Silos Building at the Port of Beirut. At least 78 people have been confirmed killed and over 3,000 injured. These numbers are likely to rise.

As of this morning, Hurricane Isaias is a Category 1 storm with wind speeds in excess of 75MPH. It is currently tracking northward towards the Bahamas, where a Hurricane Warning is in effect. A Hurricane Watch has just been issued for portions of the Florida east coast from Deerfield Beach northward to the Volusia-Brevard County Line. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for the Dominican Republic and Turks & Caicos Islands.

Texas and Florida are seeing slight declines in daily average cases from two weeks prior, but daily deaths continue to rise. On 28 July, both Florida and Texas reported record daily deaths at 186 and 223 respectively. Deaths are likely to continue to rise for the next two-three week, as each state continues to report between 8,000-10,000 new cases per day.

California, Texas, and Florida continue to average nearly 10,000 new cases per day over the last seven days. On a per-capita basis, Arizona and Louisiana lead the way, with more than 20,000 cases per 1M residents. 

Several states continue to set records for daily new cases, including California, Texas, and Florida, which are averaging nearly 10,000 new cases per day over the last seven days. Florida recorded more than 15,000 new cases on 13 July, more than New York ever reported during their outbreak in March and April. Multiple states have paused or rolled-back reopening efforts:

Several states continue to set records for daily new cases, including California, Texas, and Florida, which are averaging more than 8,000 new cases per day over the last seven days. Multiple states have paused or rolled-back reopening efforts:

Several states continue to set records for daily new cases, including California, Texas, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida. At least 16 states have paused or rolled-back reopening efforts. California, Florida, and Texas have all ordered bars to close or to halt on-premises alcohol sales. Multiple states have mandated masks be worn in all indoor public areas.

Several states are setting records for daily new cases, including California, Texas, and Florida. These states are also seeing increased hospitalizations, prompting governors to take action. Texas governor Greg Abbott urged residents to stay home after the state recorded 5,000 new infections. California governor Gavin Newsom announced that all residents must wear face masks in public. 

As lockdown restrictions ease, businesses are slowly starting to return to travel. However, with that comes risks and questions that companies must be prepared to address.

“When greenlighting travel, companies will need to do their homework and assume the potential expense of self-quarantines or rerouted itineraries to get employees home safely. With state and nationwide restrictions changing from week to week, that can add up,” says Mike McGarrity, Vice President for Global Risk Services, in Bloomberg’s recent article “The New Rules of Travel for Road Warriors.”

Several states are seeing sustained increases in daily new cases. California, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Arizona, Arkansas, Oregon, Oklahoma, and Utah are among those in this category.