Coronavirus Developments: Face Mask Requirements, Georgia Face Mask Ban, Russian Cyberattacks On Vaccine Data

Several retailers, including Target, Walgreens and CVS announced they will require customers to wear face masks when shopping in their stores. The retailers said many of their stores already are under state and local mandates requiring face masks, which also have been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In contrast, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has issued an order banning face mask requirements at the city and county level. The move pulls back mandates set by the county and city officials as Georgia despite an increase in coronavirus cases. Kemp is recommending people wear face masks, but he said he wouldn't make it mandatory.

As case loads are rising around the world and scientists scramble to find a safe and effective vaccine, western intelligence agencies accused Russia of trying to steal research. The U.K.’s National Cyber Security Centre said a hacking group known as APT29 or Cozy Bear targeted British labs that were conducting research on vaccines to “steal valuable intellectual property.” The agency said it was “almost certain” APT29 was part of the Russian Intelligence Services. Moscow denied any involvement in the hacking attempts.

In other coronavirus news:

• In India, more than 125 million people were subject to a new lockdown order as the country moved closer to hitting 1 million cases. The 15-day lockdown started on Thursday and affected people in Bihar state, which is near Nepal.
• Scientists are calling for the fast-tracking of a vaccine for COVID-19 as they urge officials to consider volunteer human trials of the vaccine. In an open letter to Dr. Francis Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, more than 100 scientists and several thousand volunteers, called for approval to begin infecting people with the virus to test the effectiveness of vaccines. The so-called challenge trial is aimed at speeding up the timetable for bringing a vaccine to market.
• The European Union has updated its list of approved countries for travel into the region amid the coronavirus pandemic. Missing from the list, which included countries such as Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea, was the U.S. The EU said it will review the travel list again in two weeks.
• Virginia became the first state to issue statewide emergency workplace safety standards for employers. Gov. Ralph Northam issued the order as part of an effort to keep employees safe as they return to work.

• Biotech firm CalciMedica announced its anti-inflammatory drug Auxora is showing promise in treating COVID-19 when combined with standard care, reducing ventilator use by half and speeding recovery.

• According to John Hopkins University, more than 13.6 million people have been infected with coronavirus, with 584,000 dying from COVID-19 as of late Thursday afternoon. On Wednesday, 230,400 new cases of COVID-19 were reported worldwide.