The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
US coronavirus outbreaks spur debate over personal freedoms
PHOENIX » When the coronavirus flared in China this week, the country canceled flights, suspended reopenings and described the situation as “extremely grave.” But with cases rising in some U.S. states, local officials have balked at even requiring people to wear masks.
In the United States, which has the most reported cases and deaths in the world, authorities are wrestling with balancing demands for constitutional rights and personal freedom with warnings from health officials that being lax will have deadly consequences.
China responded Wednesday to a new outbreak in Beijing by scrapping more than 60% of its flights to the capital, canceling classes and strengthening requirements for social distancing. It was a sharp retreat for the nation that declared victory over COVID-19 in March.
“This has truly rung an alarm bell for us,” Party Secretary Cai Qi told a meeting of Beijing’s Communist Party Standing Committee.
China’s response to about 137 new cases amounted to a fraction of the number some states see each day. In Arizona, more than 1,100 people visited emergency rooms on Tuesday alone with positive or suspected cases. Alabama is also fast running out of hospital space, leading to impassioned debate over whether to require masks. Other states that haven’t mandated face coverings, like Texas and Florida, also are seeing infections soar.
With masks becoming a political symbol, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has taken aim at President Donald Trump’s approach to the pandemic.
“Donald Trump wants to style himself as a wartime president. Unlike any other wartime leader, he takes no responsibility, he exercises no leadership, now he has just flat surrendered the fight,” Biden said Wednesday.
Biden has worn a mask repeatedly at public events, while Trump hasn’t, even on occasions such as touring auto factory floors where they are required. Aides say Trump believes them to be unflattering and that wearing one projects weakness.
The mask debate is playing out nationwide, notably in hard-hit states where face coverings have become a political and cultural debate.
Hundreds of medical professionals signed a letter urging Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey to require them. He’s encouraged people to use masks but hasn’t worn one during news conferences and has rebuffed calls to require them. He also has resisted imposing new restrictions on businesses, attributing Arizona’s surge in cases to increased testing.
Arizona has been doing more tests, which can yield more cases, but health experts say a better way to see if more people are getting sick is to look at the percentage of positive tests. When that percentage rises, it means the outbreak is worsening — not just that more people are getting tested.
Arizona leads the nation with the highest seven-day average positive test rate: 17.7%, or about double the national average and well above the 10% threshold that health officials find worrisome. It also has the most new cases per capita in the U.S. in the past 14 days. The state’s leading hospital system says it’s almost running out of beds.
Several restaurants and other businesses also have closed because staff tested positive in the last week.
The same thing is happening in parts of Florida, where people under 35 are testing positive at a higher rate since the pandemic began, contributing to a surge in cases, officials said Wednesday.
The coastal city of St. Petersburg had three popular bars close after employees tested positive.
“This is happening statewide. Ideally, we would have leadership from the top and this would be a statewide decision,” Mayor Rick Kriseman said.
The Democrat said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged people to use masks but not mandated them.
Cases in Pinellas County, where St. Petersburg is located, have shifted from assisted living residences and nursing homes to younger people, county Commissioner Ken Welch said. He said 25% of the cases are in the African American community.
DeSantis said he has no intention of closing Florida’s economy again despite the new cases, saying many of those getting sick are young and thus unlikely to suffer serious illness or death.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.