Cases Rise at Sunbelt, Other States Fall Back on Reopening

NEW YORK – California closed bars, theaters and restaurants in restaurants again in most of the state on Wednesday, and the Arizona outbreak became more severe in almost all measures as the growing coronavirus crisis in the south and west caused A chill across the country.

The advance in confirmed cases has been attributed in part to the fact that Americans have not worn masks or obeyed social distancing rules as economies reopened from coast to coast in the past two months.

“The end result is that the spread of this virus continues at a particularly worrying rate,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said as he dramatically expanded the round of closings he announced over the weekend.

The shutdown announcement, which came just ahead of what is expected to be a busy July 4 weekend that could fuel the spread of the virus, applies to 19 counties covering nearly three-quarters of the 40 million of Californians, including Los Angeles County.

Confirmed cases in California have increased nearly 50% in the past two weeks, and hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased 43%. Newsom reported nearly 5,900 new cases and 110 more deaths in 24 hours.

As one of the biggest weekends of summer approaches, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to cover their faces on the beach, but not in the water.

Despite the resurgence of the coronavirus in the U.S., President Donald Trump spoke about the virus Wednesday as if it were a nuisance that he hopes will finally go away.

“I think we are going to be very good with the coronavirus,” he said in an interview with Fox Business. “I think at some point that will go away, I hope.”

Meanwhile, masked Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit to Arizona, where cases skyrocketed since orders to stay home expired in mid-May. The state reported record highs in a single day for new cases (nearly 4,900), deaths (88), emergency room visits (about 1,300), and the number of people in the hospital (nearly 2,900).

In Florida, the largest hospital in the hardest hit county, Miami’s Jackson Health System, reduced elective surgeries and other procedures as he and others across the state prepared for the influx of victims.

Florida recorded more than 6,500 new cases, down from around 9,000 on a few days last week, but still alarming, and a cumulative total of more than 3,500 deaths. South Florida counties are closing beaches to fend off large July 4 crowds that could spread the virus.

“Too many people crowded into restaurants late at night, turning these establishments into breeding grounds for this deadly virus,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez, by banning restaurants with seats for more than eight people from serving customers within midnight at 6 a.m.

Louisiana experienced its largest daily increase since April, reporting 2,100 new cases in 24 hours. Georgia set a new daily record with almost 3,000 new cases. Texas did, too, with new infections soaring more than 8,000 in a single day for the first time.

Marilyn Rauth, a senior citizen in Punta Gorda, said Florida’s reopening was “too soon” and blamed Republican Governor Ron DeSantis.

“The sad thing is that the spread of COVID is likely to continue for some time, although we could have flattened the curve with responsible leadership,” he said. “Experience has now shown that most people do not distance themselves socially at beaches, bars, etc. Obviously, the governor has no concern for the health of the state’s citizens.”

Increasing numbers across the Sunbelt have raised fears that many other states may see the same phenomenon if they are reopened as well, and that people in the south and west may transmit the virus to other regions.

Some distant states and cities that appeared to have tamed their outbreaks, including Colorado, Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey, paused or backed down on some of their plans to reopen bars and restaurants as they watched the crisis unfold from afar.

Additionally, New York and New Jersey are asking visitors from 16 states from the Carolinas to California to be quarantined for two weeks.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the city is delaying the resumption of dinner at restaurants, and not because of an increase in cases there.

“Even a week ago, honestly, I was hoping I could do it. But the news we have received from all over the country is getting worse and worse, ”he said.

The number of confirmed cases in the US per day has roughly doubled in the past month, reaching 44,800 on Tuesday, according to a count by Johns Hopkins University. That’s even higher than the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April through early May.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the country’s leading infectious disease expert, warned on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the surge in the south and west “puts the entire country at risk” and that new infections could reach 100,000 per day if people don’t ‘Don’t start listening to public health authorities.

According to the Johns Hopkins count, the virus is blamed in the US For more than 2.6 million confirmed cases and more than 127,000 deaths, the highest number in the world. Worldwide, the number of infections is estimated at more than 10.6 million, with more than half a million deaths.

Actual figures in the US and worldwide are believed to be significantly higher, in part due to limited evidence and mild cases that have not been reported.

The number of deaths per day in the US continued to decline over the past week and dropped to an average of about 550, compared to a peak of around 2,200 per day in mid-April, according to an Associated Press analysis. .

But experts point out that deaths are a lagging indicator (it takes time for people to get sick and die) and warn that the trend could be reversed.

In New Jersey, where cases have declined since late April, Gov. Phil Murphy announced a hiatus Monday, in part because people were not wearing masks and social distancing.

“Unfortunately, the national scene, compounded by instances of silly behavior here at home, forces us to stop at restarting meals indoors for the foreseeable future,” he said.

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Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento, California; Curt Anderson in Saint Petersburg, Florida; Adriana Gomez in Miami; Kelli Kennedy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana contributed to this report. Coyle reported from New York.