FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – Florida beat its previous record of a day of coronavirus deaths on Tuesday and Britain and France announced they will require people to wear masks in closed public spaces, something a senior US health official does. The US called it a “civic duty” for Americans: amid growing global concerns about the resurgence of the pandemic.
Florida reported an additional 132 deaths, beating the previous record for the state established last week. The figure probably includes deaths from the past weekend that had not been previously reported.
Still, the new deaths raised Florida’s seven-day average to 81 per day, more than double that of two weeks ago and now the second-highest in the United States behind Texas. Doctors have predicted an increase in deaths as Florida’s daily cases have gone from about 2,000 a day a month ago to a daily average of about 11,000, including a record 15,000 on Sunday. The state registered 9,194 new cases on Tuesday.
Marlyn Hoilette, a nurse who spent four months working in the COVID-19 unit at her Florida hospital until she tested positive recently, said she is concerned about returning because of pressure to handle the increase in cases.
“Nurses get sick, nurse aides get sick, and my biggest fear is that it seems like we want people to go back to work even without a negative test,” said Hoilette, who works at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee. Florida. “It is only a matter of time before you eliminate the rest of the staff if you are contagious, so that’s a big problem.”
The news of the increase in the number of victims in Florida came when Arizona officials recorded 4,273 recently confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The state, which became a virus spot after Governor Doug Ducey relaxed orders to stay home and other restrictions in May, reported 3,517 hospitalized patients due to the disease, a record. The number of Arizona deaths from COVID-19 increased to 2,337, with an additional 92 deaths reported Tuesday.
The director of the United States’ leading public health agency urged Americans to wear masks to help contain the virus.
“At this critical juncture when COVID-19 is resurfacing, the widespread adoption of fabric face covers is a civic duty, a small sacrifice that depends on a highly effective low-tech solution that can help change course,” they wrote. Dr. Robert Redfield and two colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in an editorial published online Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In Britain, officials announced they will require people to wear face masks starting July 24, after weeks of dismissing their value.
“We are not out of the woods yet, so let’s do our best to keep this virus cornered and enjoy the summer safely,” British Health Secretary Matt Hancock told lawmakers in the House of Commons.
French President Emmanuel Macron said masks will be required by August 1, after recent rave parties and widespread recidivism in social distancing raised concerns that the virus may be starting to recover.
Even Melania Trump, whose husband President Donald Trump resisted wearing a mask or urging anyone else to do so, called on people to step up precautions.
“Even in the summer months, please remember to wear face covers and practice social distancing,” he said Tuesday in a post on his Twitter account. “The greatest precaution we take now can mean a healthier and safer country in the fall.”
Meanwhile, officials in the Australian state of Queensland said those who violate quarantine rules could face up to six months in prison.
The current set of fines for breaking a mandatory 14-day quarantine at the hotel for some visitors or lying about their whereabouts “appears not to be enough” in some cases, Queensland Deputy Prime Minister Steven Miles said.
With higher fines and the threat of jail, “I hope that shows the public how serious we are about enforcing these measures,” said Miles.
Queensland closed its state borders to successfully contain the coronavirus outbreak, but reopened all but the residents of Victoria, Australia’s worst affected region, two weeks ago.
The city of Melbourne in Victoria recorded 270 new coronavirus infections overnight, with more than 4,000 active cases across the state. Melbourne has been in a six-week lockdown for a week in an attempt to stop a spike in new cases there.
Disney officials announced that Hong Kong Disneyland Park will close Wednesday until further notice following the city’s decision to ban public gatherings of more than four people to combat newly-spread infections.
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam announced new coronavirus-related restrictions on Monday after 41 of 52 recently reported infections were cases of local transmission. Hong Kong has reported 250 new cases since July 6. Lam urged the private sector to establish work-from-home agreements for employees.
In Thailand, where there have been no reports of locally transmitted cases for seven weeks, authorities have revised the rules governing visitors from abroad after a collapse in the examination led to two infected foreigners posing a possible health risk. public.
The government said Tuesday that diplomats will be asked to remain in state-supervised quarantine for 14 days, rather than isolate themselves. And it is postponing the recently allowed entry of some foreign visitors so that procedures can be changed.
“I am angry that this should not happen. They should have been quarantined, just like the returning Thais have to be quarantined for 14 days, ”said Panpen Sakulkru, who was among the hundreds of people who lined up for virus testing in the Thai city from Rayong.
India, which has the third-highest number of cases after the United States and Brazil, was rapidly approaching 1 million cases, with a jump from more than 28,000 reported on Tuesday. Now she has more than 906,000 and accumulated more than 100,000 in just four days.
Its national closure is largely over, but recent spikes have led several large cities to reimpose partial blockades. A 10-day blockade that began Tuesday in the southern city of Pune will allow only essential businesses such as milk stores, pharmacies, clinics and emergency services to open.
The ebb and flow of the pandemic causes governments to struggle to quell new outbreaks as they try to save economies from the devastation of long closings and travel restrictions.
In the US, outbreak outbreaks have led officials in some areas to demand the use of masks and to close bars and some other companies to try again to control the pandemic.
The Hawaii governor, delayed for another month, plans to waive a 14-day quarantine requirement for travelers from other states who test negative for COVID-19.
The state has one of the lowest infection rates in the US, with 1,243 cases. Its quarantine requirement has practically closed tourism since it went into effect in late March, pushing the islands’ unemployment rate to 22.6%, the second highest in the United States.
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Geller reported from New York. Associated Press reporters from around the world contributed.
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