Interior Department says over 30 staffers have died from COVID-19
06 August 2021
The Interior Department on Friday said that more than 30 staff members have died from the coronavirus.
By the numbers: Melissa Schwartz, Interior communications director, said that more than 4,000 staffers have reported contracting the disease.
- In a video released Wednesday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that 34 staffers have died. But Schwartz clarified that the video was taken earlier in the week and that since then, one more person has passed.
What they're saying: "Though many people are vaccinated, our country still faces increased rates of COVID-19 infections and more aggressive variants," Haaland said.
- Haaland added that the Interior Department will follow the mask guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- "Each state and community faces different threats, so if you are in an area with substantial to high COVID transmission rates, everyone — employees, contractors, and visitors — must wear a mask in all federal buildings no matter your vaccination status."
- The secretary pledged to continue providing updates on vaccination guidance.
What’s next: The Interior Department is working to establish a process for employees and contractors to confirm their vaccination status.
Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times
Section2Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.
Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.
The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.
- The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.
What the transcripts say:
- Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
- The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
- Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."
Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.