May 27, 2020 — A roundup of the latest news about COVID-19

The data shows that masks work to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The CDC updated its guidance for people recovering from COVID-19. And one-third of Americans are showing signs of depression or anxiety. Here’s the latest news on the pandemic:

• As of this morning, we’ve had 5.6 million confirmed cases worldwide, with more than 351,000 deaths and 2.3 million recoveries. In the U.S. we’re at 1.68 million confirmed cases. Nearly 99,000 people have died, and another 385,000 have recovered.

• People who have been sick with coronavirus infections should stay away from other people until they’ve gone at least three days with no fever, have seen symptoms improve, and until it’s been 10 days since they first noticed symptoms, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in updated guidance.

• U.S. coronavirus hospitalizations have crept higher due to states’ efforts to reopen and return to some semblance of normalcy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC. A month since Georgia took some of the earliest and most extensive steps to reopen parts of its economy, the preliminary data suggests that reopening has not led to a spike in cases — but the virus has continued to steadily infect people and shows no signs of waning.

• A big part of “normal life” is entertainment – going to the movies or a live show. See how film productions and stage actors are preparing. A poll finds that for hesitant theater-goers, the single greatest concern is their fellow audience members, who they worry will show up without masks or ignore social distancing rules.

• Over the past few months, as much of the world has adjusted to an unprecedented, stringent new set of norms, several prominent leaders centrally involved in their country’s coronavirus responses have been caught breaking the rules.

• The Spanish government has declared 10 days of mourning starting today for the nearly 27,000 people who have died there from COVID-19, the longest official mourning period in the country’s 4-decade-old democracy.

• 
  Harry Potter author JK Rowling has announced a new story called “The Ickabog” to entertain children during coronavirus lockdown. It will be serialized, with a chapter or more posted on “The Ickabog” website every weekday through July 10.