Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee and Utah reported record daily cases, according to their state’s health departments. And for Florida, which has been considered the next possible epicenter, that number reached 8,938 new cases in just one day.
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, “paused” his state’s gradual reopening plan and ordered new restrictions on businesses, including bars.
And at least nine other states have announced they will not advance to the next phase: Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Nevada, New Mexico, and North Carolina.
Metropolitan areas in the United States that see exponential growth in cases means the nation is likely to see a “dramatic increase” in the trajectory of the virus, said Dr. Peter Hotez, professor and dean of tropical medicine at Baylor College of Medicine from Houston to CNN’s Jim Scuitto.
“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,” he said of Texas. “I don’t know how much this incredibly aggressive surge 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 the crowds, wear masks. Those are the fundamentals that when you look at the television clips, when you see photos in the newspapers, people are not doing that. That is a recipe for disaster.” Fauci said during an interview with CNBC’s Meg Tirrell.
To that end, 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 to the care of their parents or, if that is not an available option, to “suitable sponsors available or other non-congregate settings available without COVID” with the consent of their parents or guardians.
In Texas, the Houston Pride march and parade agreed to hold a virtual rally rather than an in-person event, the organization wrote in a Facebook statement on 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.
And after outbreaks after large beach gatherings, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Giménez announced Friday that he will sign an emergency order on Saturday to close all county beaches during the weekend of the fourth of July.
The order will also ban 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 as they try to protect themselves against the virus.
“If I could go back and redo something, it probably would have been slowing down the opening of the bars. Now looking at how fast the coronavirus spread in the bar configuration, and, you know, a bar configuration in reality It just doesn’t work with a pandemic, “Texas Governor Greg Abbott told CNN affiliate KVIA.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission temporarily suspended alcohol permits for 12 bars in Texas on Monday 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.
In Florida, the Department of Business and Professional Regulation suspended alcohol consumption in bars across the state on Friday for non-compliance, the state governor said on Friday.
“When people follow the guidelines, we have not had any problems, you have not had any problems. The reason why DBPR took it is because it had people who did not follow it,” said DeSantis. “And then people just follow the guidelines. We’re going to be in good shape.”
90% or more of the country is susceptible
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 even with the numbers so high, only 5% to 8% of Americans have been infected with the coronavirus, and the numbers vary by region. That means 90% or more have not been infected and are susceptible to the virus, underscoring the need to act aggressively to combat rising infection rates, Redfield said.
Federal health officials expanded the list of who is at the highest 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.
CNN’s Nicole Chavez, Jay Croft, Brian Rokus, Shelby Lin Erdman, Sara Weisfeldt, Hollie Silverman, Janine Mack and Nicole Williams contributed to this report.
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