The United States found itself increasingly isolated from the world on Tuesday as COVID-19 continued to spread throughout the southern and western states.
With the number of U.S. coronavirus deaths reaching nearly 127,000, the European Union lifted travel restrictions for 15 countries, but not the U.S.
Even China, where the deadly pandemic is believed to have started in December, made a cut in the EU of countries where the infection rate is considered low enough to allow people from those places to travel to the block.
“The way the current US administration has treated the virus, I don’t think it is responsible for any European leader basically allowing Americans to enter right now,” former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb told NBC News.
President Donald Trump waited until March 13 to declare a national emergency and has been aggressively pushing for the country’s economy to move again, even as health experts warn that the pandemic could worsen.
“We cannot focus only on those areas that are having a sudden increase, putting the entire country at risk,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, in his testimony Tuesday before Congress. “We now have over 40,000 new cases a day. I wouldn’t be surprised if we go up to 100,000 a day if this doesn’t change, so I’m very concerned.”
Young people, in particular, are at risk, Fauci told the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Work and Pensions.
“What we saw was many people who perhaps felt that because they think they are invulnerable, and we know that many young people are not because they are seriously ill, so they are becoming infected has nothing to do with anyone else, when done it does “he said
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said that we just have to blame ourselves for the continued contagion.
“We can continue to reopen, go back to work, go back to school, go back to health care, but we have to act responsibly as individuals,” Azar said on Fox Business Network. “If we simply do three things: practice social distancing, use facial covers when we cannot social distance, and practice proper personal hygiene. If we do those three things, we can change the course of these new cases and continue reopening.”
Trump and his allies have previously blamed the surge in numbers for a surge in testing, a claim that many health experts have dismissed as false.
As states like Alabama, Texas, Florida, and California continued to report large numbers of new cases, other states like New York and New Jersey that have been able to flatten the curve have postponed plans to reopen their bars and restaurants.
“This virus on the inside is a completely different beast than on the outside,” New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said in “Today.” “Our numbers are down, probably as much as any other American state, but we pay a huge price as you mentioned, 15,000 deaths. We have been through hell. The last thing we want to do is go through hell again. “
Health experts agree that closing bars and restaurants was wise.
“I am delighted that some of them are being closed,” John Swartzberg, professor emeritus of infectious diseases and vaccinology at the University of California, Berkeley, said Monday. “I’m disappointed that they don’t close anymore. The reason I am delighted is because the greatest risk to people is being in a closed area for an extended period of time. Bars are a perfect setup for that. “
In Washington DC, powerful Republicans who had been reluctant to require Americans to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 suddenly put them on and urged everyone else to do the same.
“Wearing the mask is the best chance to keep this economy open, keep us working, stay safe, and help us as we move toward that vaccine,” House of Representatives minority leader Kevin McCarthy (Republican of California) said Tuesday. ). Fox News.
California has recorded 223,684 coronavirus infections and 5,979 deaths since the pandemic began, according to the latest NBC News count. And a Los Angeles Times analysis found the state was on track to nearly double the number of cases it had in May, which was 61,666.
Vice President Mike Pence, who was severely criticized for not wearing a mask during meetings and photos, also began wearing one while in public.
So has Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“We should have no stigma, none, about wearing masks when we leave our homes and approach other people,” the Kentucky Republican said Monday. “Using simple facial coatings is not about protecting ourselves. It’s about protecting everyone we meet. “
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Opened Monday’s Senate Committee Hearing on the coronavirus pandemic by recommending again that Trump set an example for the nation by wearing a face mask.
“The president has many admirers,” said Alexander. “They would follow suit.”
Trump, however, has refused to wear one regularly, as have many of his supporters. And as the issue has become politically polarized, there have been confrontations between companies that require them and citizens who say their rights are being violated.
Pressured about the president’s reluctance to wear a mask, McCarthy said he had seen Trump wear one on occasion and agreed that doing so would send a patriotic message.
“It would be. I mean, by July 4 we could show our patriotism in a red, white and blue mask,” McCarthy said on Fox.
It remains to be seen whether Trump will wear a Friday when he travels to South Dakota for an Independence Day celebration on Mount Rushmore. The state’s Republican Governor, Kristi Noem, said they will hand out masks but will not demand social distance from people.
South Dakota did not report overnight deaths from coronavirus, but 91 people died in the state from the virus and 6,716 cases have been reported, according to NBC News figures.
In other developments, Texas Governor Gregg Abott banned elective surgeries in four South Texas counties to ensure there are enough hospital beds for coronavirus cases. That brings to eight the number of counties where these elective surgeries are suspended.
Texas is another state where the governor, a staunch supporter of Trump, had been pushing to reopen the state’s economy quickly.
During the night, there were 5,755 new cases and 22 more deaths, according to NBC figures. Overall, Texas has reported 158,766 cases and 2,427 deaths.
