Coronavirus pandemic, 'American Idol' returns, NFL draft concludes: 5 things to know this weekend

Editors, USA TODAY
·3 min read

Churches reopen in Georgia. Sort of.

Despite Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s announcement that churches could reopen for services this week as long as social distancing guidelines are kept, many are opting to remain shuttered. The Catholic Dioceses in Georgia and the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church both said their doors will stay closed. The bishop of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church issued a directive to more than 520 churches prohibiting gatherings for services Sunday, calling Kemp’s decision “unacceptable.”

A South Dakota dirt race — socially distanced

A dirt track in North Sioux City, South Dakota, is planning to hold a race Saturday with tickets capped at 700 fans for a 4,000-seat venue. Gov. Kristi Noem has advocated for South Dakota residents to practice social distancing and avoid large gatherings, but she's one of the few governors who hasn't issued a statewide stay-at-home order or other enforceable restrictions. Track owner Adam Adamson said in public statements the event will allow social distancing and safety precautions to be practiced adequately.

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'American Idol' is first major competition series to come back

In an extraordinary feat of logistics, the final four episodes of "American Idol" (beginning Sunday, 8 ET/PT) will be taped, rather than live as planned. And each of the finalists, along with judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan, host Ryan Seacrest and mentor Bobby Bones, will be seen remotely, from their homes. NBC's "The Voice" is expected to produce remaining finalist competitions remotely beginning May 4, and NBC's "America's Got Talent" returns next month with only seven audition shows already taped, without an audience, and more elaborate acts that include pets and acrobats.

Planned outage for virus payment tracking tool

The Internal Revenue Service will be initiating "planned outages" on its coronavirus payment tracking tool this weekend, following earlier scheduled outages on Thursday and Friday. The "Get My Payment" tool will be unavailable starting Saturday at 10 p.m.ET until about 1 a.m. "due to planned maintenance." The heavily criticized "Get My Payment" tool at IRS.gov was designed to help people track their stimulus payments and allow taxpayers to provide direct deposit information to the IRS when necessary to receive the Economic Impact Payments more quickly. But nationwide, taxpayers have expressed a great deal of frustration, especially when they try to use the system but then see words like "Payment Status Not Available."

NFL draft concludes after wild nights

The 2020 NFL draft will conclude Saturday with Rounds 4-7 (noon ET on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network). Rounds 2-3 were conducted Friday night, and the festivities included the Eagles drafting a decorated college quarterback, Bill Belichick's dog going viral and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announcing picks from his easy chair. As was the case on Thursday with Round 1 and Friday for Round 2, the Cincinnati Bengals will kick off the picks on Saturday with selection No. 107. The New York Giants will complete the draft by selecting Mr. Irrelevant at pick No. 255.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus, 'American Idol' returns: 5 things to know this weekend