Here’s a bit of a run-down of some of the coronavirus situation across the country. California, Arizona, Texas and Florida together reported about 36,000 new coronavirus cases yesterday. The restrictions aimed at combating the spread of the pandemic taking hold in the US are becoming unsettlingly reminiscent of the dark days of April.
The soaring counts of confirmed infections and a mounting death toll led the mayor of Los Angeles to declare that the nation’s second-largest city is on the verge of resorting to a shutdown of all but essential businesses, reports the Associated Press.
More school districts made plans to start their fall semester without on-site instruction, and the 2021 Rose Parade in California was canceled.
Other events went ahead undeterred though. Thousands of racing fans gathered at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee for a Nascar event. Officials allowed 20,000 at the track – the largest sporting event in the US since the pandemic began four months ago.
According to New York Times figures there have been at least 67,515 cases of coronavirus in Tennessee and at least 773 people had died. The state set a record for its highest number of new daily cases on Monday with 2,509 cases.
California, Arizona, Florida and Texas reported a total of more than 450 new deaths. In Texas, which again set a record for confirmed new cases – nearly 10,800 – Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has increasingly emphasized face coverings as the way to avoid another lockdown.
Alabama reported a pandemic-high one-day total of 40 deaths, and officials said the state will begin requiring face masks.
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock required masks at indoor public spaces and at larger outdoor gatherings in counties where four or more people are known to have Covid-19. The Democratic governor’s order came as the state also reported a record number of new confirmed cases.
In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine, who has faced criticism from fellow Republicans over business closures, gave a televised address with an emotional appeal to residents to make sacrifices to protect their neighbors. But he stopped short of mandating masks.
Florida surpassed 300,000 confirmed cases overall, reporting 10,181 new infections as its daily average death rate keeps rising. If it was a country, Florida would be in the top ten most affected countries in the world. Major cities have required masks, but Gov. Ron DeSantis has declined to issue a statewide order, arguing that it’s best decided and enforced locally.
