it's monday april 27th and we're being warned that social distancing will last through the summer as many states begin to ease restrictions on local businesses starting today the white house works to set the record straight on coronavirus guidelines as members of the task force hit the sunday shows and president trump takes to the twittersphere. then to the millions of missed milestones, from graduations to proms and everything in between. how to talk to your teens as we kick off our monday. "early today" starts right now and good morning to you. i'm cori coffin. >> and i'm phillip mena. with summer just a few weeks

away, can americans keep up this social distancing? that as state and federal leaders continue to debate when and how to reopen their states here's what you need to know at this hour. to start off your week top health officials say the number of new cases has reached a plateau. there are now more than 972,000 americans infected and close to be 55,000 people have died. >> the white house says social distancing will be the norm for be the next few months. coronavirus task force coordinator dr. deborah birx said that the current ways of testing will work through the spring and summer but the u.s. needs a, quote, breakthrough on testing to reopen. faced with a growing backlog the irs is bringing back thousands of employees the initial wave includes 10,000 employees at locations, ten nationwide employees were told to bring their own face masks or face coverings. uk prime minister boris johnson is back on downing street after being hospitalized in the icu by the virus a few weeks ago, he will now be leading britain's response to this

johnson has yet to reveal a plan for lifting the lockdown boston is targeting some of the hardest-hit areas. they are partnering with the massachusetts general hospital to test 1,000 residents for antibodies they'll focus on areas in east boston, roslindale and dorchester we are beginning a crucial week as more states start the process of easing restrictions be in california the warm weather be be be be be b had people hitting the beach be b this weekend be people not quite social be be be distancing there beaches and parks have seen and be b been some of the first spaces to reopen be but now more businesses are be b considering reopening their doors. for more on this we're joined by nbc's sam brock. sam, good morning. >> reporter: cori, at movie theaters and restaurants all over the state of georgia a question this morning, to open or not open? it's something that many states are weighing right now as they try to figure out how to revive their stagnant economies as more states across the country prepare to open their doors for business, the stark warning from a top white house coronavirus official >> social distancing will be

with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases >> reporter: dr. deborah birx contradicting a suggestion from vice president pence that the coronavirus could be behind us by memorial day. dr. birx also says she's concerned about states coming back online without meeting federal guidelines of two weeks of declining cases >> we're doing hand sanitizers for all of our guests. >> reporter: in georgia restaurants and movie theaters have the right to reopen like jay christopher with at least five locations offering dine-in services >> we've got sanitizers for the table, different buckets that we use for tabletops as well as chairs, and then we also have table x off which means you can't sit there and we're sitting every other table in the restaurant >> reporter: but most owners we spoke with are not like anthony dinardo of atlanta's famed henri's, who's keeping seating areas empty. >> i think people are going to wait and take a wait and see approach and see how things progress over the next week or two and i think everyone will make a decision that's best for their own business >> reporter: instead he's

donating lunches to first responders and sticking to takeout. as for movie theaters -- >> we have 1% of georgians tests if that. we're nowhere in a state where anyone feels safe going into an indoor space and being around a bunch of other people. >> reporter: the plaza theater in atlanta hasn't been closed for more than a few days since before world war ii. >> i have ten employees who are relying me and this theater for their livelihood but i'm not going to try to make them choose between their livelihood and their lives >> reporter: across the u.s. 18 states are opening shop doors or watching a stay-at-home order expire in tennessee restaurants have the green light. so nashville's busy city center remains bare the nba is allowing teams in some states to practice. and states like colorado are getting more creative with curbside retail. but in continues to be some defiance >> we're not hiding anymore. >> reporter: this louisiana pastor defying house arrest for ignoring stay-at-home orders preaching to his congregation anyway rules broken as others looking to reopen the right way.

back to theaters and the largest one of the entire country, amc, with 600-plus locations, says it may not be opening again until june or july as for this historic theater behind me in atlanta, they don't have a timeline to reopen but they are going to be doing private screenings for first responders with their families in groups of ten or less starting this friday cori, back to you. be >> all right, sam, thank you be one in six american workers have lost their job since the start of this crisis it's the highest unemployment rate since the great depression. today president trump and the nation's governors will talk about the economic revival it comes after a string of controversies for the president. nbc's kelly o'donnell has more >> reporter: often at the president's side, but dr. deborah birx is in an uneasy position >> i think i made it very clear how i interpreted that >> reporter: distancing herself from the president's public brainstorming. >> supposing we hit the body with a tremendous whether it's ultraviolet or just very

powerful light >> reporter: opining about would-be remedies involving uv light and disinfectant chemicals that are harmful if ingested two governors said their states' poison control hotlines lit up after the president's comments >> by injection inside or almost a cleaning >> i also made it very clear and so has dr. fauci and everyone associated with the task force in clarity around this is not a treatment. >> reporter: but birx says move on from that controversy to focus on covid-19's puzzling unknowns like strokes in some younger victims. >> we should be having that dialogue about this unique clotting that we're seeing >> reporter: from health to hardship the paycheck protection program. round 2. >> tomorrow morning we'll be open for business. >> reporter: taking new applications with an additional $322 billion to help small businesses retain their workers. the original fund was quickly

drained by high demand, leaving many mom-and-pop style owners empty-handed >> we've been applying for the ppp loan, have been told we're in a queue >> reporter: in phoenix cindy dash hopes for a second chance to save her changing hands bookstores that had employed 60 workers. >> we had to start laying off a third of our employees and these are colleagues and friends and family and that has just been devastating. >> reporter: the money going out in these two phases is expected to keep paychecks flowing for an estimated 60 million americans the treasury secretary expects this next batch to go quickly as well but he said getting the money out in communities to keep people on payroll is exactly the point. phillip? >> all right, kelly, thank you well, cases of coronavirus continue to grow in the united states some states are looking past the pandemic and restarting their shuttered economies. happening later today the governor of texas is expected to release more details on a plan to reopen the lone star state's

businesses following covid-19 restrictions here's nbc's priscilla thompson. >> reporter: well, phillip and cori, the governor here in texas has been teasing that upcoming announcement for the past week he's mentioned the possibility of massive reopenings of businesses here. everything from restaurants and movie theaters to retailers and nail salons. even churches. but the thing to remember is that texas is a very large state. there are more than 250 counties here and while some have seen outbreaks, there are others that don't have any cases at all. and so he has said that he's going to be very focused on a county by county basis in terms of looking at solutions for how to begin to reopen this economy. now, i also spoke to a number of business owners who tell me they are very excited about the prospect of reopening but are also going to be looking for that timing on monday and that's another thing we're going to be watching very closely. not so much what his

announcement is going to be in terms of if that stay-at-home order will lift and if those businesses will reopen but the how. what is the timeline going to be and what are the safety measures that will be put in place to ensure if another outbreak happens, the city and the state is prepared to handle it that will take about two weeks. the rumors and confusion continue to grow about the health and whereabouts of kim jong-un. he hasn't been seen in public for two weeks. he may be ill after undergoing surgery. kim is alive and well south korea says north korea state media has -- caliper i is joining us live from london. hi, cal, good morning. philip, good morning to you. what happened really, the thing that set this off is on april 15th, the north korean leader missed a national holiday, the commemoration of his grandfather's birthday who

founded the country. he hasn't missed it since 2011 that started the speculation in south korea and in the united states when we heard from intelligence officials pouring cold water on all of this is recent satellite images of the leader's train, believed to be his train, an 820-foot train in an eastern city that's an elite area where we know that he goes on vacation. those satellite images leading many to believe the rumors were not true they were cardiovascular rumors, a rumor he had undergone surgery. as you said, the south korean specifically this morning again saying they don't believe there's anything wrong with him, that north korea has not changed their posture. north korean state television as well continuing on with normal programming, something you wouldn't expect if he had fallen ill or died. all of this goes to show we know very, very little about what happens inside the north korea the w.h.o. was hoping for

coronavirus information. it's an information blackout, guys philip, cori. impossible to get accurate information to rely on all right, cal perry joining us from london. thank you, cal >> let's turn to your monday forecast let's get a first check of that forecast with nbc meteorologist janessa webb janessa, good morning. >> good morning, you two good morning, everyone good to see you. hopefully you are staying dry this morning because we continue to be in this wet pattern across 2/3 of the nation. and it's really a spring pattern that continues to set up we'll be dry for one day and then another storm system starts to make its way in you can start to see the snow that has already fallen across northern new england with winter weather advisories currently in place for interior new york all the way into the pittsburgh area where we could see possibility of at least an inch of snow but that wet pattern's going to continue to stay in place for at least the next 24 hours. that's a look at the big weather stories of the day

completely different weather pattern happening across the southwest with temperatures near 100 degrees this week, guys. >> hard to imagine in this corner of the country. all right, janessa, thank you so much kids in new york are helping to lift the spirits of first responders handwritten letters and drawings, they were all delivered to the levittown volunteer fire department. children of all ages joined the letters to our heroes campaign to say thank you the first responders said that these words of encouragement go a long way during this difficult time the youngest letter they received from a 2-year-old all right. up next, a heartwarming moment outside a st. louis hospital >> plus dance floors are dark and graduation stages empty. how high school seniors are coping with having to miss out on life's big milestones o miss t on life's big milestones

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[ applause ] a special moment from st. louis. hospital staff gathering outside to cheer on a police officer who was discharged after a month-long battle with coronavirus. he left the hospital and walked straight into the arms of his wife there >> first priority right there. well, millions of students are missing out on rites of passage because of the pandemic. families across the country have found their own special ways to make their memories special for their kids it's hard not to think about what should have been. sarah dallof looks at how students are coping. >> reporter: amelia leahy's senior year has been cut short her prom dress going off so is the rest of lacrosse season >> i was about 50 days away from breaking a 20-year-old probably record >> reporter: she understands why but is disappointed. >> it was such a big impactful

part of m leitch and such a good part of my life that i don't want to see it as over >> reporter: it's not just seniors. coronavirus is canceling rites of passage for students of all ages like saying good-bye to friends and teachers, moving to new grades or schools. parents facing tough questions about what's to come >> not being able to give answers is very difficult. it's very hard >> the first thing is to answer honestly >> reporter: dr. melissa gilliam, an adolescent behavior expert at the university of chicago, says parents shouldn't be afraid to say i don't know or use storytelling to get at the emotions driving questions >> you can say, you know, this virus, this pandemic, it reminds me of another story of what it feels like to be really scared and this is how i managed it >> reporter: playing games or puzzles gives steeteens and kide chance to open dialogue. >> when we play something or do something, we're focused, we're together and it's often in those moments that these questions arise that may not otherwise have a space to happen.

>> reporter: families can recognize or recreate missed milestones kayla grace mcswain's family brought prom to their front yard >> i'm so excited that my parents did this for me. >> reporter: making those memories in unexpected ways. sarah dallof, nbc news >> really feel it is difficult you've got to find any way you can. >> they have done that all right. still to come here on "early today," just what the doctor order. "saturday night live" makes dr. fauci's celebrity wish come true and 100 never sounded so good meet the world war ii veteran who's topping the charts for a good cause t actually was. dust mite droppings! eeeeeww! dead skin cells! gross! so now, i grab my swiffer sweeper and heavy-duty dusters. duster extends to three feet to get all that gross stuff gotcha! and for that nasty dust on my floors, my sweeper's on it. the textured cloths grab and hold dirt and hair no matter where dust bunnies hide. no more heebie jeebies. phew.

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anybody that needs a test gets a test. they're there. they have the test and the tests are beautiful. >> okay. couple of things i don't knowif i would describ the test as beautiful. unless your idea of beauty is having a cotton swab tickle your brain. also, when he said everyone can get a test, what he meant was almost no one. but until then -- >> weeks after dr. anthony fauci jokingly said brad pitt should play him on "saturday night live" the show delivered the actor hosted the second stay-at-home edition of "snl" and kicked off the show's cold open as dr. fauci. this was the impersonation we never knew we needed. >> you know, dr. fauci deserves to have someone like brad pitt his interpretation of him. i love it. >> so good and the little bit at the end there that you saw, watch it all

the way through. it's a really good little ending all right. the nfl's first ever virtual draft brought the stars of tomorrow to the league, but it also brought donations to covid relief efforts the league announced its draft-a-thon raised more than $100 million over three days that'll go to various charities like american red cross, meals on wheels and the cdc foundation 99-year-old captain tom moore has broken two guinness world records. he achieved the record for the most money raised by an individual charity walk, raising over $34 million the world war ii veteran also became the oldest person to reach number 1 on the uk music charts with his hit single "you'll never walk alone." his achievements have earned him the front cover of guinness world records 2021 he says he's honored to receive the recognition and thankful to those who have donated >> we cannot get enough of him he's so great. >> thursday is his 100th birthday janessa is tracking coronavirus hot spots for us >>ndow t a hhe beatles are getting people to come together in a time of social distancing

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throughout the pandemic we've seen how the power of music can connect us all and this weekend two big stars led their own sing alongs. nbc's kate snow has the story. >> reporter: in san francisco a crowd, or what passes for one in the time of coronavirus, gathered at a statue of the legendary tony bennett >> i love you, san francisco let's sing our song. >> reporter: he had called them there to pay tribute to the city's health care workers, tirelessly fighting the pandemic ♪ the loneliness of paris ♪ seems somehow sadly gay

>> reporter: san franciscans came out or stayed in to join the song ♪ terribly alone you could hear the love letter to the city echoing in cathedrals, inside fire stations, and outside once bustlingf a stage joined in. and the voices of the san francisco opera brought it all together ♪ in san francisco ringo starr of the beatles wanted people to come together too. >> for those of you missing singing together, i've got good news ♪ so we sailed up to the sun ♪ >> reporter: as the animated film "yellow submarine" played on youtube saturday 70,000 people tuned in to sing along to beatles hits ♪ in our yellow submarine young girls getting into character. ♪ in a yellow submarine

♪ a yellow submarine ♪ yellow submarine ringo sharing this buddhist monks' rendition of the chorus ♪ yellow submarine ♪ yellow submarine and in a time of crisis there's really only one thing we all need ♪ all you need is love ♪ all you need is love ♪ all you need is love, love ♪ love is all you need >> mwah! >> just the best >> music helps us to celebrate, remember, forget, all the feelings >> the next thing i want from tony bennett, "the best is yet to come. >> i don't think i've heard that yet. >> good one. >> i've got that on deck animal control inth had their hands full they had an aggrsie as the crew tried to ease it away animal control had to hose the

big guy down with four security guards guiding that gator back home to his lagoon the gator choosing the stop drop and roll method to get home. >> stay safe on this monday. thanks for watching. i'm cori coffin. >> and i'm phillip as we work to get through these times together, you may not be thinking about blood donation, but blood is needed to save the lives of people who are sick with a range of illnesses. it's easy and safe to give. if you are in good health, please donate. we need heroes now. visit red cross blood dot org to schedule an appointment.

a major week ahead kicks off today with restaurants in georgia opening up a plan for new york to get moving again and the strategy to increase testing on a massive scale >> social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases >> the white house coronavirus task force coordinator predicting some form of social distancing will be needed all summer as the vice president is pushing for a memorial day opening up.