Coronavirus Live Updates: Italy airport receives first global five-star rating in safety protocols

COVID-19 Live Updates, News and Information

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Rome airport receives 5-star rating for COVID-19 safety protocols

It's the first airport in the world to receive a 5-star designation.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- An airport in Italy is the first in the world to receive a five-star rating in keeping passengers safe from the coronavirus.

The Skytrax Airport Ratings company designated Rome's Fiumicino Airport as number one for cleanliness and anti-COVID measures.

It was also one of the first airports to use thermo-scanners.

By comparison, London's Heathrow and other European airports received three stars.

Meanwhile, low-risk high school sports across New York are set to resume Monday, including field hockey, tennis, soccer, cross country and swimming.

They can practice and also begin playing.

What to know about coronavirus:

Back to school information

How coronavirus changed the New York region

Do you have coronavirus symptoms?

What's Open, What's Closed in the Tri-State area

Here are more of today's headlines:

New York sets new record-high number of COVID tests

A new record-high number of test results - 110,444 - were reported to New York State on Friday, Gov. Cuomo announced Saturday. Just 0.89 of test results were positive.

COVID-19 is NYC's largest ever 'mass fatality incident'

The number of deaths reported to New York City's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner more than doubled in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation's largest city, according to a new report from the mayor's office. "COVID-19 tragically represents the largest mass fatality incident in modern NYC history," the report said. There were 65,712 deaths reported to OCME in 2020, compared to 30,964 a year earlier.

Suffolk County warns of cuts to police citing lack of federal COVID-19 relief

As an example of what local municipalities are facing all around the country absent any action by Congress, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone will warn Friday of police funding cuts of as much as $20 million as part of "catastrophic budget cuts" to deal with the fiscal crisis caused by coronavirus. The cuts could include canceling two police recruitment classes for 200 police officers to save $9 million, suspending the class for 40 deputy sheriffs to save another $1.5 million, freezing police promotions to save another $1 million. His potential cuts would also take $5 million in the county aid to the five East End police departments.

Pine-Sol now approved to kill coronavirus on surfaces: EPA

Clorox wipes are still in short supply due to increased demand as Americans continue to clean off frequently used surfaces to combat the spread of coronavirus, but another household cleaner has been added to the list of effective products. Pine-Sol Original Multi-Surface Cleaner received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "for kill claims against SARS-Cov-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on hard non-porous surfaces," the Clorox Company announced in a press release about its cleaning product.

Pet scams on the rise as adoptions skyrocket amid pandemic

A good way to pass the time in quarantine is to get a furry friend, and dogs and cats are in high demand and that is giving rise to scam artists. Pet scams are not new, but the pandemic is giving them a new life. According to the Better Business Bureau, its scam tracker received 2,166 reports of pet scams in the past few months, an increase from 700 for the same period last year and more than triple the number reported last year. BBB says overall, pet scams make up 24% of reported online scams, with an average dollar amount lost at $700.

Connecticut mandates masks for day care students 3 and older

Connecticut will soon enact a new mask mandate that extends mask requirements for children 3 and up. The new mandate goes into effect Monday and requires children 3 years and older to wear masks while in child care programs.

1st of its kind PPE store now open in Herald Square

A first-of-its-kind New York City boutique that sells COVID-related safety products for homes and businesses is now open in Herald Square. CV-19 Essential sells everything from cell phone sanitizers and portable air purifiers to plexiglass dividers and UV lights, and the public is encouraged to check out the store's Safe Zone Interactive Experience Center where they can try out the gadgets.

LIST: 56 New York City schools with confirmed cases of COVID-19

The Department of Education has released a full list of the 56 schools across New York City where there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19.

MORE NEWS: Watch Eyewitness to a Pandemic

The sense of doom grew, especially after March 1, when the first confirmed case arrived in Manhattan. Soon, there was a hotspot in New Rochelle, and small curfews and containment zones across the area offered a hint of a frightening future we still thought we could avoid.