Pandemic worsens ahead of holiday weekend
California closed bars, theatres and indoor restaurant dining all over again across most of the state yesterday, and Arizona’s outbreak grew more severe, as the surging coronavirus crisis across the southern and western United States sent a shudder through the country.
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, including Los Angeles County.
Confirmed cases in California have increased by nearly 50 per cent over the past two weeks, and hospital admissions have risen 43 per cent. Governor Gavin Newsom reported nearly 5900 new cases and 110 more deaths in 24 hours.
With one of the biggest weekends of the summer approaching, the US 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 4900), deaths (88), ER visits (close to 1300) and the number of people in hospital (nearly 2900).
Florida recorded more than 6500 new cases and a running total of more than 3500 deaths. Counties in South Florida are closing beaches to fend off large July 4 crowds.
Louisiana saw its biggest daily spike since April, reporting 2100 new cases in 24 hours. Georgia set a new daily record with nearly 3000 new cases. Texas did as well, with new infections skyrocketing past 8000 in a single day for the first time.
Some distant states and cities that seemed to have tamed their outbreaks, including Colorado, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey, hit pause or backtracked on some of their reopening plans for bars and restaurants as they watched the crisis unfold from afar. New York and New Jersey are asking visitors from 16 states to quarantine themselves for two weeks.
The number of confirmed cases in the US per day has roughly doubled over the past month, hitting 44,800 on Wednesday, according to a count kept by Johns Hopkins University. That is higher even than what the nation witnessed during the deadliest stretch of the crisis in mid-April to early May.
After long resisting wearing a mask in public, US President Donald Trump said yesterday that he thinks it makes him look like the Lone Ranger – and he likes it.
‘‘I’m all for masks. I think masks are good,’’ Trump told Fox Business in an interview. ‘‘People have seen me wearing one.’’
His comments came a day after Republican lawmakers suggested that the president wear a mask in public to set a good example for Americans.
‘‘If I were in a tight situation with people, I would, absolutely,’’ Trump said in the interview.
■ Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt has urged authorities to throw the book at hotel coronavirus rulebreakers over allegations that security guards slept with guests.
Claims of widespread misconduct have rocked the security firms responsible for enforcing Melbourne’s hotel quarantine regime. Companies charged taxpayers for shifts that were never worked, leading to fewer security workers on duty and a higher risk of infections, the Herald Sun reported.
The Victorian state government has launched a judicial inquiry into hotel quarantine after Melbourne’s infection spike was linked to guards sharing cigarette lighters.
More than 300,000 people in 36 hotspot Melbourne suburbs have been sent back into lockdown until at least July 29.