Coronavirus tally: Global cases of COVID-19 top 251.5 million and judge orders halt on Texas mask ban for schools

The global tally for the coronavirus-borne illness climbed above 251.5 million on Thursday, while the death toll edged above 5.07 million, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University . The U.S. continues to lead the world with a total of 46.8 million cases and 759,060 deaths. The U.S. is still averaging about 1,200 deaths a day, according to a New York Times tracker, although cases and hospitalizations are declining, outside of hot spots that include California, Colorado and New Mexico. A federal judge on Wednesday ordered a halt to the enforcement of Texas' ban on mask mandates in the state's schools, the Associated Press reported. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel ruled in Austin that the ban ordered by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott violated a federal law protecting disabled students' access to public education. The nonprofit advocacy group Disabled Rights Texas argued that Abbott's ban prohibited accommodations for disabled children particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. India is second by cases after the U.S. at 34.4 million and has suffered 462,189 deaths. Brazil has second highest death toll at 610,036 and 21.9 million cases. In Europe, Russia has the most fatalities at 247,000 deaths, followed by the U.K. at 142,772.