TO BEGIN WITH OUR TOP STORY.
AS WE APPROACH THE UNOFFICIAL
END OF SUMMER, NEW CONCERN THIS
MORNING THAT THE UPCOMING LABOR
DAY WEEKEND COULD LEAD TO
ANOTHER MASSIVE SPIKE IN
CORONAVIRUS CASES.
NBC’S TOM COSTELLO HAS THAT
STORY FOR US.
HEY, TOM.
GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: GOOD MORNING.
SO WE SAW A SPIKE AFTER MEMORIAL
DAY IN MAY.
WE SAW CASES JUMP IN JUNE AND IN
THROUGH THE SUMMER.
THE CONCERN IS, THAT COULD
HAPPEN AGAIN.
YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, WE JUST
ROLL THESE NUMBERS OFF OF OUR
TONGUE, AND WE REALLY DON’T
THINK ABOUT IT.
BUT 186,000 PEOPLE HAVE NOW DIED
OF THE CORONAVIRUS.
THAT’S APPROACHING THE
POPULATION OF HUNTSVILLE,
ALABAMA.
NOW, GOING INTO LABOR DAY,
EXPERTS ARE WARNING, DON’T LET
YOUR GUARD DOWN.
WITH LABOR DAY FAST APPROACHING,
AND SUMMER STARTING TO WIND
DOWN, THIS MORNING, HEALTH
OFFICIALS ARE WARNING THERE
CANNOT BE A REPEAT OF WHAT WE
SAW AT THE START OF THIS SEASON.
MAJOR CROWDS AT BEACHES AND POOL
PARTIES, LIKELY CONTRIBUTING TO
A BIG SPIKE IN CORONAVIRUS CASES
JUST AFTER MEMORIAL DAY.
THE U.S. IS STILL AVERAGING MORE
THAN 40,000 NEW CASES PER DAY
AND MORE THAN 900 DAILY DEATHS
IN THE PAST WEEK.
>> THAT’S AN UNACCEPTABLY HIGH
BASELINE.
WE’VE GOT TO GET IT DOWN.
>> Reporter: DR. ANTHONY FAUCI
SAYS THAT NUMBER NEEDS TO DROP
FROM 40,000 CLOSER TO 10,000 OR
FEWER AS WE APPROACH THE FLU
SEASON.
>> YOU DON’T NEED TO LOCK
YOURSELF DOWN, BUT DON’T BE
CARELESS ABOUT THINGS.
SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, CROWDS, IN A
BAR, WHAT HAVE YOU.
MAKE SURE YOU WEAR YOUR MASK.
>> Reporter: AND THAT MASK WE’RE
ALL WEARING COULD BE CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT AS WE VISIT FAMILY
THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND.
>> IF YOU’VE BEEN OUT AND ABOUT,
YOU NEED TO ASSUME YOU HAVE
COVID.
IF YOU VISIT GRANDMA, KEEP YOUR
MASK ON.
>> Reporter: HOURS AFTER IOWA’S
GOVERNOR DEFENDED A DECISION TO
ALLOW THOUSANDS OF FANS AT AN
UPCOMING COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAME.
>> IF YOU HAVE UNDERLYING
CONDITIONS AND YOU’RE PART OF A
VULNERABLE POPULATION, MAYBE I
WOULDN’T GO TO THE IOWA STATE
FOOTBALL GAME NEXT WEEK.
>> Reporter: IOWA STATE NOW
REVERSING THAT PLAN, SAYING ITS
HOME OPENER WILL INCLUDE AN
EMPTY STADIUM.
THE FIRST DEATH HAS BEEN
RECORDED IN CONNECTION TO THAT
AUGUST MOTORCYCLE RALLY THAT
BROUGHT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
BIKERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY
TO SOUTH DAKOTA.
BELIEVED TO BE THE LARGEST EVENT
SINCE THE PANDEMIC LED TO MOST
LARGE-SCALE EVENTS BEING SHUT
DOWN.
AND THIS, THE CDC NOW TELLING
STATES TO PREPARE TO BE READY TO
DISTRIBUTE MILLIONS OF POTENTIAL
EVACUATIONING DOSES AS EARLY AS
LATE OCTOBER OR EARLY NOVEMBER,
JUST ABOUT THE TIME OF THE
NOVEMBER ELECTIONS.
THE AGENCY IN A LETTER OBTAINED
BY CNBC, URGING GOVERNORS TO
EXPEDITE APPLICATIONS FOR
DISTRIBUTION FACILITIES, AND, IF
