U.S. reopenings delayed as virus infections surge

PHOENIX — California closed down bars, theatres and indoor restaurant dining all over again across most of the state Wednesday, and Arizona’s outbreak grew more severe by nearly every measure, as the surging coronavirus crisis across the South and West sent a shudder through the country.

The run-up in confirmed cases has been blamed in part on what’s been called “knucklehead behaviour” by Americans not wearing masks or obeying other social-distancing rules as economies reopened from coast to coast over the past two months.

“The bottom line is the spread of this virus continues at a rate that is particularly concerning,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in dramatically expanding the round of closings he announced over the weekend.

The shutdown announcement, which came just ahead of what is expected to be a busy Fourth of July weekend that could fuel the spread of the virus, applies to 19 counties encompassing nearly three-quarters of California’s 40 million people.

Confirmed cases in California have increased nearly 50 per cent over the past two weeks, and COVID-19 hospitalizations have gone up 43 per cent. Newsom reported nearly 5,900 new cases and 110 more deaths in 24 hours.

With one of the biggest weekends of the summer approaching, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans to wear face coverings at the beach, though not in the water.

Meanwhile, a masked vicepresident Mike Pence paid a visit to Arizona, where cases have spiked since stay-at-home orders expired in mid-May. The state reported record single-day highs for new cases (almost 4,900), deaths (88), ER visits (close to 1,300) and the number of people in the hospital (nearly 2,900).

In Florida, the biggest hospital in the hardest-hit county, Miami’s Jackson Health System, scaled back elective surgeries and other procedures as it and others around the state braced for an influx of victims.

Florida recorded more than 6,500 new cases — down from around 9,000 on some days last week — and a running total of over 3,500 deaths.

“Too many people were crowding into restaurants late at night, turning these establishments into breeding grounds for this deadly virus,” Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said in forbidding restaurants from serving customers inside from midnight to 6 a.m.

Louisiana saw its biggest daily spike since April, reporting 2,100 new cases in 24 hours. Georgia set a new daily record with nearly 3,000 new cases. Texas did too, with new infections skyrocketing past 8,000 in a single day for the first time.

Marilyn Rauth, a senior citizen in Punta Gorda, said Florida’s reopening was “too much too soon” and blamed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “The sad thing is the COVID spread will probably go on for some time, though we could have flattened the curve with responsible leadership,” she said.