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The resurgence of the fall has prompted some local and state officials to halt their reopening plans, as the number of hospitalizations rise and states report case records. Based on already high case counts, health experts have warned that this increase could be worse than anything they have seen before in America.
“We’ve never had waves in the sense of going up and down to a good baseline,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said in a Yahoo Finance interview on Monday. “It’s been going up and swinging up and down, so far we’re at the highest baseline we’ve ever been, which is really pretty precarious.”
And the state numbers are concerning, too: 37 states are reporting 10% more new cases compared to last week, and 21 states posted their highest 7-day averages on Sunday.
Whether these states are seeing a new wave of cases or just an exacerbation of the original wave, said the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, it’s just semantics.
“No matter how you look at it, this is not good news,” Fauci said.
Officials reinstate restrictions
State and city officials are responding to the bad news by pushing back on reopening plans.
With 1,223 new cases and 948 hospitalizations Monday, New Jersey is seeing an increase, Gov. Phil Murphy said.
“Wherever you look, it’s screaming that this is increasing right now folks, and we all have to come together and reject these numbers, particularly the hospitalizations and loss of life,” Murphy said.
Newark, which is in the counties with the top five cases, will begin implementing restrictions, including closing non-essential businesses at 8 p.m. starting Tuesday, according to a press release.
“This is not the first time that COVID-19 has threatened our city and its residents of this magnitude and, once again, we will meet this challenge with determination and guided by data,” said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in the notice. “We are strong in Newark and we can get through this together. We did it once before and we can do it again.”
In Massachusetts, 13 communities are also delaying their reopening plans after the state reported more than 1,000 new cases for three days in a row.
Communities are returning to step one of Phase 3 of the state plan, which closes many indoor recreation businesses, reduces occupancy in establishments such as gyms and museums to 40%, restricts outdoor gatherings at event venues to 50 people and reduces outdoor presentations to 25% capacity.
In Idaho, although Gov. Brad Little said the economy will remain open, the state fell back from Stage 4 of the reopening plan to Stage 3.
“It does not mean that the church in person will end. It does not mean that we are restricting travel in or out of state,” he added.
“It especially doesn’t mean that we should turn to remote learning in our schools.”
Halloween plans change as infections rise in children
As coronavirus cases rise across the country, the impact on children has increased.
Over the past two weeks, the number of cases among children has increased by 14%, the American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday.
The group, which represents pediatricians, says that about 792,188 children have been infected in the US as of Oct. 22. And the AAP said 94,555 new cases were reported among children 17 and younger between Oct. 8 and Oct. 22.
To stay safe and prevent infection, children may not be able to celebrate Halloween as they are used to this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
“There are many ways to celebrate the spooky season that are safer than traditional activities,” said Dr. Michael St. Louis of the CDC’s Community Outreach Team in a call with community leaders.
Options include virtual costume parties, candy scavenger hunts, small remote and outdoor gatherings and one-way trick or treating, where the candy is placed at the end of the driveway for children to pick up, he said.
People may have to find creative ways to incorporate face masks into their costume this year, St. Louis noted.
“It is important to understand that a disguise mask is not a substitute for a cloth mask, unless it has two or more layers of breathable fabric and fits comfortably around the nose, mouth and under the chin,” he said.
Masks may have to stay on until 2021
A coronavirus vaccine may not be widely available until next year, so people will have to wear masks for quite a while longer, Fauci and two of the top employees argued Monday.
They spoke in defense of cloth masks, recently attacked by Senator Rand Paul, and said that getting tested regularly is not enough to excuse people from wearing a mask.
The masks are helpful in blocking large particles that come from people’s mouths and noses, but the researchers said recent reports show that aerosols from singing, screaming or gasping for air can linger and travel further.
“Light scattering experiments indicate that 1 minute of talking loudly can potentially generate more than 1,000 aerosols containing virions that can remain airborne in a closed, stagnant environment,” they said. “Therefore, the commonly observed practice of people removing their masks when speaking is not advisable.”
And with winter coming, people will have to wear even more masks, they said.
CNN’s Konstantin Toropin, Laura Ly, Lauren Mascarenhas, Lauren del Valle, Mirna Alsharif, and Maggie Fox contributed to this report.
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