Barack Obama leads tributes to civil rights leader John Lewis – live

New York hospitalizations from Covid-19 are at their lowest rate since 18 March. The state, which was at one point the worst affected region in the world by the virus, reported 743 hospitalizations from the virus on Saturday. It also reported 11 new deaths, two of which were in New York City.

New York governor said the state could act as an example to the rest of the US in how to lower infections.

“We remain alarmed by spikes in much of the country and the risk of a lack of compliance at home as the state pursues a phased, data-driven reopening,” Cuomo said in a press briefing on Saturday.

“New Yorkers’ vigilance, courage and adoption of basic behaviors – mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing – has driven our ability to control the virus, and we have to continue on that path to success.”

Two prominent Republicans have tweeted their tributes to John Lewis. Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator, said his “good friend” had helped welcome him when he first made his entry into Washington politics as a congressman.

“He was a giant among men; his life and legacy will continue to serve as an example for the generations to come,” the South Carolina senator wrote on Twitter. “I am encouraged by his courage, determination, and perseverance, characteristics that we can all try to emulate – especially in the wake of current events.”

Meanwhile, former presidential candidate and Republican senator for Utah, Mitt Romney, praised Lewis’s “unwavering principle”.

“With the passing of John Lewis, America has lost not only a man of history, but a man for our season; O how we need such men of unwavering principle, unassailable character, penetrating purpose, and heartfelt compassion,” wrote Romney on Twitter.

Bernie Sanders says “John Lewis inspired millions to fight for justice” in his tribute to the congressman on Twitter.

“His courage helped transform this country. He won’t ever be forgotten by those who believe America can change when the people stand together and demand it. Our thoughts are with his loved ones,” wrote the senator for Vermont.

Sanders and Lewis were involved in a minor controversy during Sanders’ run for president in 2016. The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) political action committee endorsed Sanders’ rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton. Lewis also appeared to play down Sanders’ involvement in the 1960s civil rights movement saying: “I never saw him. I never met him.”

Lewis later clarified that he was not disparaging Sanders’ record in the civil rights movement.

“I was responding to a reporter’s question who asked me to assess Senator Sanders’ civil rights record. I said that when I was leading and was at the center of pivotal actions within the civil rights movement, I did not meet Senator Bernie Sanders at any time,” he said in February 2016.

“The fact that I did not meet him in the movement does not mean I doubted that Senator Sanders participated in the civil rights movement, neither was I attempting to disparage his activism. Thousands sacrificed in the 1960s whose names we will never know, and I have always given honor to their contribution.”

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate, has issued a lengthy statement on John Lewis’s death. Here’s an extract:

“John’s life reminds us that the most powerful symbol of what it means to be an American is what we do with the time we have to make real the promise of our nation – that we are all created equal and deserve to be treated equally. Through the beatings, the marches, the arrests, the debates on war, peace and freedom, and the legislative fights for good jobs and healthcare and the fundamental right to vote, he taught us that while the journey toward equality is not easy, we must be unafraid and never cower and never, ever give up.