“What we were seeing in Wuhan, six months ago, five months ago, now we are there,” said Lilian Abbo of Jackson Health System during a press conference organized by the Mayor of Miami-Dade County.
“We need your help as media communicators to help the community understand that we are not repeating the same thing over and over again just to give it trouble, we really need your help,” Abbo said, directing comments to the media.
The appeal echoes the requests of some Other leaders in the state and across the country who have seen new cases increase in recent weeks as Americans flocked out after multi-week blockades. As states began to lift restrictions, images of pool parties, crowded beaches, reopened bars, and Christmas celebrations quickly emerged where social distancing and face masks were often neglected. Health officials then warned of what they are now reporting: groups that often date back to Americans who did not pay attention to the reopening guidelines weeks ago.
More than 3.3 million people have tested positive across the country, but the true number of infections could be much higher, experts say, as at least 40% of people who contract the virus show no symptoms, according to a new estimate from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With no way to control the rapid spread of the virus and with thousands possibly infecting others unknowingly, both local and state officials have been forced to rethink more restrictions and, in some cases, possibly a second round of blockades.
In Houston, where hospitals are already overwhelmed with patients and are reaching ICU capacity, Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday that he proposed a two-week closure to the governor after a surge in cases.
“I think we will have to close for a period of time. I propose two weeks, or at least, to go back to phase one,” Turner said. “We need to restart, especially in light of the fact that next month, you know, kids, we are talking about going back to school.”
More than half of US states have suspended or reversed their reopening plans in hopes of preventing further spread. The end of the pandemic is not in sight, the country’s leading infectious disease expert said Monday, but that does not have to mean a new wave of closings as long as communities follow the rules.
“You don’t necessarily need to close again, but back off a bit. And then proceed in a very cautious manner, observing the guidelines for going step by step,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci during a webinar with the Stanford School of Medicine on Monday.
States reimpose restrictions
Amid a spike in cases, at least three states announced restrictions Monday, including California, New Mexico, and Oregon.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that indoor activities in restaurants, Bars, wineries, tasting rooms, cinemas, family entertainment centers, zoos, and museums should close.
The 30 counties on the state watch list are to shutdown indoor operations for fitness centers, places of worship, offices for non-critical sectors, personal care services, beauty salons, hair salons, and shopping malls, said the governor.
In New Mexico, which has recorded at least 20% of its total infections in the past two weeks, a governor’s order places restrictions on indoor seating in restaurants and breweries once again in response to more cases.
Restaurants and breweries can accommodate people abroad at 50% of their capacity and can continue to operate take-out and delivery services. The new orders also tighten restrictions on gyms and other businesses, including tattoo parlors and salons.
“When we began our methodical reopening process, we knew that we would be introducing risks, and to counter that risk we would all have to modify our behavior and take every individual precaution to begin living in a positive COVID world and sustain that process,” Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the dramatically increasing number of cases in our state reflects that those behavioral modifications and precautions have not been taken seriously or have not been taken by enough people.”
And Oregon Gov. Kate Brown also took further action Monday, expanding facial coverage requirements and banning indoor use. Meetings of more than 10 people. “Either the people will comply with this requirement and they will be a positive force to stop Covid-19, or I will be forced to take more restrictive measures,” said the governor.
Expert: wear masks or watch the economy go to hell
As cases increase, experts are also calling on Americans to take precautions and wear face masks. But more than two dozen states do not have a state-level mask mandate.
“You have a choice,” said Dr. George Rutherford, a professor at the University of California at San Francisco. “It can be blocked as the economy goes to hell, or you can wear a mask.”
Delays in test results.
Rising cases in the United States are also causing delayed test results for the nation’s laboratories, according to Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of diagnostic services.
The “growing demand” for a Covid-19 molecular test is “slowing down” the company provide test results even after rapidly increasing capacity, Quest said Monday.
The company can perform up to 125,000 molecular diagnostic tests per day, almost double its capacity two months ago, and expects to have the capacity of 150,000 tests per day by the end of July.
But despite the growing capacity, Quest said it is taking up to a day to process test results for priority cases, including hospital patients, preoperative patients in acute care settings, and symptomatic healthcare workers.
In all other cases, test results take an average of seven or more days.
There are multiple challenges to further accelerate testing, the company said, adding that it cannot reduce response time on results while cases are increasing.
More school districts announce they are going virtual
The president has already said he is pressuring governors to reopen schools, and the Florida department of education earlier this month said it was demanding that schools reopen in August despite its increase in cases. On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said she believes parents “should have a choice” whether or not to send their children to school.
California’s two largest school districts announced Monday that students will continue to learn remotely when classes begin next month.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio offered in-person partial instruction options in the fall. But the state governor said Monday that in order for the in-person class to be allowed, a region must be in Phase 4 of reopening, which is not New York City.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian, Stephanie Elam, Raja Razek, Sarah Moon, Shelby Lin Erdman, Konstantin Toropin contributed to this report.
.
