(CNN) – Washington is the latest state to pause its reopening plans after an increase in the number of new coronavirus cases across the country.
“We all want to go back to doing all the things we love in Washington over the summer and fully open our economy, but we are not here yet,” Governor Jay Inslee said Saturday. “This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data.”
At least a dozen other states, including some of the country’s most populous, have taken similar steps in recent days.
More than half of states face an increase in coronavirus cases and threaten to overwhelm hospitals.
“The community infection rate is three times higher today than it was three months ago,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters.
Texas and at least five other states, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah, reported the highest single-day totals of new COVID-19 cases, according to state health departments. Florida, possibly seen as the next epicenter of the US, reported its highest total of new cases in one day on Saturday with 9,585 cases.
And it’s not just those states that see increasing numbers. The national number of daily reports of coronavirus cases peaked at nearly 40,000 on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University data, and 32 states are seeing the number of new cases grow from the previous week.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters on Friday that “nothing has changed in the past week” and that the increase was the result of a “test dump.”
But the governor of Texas, the nation’s second-most populous state, halted his state’s gradual reopening plan and ordered new restrictions on businesses, including bars.
More governors have announced that they will not advance to their next reopening phases. Those states include Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, and North Carolina.
Metropolitan areas in the US that see exponential growth in cases means the nation is likely to see a “dramatic increase” in the trajectory of the virus, Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at CNN, told CNN. Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.
“At least in metropolitan areas, we have people in masks now, the bars are closed, and we have some defense from the county judge and the mayor,” Hotez said of Texas. “I don’t know how much this incredibly aggressive increase will actually slow down.” It’s like trying to stop a train coming down the tracks. “
‘For God’s sake: avoid crowds’
The increase in cases in more than half of the country occurs when people venture outside to enjoy summer activities and relaxed restrictions after a spring indoors to curb the spread of the virus.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, urged Americans to go back to basics to prevent the spread or infection of the virus.
“For God’s sake: avoid crowds, wear masks. Those are the fundamentals that when you look at the television clips, when you see photos in the newspapers, people don’t do that. That is a recipe for disaster, “Fauci told CNBC.
Many institutions are taking steps to disperse large groups. A federal judge ruled Friday that the United States government should release migrant children detained in government family detention centers in mid-July. They should be released into the care of a parent or, if that is not an option, to “suitable sponsors available or other COVID-free non-congregate settings available” with the consent of their parents or guardians.
In Texas, the Houston Pride parade has agreed to hold a virtual demonstration rather than an in-person event, the organization wrote in a Facebook statement Friday.
“Pride Houston understands that we do not live in a bubble and we are also in the midst of another public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic,” the organization wrote.
After outbreaks after large gatherings on the beach, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez said Friday that he will sign an emergency order on Saturday to close the county’s beaches over the July 4 weekend.
The order prohibits any gatherings, including parades, of more than 50 people across the county during that time. Fireworks displays should be viewed from houses or parked vehicles, Giménez said in a statement.
‘A bar setup just doesn’t really work with a pandemic’
Reopening bars has been a challenge for Florida and Texas.
“If I could go back and redo something, it probably would have been slowing down the opening of the bars. Now, looking at the consequences of how quickly the coronavirus spread in the bar setup, and, you know, a bar setup just doesn’t really work with a pandemic, “Texas Governor Greg Abbott told KVIA, CNN affiliate.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission last week temporarily suspended alcohol permits for 12 bars in Texas after they were found to be violating state protocols to delay the spread. The videos and photos published by the commission on Twitter show crowded bars over the weekend, apparently without social distancing. On Friday, Abbott ordered bars to close again and restaurants to cut capacity to 50%.
Florida suspended alcohol consumption in bars across the state on Friday due to noncompliance, the state governor said on Friday.
“When people follow the guidelines, we haven’t had any problems, you haven’t had any problems,” said DeSantis. “And then people just follow the guidelines. We’re going to be in good shape. “
This problem is not limited to Florida and Texas. At least 85 people tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting a pub in East Lansing, Michigan, said Linda CNN, Ingham County Health Officer Linda Vail. Vail said he hopes the number will increase further.
90% or more of the country is susceptible
More than 2.4 million cases have been reported and at least 125,039 people have died from the virus in the United States. But the actual number of infected people is probably 10 times higher, authorities said.
Antibody tests, which examine a person’s blood for signs that the immune system has responded to an infection, show that more than 20 million people have been infected, most without knowing it, said Dr. Robert Redfield, director from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But only 5% to 8% of Americans have been infected with the virus, and the numbers vary by region. That means 90% or more have not been infected and are susceptible to infection, underscoring the need to act aggressively to combat rising infection rates, Redfield said.
Federal health officials expanded the list of who is at the greatest potential risk for serious complications from COVID-19.
Mild obesity, moderate to severe asthma, pregnant women and cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the CDC said. So are those with conditions such as sickle cell disease, poorly controlled HIV infection, bone marrow transplants, or an organ transplant.
The agency has also removed the specific age threshold, saying that not only those over 65 are at increased risk for serious illness.
The-CNN-Wire ™ and © 2020 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner company. All rights reserved.
