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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday downplayed the importance of wearing face masks during the pandemic, calling his treasury secretary’s assertion that using them would be a factor in reactivating the economy “disproportionate.” López Obrador had never been seen publicly wearing a mask until he flew to Washington earlier this month to meet with President Donald Trump. (7/23)

In the weeks he spent flat on his back in his Brooklyn bunk, wracked with pain and struggling to breathe, Axayacatl Figueroa could think of nothing but the small town and the family he had left behind in Mexico. Each month, he had sent $300 or $400 to his wife and son in San Jerónimo Xayacatlán. The money was hard earned: For more than a decade, he cleaned pork, cut meat and boned chickens in the basement kitchen of a Vietnamese restaurant. But now, Figueroa had COVID-19. There was no work, and there was no money to send home. (Torrens and Verza, 7/23)

All passengers in the U.S. must prove they tested negative for Covid-19 within three days of their flight to Hong Kong, the city’s government announced Wednesday. The policy adds the U.S. to a list of “high risk places” that includes India, Indonesia and South Africa. (Einhorn, 7/22)

Puerto Rico officials announced Wednesday that all public school students will start virtual classes Aug. 17 as the U.S. territory battles an increase in coronavirus cases. Education Secretary Eligio Hernández said he was delaying the reopening of public schools for in-person classes by one month to Sept. 17, though he cautioned it is a preliminary plan that could change if cases aren’t controlled. (Coto, 7/22)

he day-to-day increase of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Czech Republic has surpassed 200 for the second straight day. One of the latest clusters appeared in Prague where 76 people have been infected in a nightclub. The Health Ministry says the number of infected reached 247 on Wednesday, the biggest increase since June 28. (7/23)